BestConfigs - Budget Intel-Based Gaming PC

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marcohoule

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Jun 21, 2011
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I don't know about you but i like when my rig is stable so i based my choice on this.

Marco rock stable Budget gaming pc
Processor: i5 2400 $189.99
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 $144.99
RAM: Kingston HyperX Grey Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 $84.99
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6970 2GB GDDR5 $349.99 MIR = $20
Hard Drive: Caviar Black 500GB 7200 RPM 6.0Gb/s $59.99
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 912 $59.99 MIR = -$10
Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series 650W $89.99 MIR = -$15
Cooling: Stock cooling
DVD Burner: LG DVD Burner 24X $20.99


$1,000.92
After MIR = -$45
$955,92


I think a good processor is the base of everything so the 2400 is perfect.
Gigabyte board are just rocking stable , i rarely got problem when i sell these boards.
Kingston and 8gb of ram is just a must to have , i don't know why people put 4gb , systems run smoother with 8gb especially in new games
Western caviar black is just a killer .. like the haf 912 , really good thinking case for budget PC
the corsair 650w is on the limit for a 6970 but it's a good rating psu so it will do the job
AMD Cards like the 6970 take less power , and do an anwesome job
LG burner !

Putting only one videocard is just relaxing the psu , making less heat , taking less dirt... = more stable! =)
 

ksampanna

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Apr 11, 2010
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1. ksampanna's "Easily Runs Crysis" merrily Chugging-along Rig
2. Processor: Intel Core i5-2400 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo) $189.99
3. Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 $169.99
4. RAM: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB $74.99
5. Graphics Card: 2 X SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 $339.98
6. Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4EG 1.5TB $64.99
7. Case: COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310 $39.99
8. Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX $89.99
9. Cooling: Stock
10. BD-ROM: SAMSUNG Black 12X BD-ROM $64.99

Total: $1034.92
Haven't factored in rebates (which do exist on some of above, helping to bring the total down to ~ $1000)

Build Notes:
1) Processor- this will be the biggest talking point, about why I did not select a k-series. imo, people in this budget range want their rigs to last fairly long, since they don't have additional budget to upgrade (else why would they have "only" $1000 in the first place). Take a 2500k & overclock it to 4.5+, chances are it'l have blown itself within a year & a half. So no thanks, I'l gladly tolerate a few more seconds of encoding for a few more years of stable operation. Also the 2400 is still faster than most cpus out there & at stock, plenty enough for gaming.
2) Graphics - 2 X 6850. More performance than a 580, for so much less. Will chew through any game @ 1080p for atleast a couple of years.
3) Case - Unbeatable at that price. Have first hand experience. Doesn't look or feel cheap.
4) BD-ROM - I think it's time for us to move past DVD writers. As games get bigger & bigger (who knows, even Windows 9 might not fit on traditional DVDs) & more & more movies are available on Blu-Ray, a BD-ROM starts to look less like a luxury & more of a necessity.
5) RAM - At these prices, you'd be crazy not to get 8 GB. Big enough to finally start a basic ramdisk.
6) HDD - Sure the F4 spins slower but denser platters (3 X 667 GB) should compensate for that. Factor in 1.5 TB of storage space, & there's no complaints
 
Lunyone's "Lower Budget" Gaming Build!
for those who don't have $1000

1. Processor: $125 shipped!! Equivalent to AMD Phenom II x4 940 on Anandtechs $500 Sandbridge Buyer's Guide.Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache 3MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

2. Motherboard: $138 shipped! It has just about everything you need in a Z68 based mobo!
GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

3. RAM: $40 shipped! Good RAM at stock voltage (1.5v) and a good price!
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBXL

4. Graphics Card: $118 shipped - $20 MIR = $98!! Comes w/Dirt3 ($40-50 value) and only requires 1 x 6pin PCI-e power connector!
SAPPHIRE 100338L Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

5 & 6. Hard Drive/PSU combo: $95 shipped - $10 MIR = $85!! Good solid PSU and decent HD for the $!
CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply & Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 Hard Drive

7. Case: $50 shipped! Comes with 3 Fans and lots of room. Tom's Recommended Buy 2010!!
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

8. DVD Burner: $19 shipped!!
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

Total system cost = $584 - $30 MIR's = $554 Hard to beat that for a "Budget" build!!

2nd option for nVidia based GPU for later SLI - $143 shipped - $15 MIR = $128!! The mobo selected above is built for SLI x8 both GPU's!! Only requires 1 x 6 pin PCI-e power connector too! Pretty equivalent to the 5770/6770 too.
GIGABYTE GV-N550OC-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

Total w/nVidia 550 ti GPU = $608 shipped - $25 MIR's = $583!!!
 

onisaur

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Jun 21, 2011
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Onisaur's "Blizzard Gamer" SC2/WoW Rig
Processor: Intel i3-2100 3.1GHz $125
Motherboard: MSI Z68MA-ED55 Z68 1155 mATX $160
RAM: G.SKILL 8GB 2x4GB DDR3-1600 $65
Graphics Card: EVGA 570GTX 1280MB $340
Hard Drive: WD 500GB Black $60
SSDCache Drive: OCZ Vertex2 40GB 280R/270W $90
Case: APEX TX-381-C mATX Case $30
Power Supply: Antec BP550 Plus $55
BDROM/DVDRW: Samsung 12x BD 16x DVDRW $65
2nd Case Fan: Rosewill 120mm Fan $7
3rd SATA Cable: BYTECC SATA Cable $3.50

