$1500 Gaming machine (my first build!)

[Calliope]

I've gone through a few of the guides on here. I've never built a machine from scratch before, so would be interested in what any of you think of my choices:

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a couple weeks

Budget Range: $1500-$1600 (not including the monitor)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: www.canadacomputers.com, www.shoprbc.com

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Parts Preferences: Intel, AMD

Overclocking: Maybe (never tried before, but I might)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (not to begin with, maybe down the road)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200

Additional Notes: Never tried an SSD before, also my first time going with a high-end video card instead of a more middle of the road one, never had a 7200 RPM hard drive, etc. A lot of firsts for me.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Upgrading from a gaming laptop (ASUS G73J, with ATI mobility HD 5870 card). Have been finding Guild Wars 2 to be sluggish with the settings turned up.

My build I'm considering:

Intel Core i5-3570K Quad-Core Socket LGA1155, 3.4Ghz, 6MB L3 Cache, 22nm (Retail Boxed) Gen3 (BX806237I53570K)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=4_65&item_id=045425

Gigabyte GA-Z77X-D3H Socket 1155 Intel Z77 Chipset
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_722&item_id=052352

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1 64-Bit
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=530&item_id=037803

Cooler Master Storm Enforcer Mid Tower Case w/ Window
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_112&item_id=038223

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 DIMMs
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_311_312_612&item_id=035074

Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=179_1088&item_id=053763

Seagate 7200.12 2TB 7200RPM 64MB 3.5" SATA3 HDD
http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?coid=17427314

OCZ ZT Series 750W Power Supply
http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?coid=17427327

Gigabyte Radeon HD7970 OC 3GB GDDR5 PCI-E Video Card
http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?coid=17427330

This comes in at just under $1500, though I still need to decide on a monitor. I've also been toying with the idea of using two monitors, but am not sure yet about that. Did I forget anything essential? Is there something I chose that you disagree with (and why)?

Thanks.

 

[Calliope]

Video cards are so confusing, lol.

I don't buy from newegg.com since I'm in Canada and I don't want to pay shipping plus duty for crossing the border.

So reference cards are the ones that are red and don't have the multiple fans and such?

Is this one close enough? The specific ones you recommend seem to be making the price of my build creep up too much for my liking, and I still need to get a monitor and a gaming keyboard. I don't need the best of the best of 7970s, I want a decent one that isn't "garbage" though, haha.

http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?pid=77883

 

[ilysaml]

Yeah that's the one.

 

[Calliope]

Thanks so much!

 

[bigcyco1]

Video cards are so confusing, lol.

I don't buy from newegg.com since I'm in Canada and I don't want to pay shipping plus duty for crossing the border.

So reference cards are the ones that are red and don't have the multiple fans and such?

Is this one close enough? The specific ones you recommend seem to be making the price of my build creep up too much for my liking, and I still need to get a monitor and a gaming keyboard. I don't need the best of the best of 7970s, I want a decent one that isn't "garbage" though, haha.

http://www.shoprbc.com/ca/shop/product_details.php?pid=77883

:lol: there not garbage i just do not like reference cards so i say it's garbage :lol:

 

[Kamen_BG]

I suggest you buy the best PC you can NOW and max everything out with it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.99 @ Canada Computers)
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9900MAX-R CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67X-UD3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.88 @ Canada Computers)
Memory: Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Canada Computers)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($159.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($359.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card (CrossFire) ($359.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Antec DF-35 ATX Mid Tower Case ($38.88 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Canada Computers)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($84.99 @ Memory Express)
Total: $1560.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-30 06:48 EST-0500)