Final: $1000.50

SC2/WoW run 20% faster on nVidia than ATi, and not enough better on SLi/CF. SSDCaching works. 8GB of ram is worth it. Gamers might own blu-rays. 550W continuous is enough. There are other $30 cases, and this is one I've owned and like for its airflow, handle, and wiring space. WiFi is not included since it works fine externally.
 

starryman

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Mar 9, 2009
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DIY Locally (build it locally with high quality parts) - total $996.08 :pt1cable:

System Highlights: Intel i5 Quad Core, 8GB, 2 TB raid, Liquid Cooled + additional Scythe Karma Fan, GTX 470 Video Graphics, Dedicated X-Fi Audio Card (much better than any onboard audio), Blu-Ray/DVD burner

DIY Locally... Think Globally, Act Locally
Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor $179.99
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LE/CSM R3 $79.99
RAM: Kingston HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10600) CL9 2x4GB Kit $84.99
Graphics Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 470 1280MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.0 x16 Video Card $159.99
Hard Drive: 2X Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WD10EARS - OEM ($59.99 x 2) $119.98
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower $46.99
Power Supply: OCZ Technology ModXStream Pro 600W Modular ATX $52.99
Cooling: Antec KUHLER H2O 620 Water Cooling System $69.99
DVD Burner: Pioneer 12X Internal Blu-ray Writer - OEM $114.99
Audio Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio $64.99
Additional Case Fan: Scythe Kama Flex 120mm Case Fan with PWM $21.99

I've bought a ton of computer parts online over the years and half spent over at Newegg. Unfortunately when you need something NOW and overnight shipping isn't good enough and/or too expensive... you need a quality local computer shop. Gone are the days of CompUSA because they were rip-offs. BestBuy is expensive and generally half of their stuff are last years tech and in-store prices vary from their online site.

If you live in a major metropolitan there's probably a couple of computer shops that are pretty competitive to Newegg. When I lived in California - there was Fry's. Now I live in the Midwest and there's a store I'v discovered called Micro Center. They are generally more money than Newegg but over time with Newegg prices and shipping going up, they are now pretty competitive and sometimes cheaper. SO my budget rig is called the DIY Locally... Think Globally, Act Locally.

NOTICE: I'm not an employee of Micro Center nor am I endorsing them. Unlike BestBuy and many brick mortar shops, the prices indicated here are the same online and in-store. Some components listed above reflect rebate savings.
 

Derbixrace

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May 26, 2008
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the mobo and CPU wont work together, CPU is lga1366 while the mobo is lga1155
 

starryman

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Mar 9, 2009
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You are right. Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed that with an i5 for $179.99. Adds $1.86 for a total of 996.88.

DIY Locally (build it locally with high quality parts) - total $996.08 (corrected price) :pt1cable:

System Highlights: Intel i5 Quad Core, 8GB, 2 TB raid, Liquid Cooled + additional Scythe Karma Fan, GTX 470 Video Graphics, Dedicated X-Fi Audio Card (much better than any onboard audio), Blu-Ray/DVD burner

DIY Locally... Think Globally, Act Locally
Processor: Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor $179.99
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LE/CSM R3 $79.99
RAM: Kingston HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10600) CL9 2x4GB Kit $84.99
Graphics Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 470 1280MB GDDR5 PCIe 2.0 x16 Video Card $159.99
Hard Drive: 2X Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive WD10EARS - OEM ($59.99 x 2) $119.98
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower $46.99
Power Supply: OCZ Technology ModXStream Pro 600W Modular ATX $52.99
Cooling: Antec KUHLER H2O 620 Water Cooling System $69.99
DVD Burner: Pioneer 12X Internal Blu-ray Writer - OEM $114.99
Audio Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio $64.99
Additional Case Fan: Scythe Kama Flex 120mm Case Fan with PWM $21.99

I've bought a ton of computer parts online over the years and half spent over at Newegg. Unfortunately when you need something NOW and overnight shipping isn't good enough and/or too expensive... you need a quality local computer shop. Gone are the days of CompUSA because they were rip-offs. BestBuy is expensive and generally half of their stuff are last years tech and in-store prices vary from their online site.

If you live in a major metropolitan there's probably a couple of computer shops that are pretty competitive to Newegg. When I lived in California - there was Fry's. Now I live in the Midwest and there's a store I'v discovered called Micro Center. They are generally more money than Newegg but over time with Newegg prices and shipping going up, they are now pretty competitive and sometimes cheaper. SO my budget rig is called the DIY Locally... Think Globally, Act Locally.

NOTICE: I'm not an employee of Micro Center nor am I endorsing them. Unlike BestBuy and many brick mortar shops, the prices indicated here are the same online and in-store. Some components listed above reflect rebate savings.
 

ice919

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Aug 31, 2010
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Ice's "Bad Mamma Jamma" Uber Rig
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K = $219.99
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 = $129.99
RAM: (2) CORSAIR XMS 4GB 1600 Cas 7 RAM = (2)$49.99 = $99.98
Graphics Card: (2) HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB = (2)$184.99 = $369.98
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB SATA 6.0Gb/s = $54.99
Case: RAIDMAX Typhoon ATX-312WS = $39.99
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W = $74.99
Cooling: COOLER MASTER V6 GT = $52.99
DVD Burner: LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner $18.99

Total Price = $1,061.89
-$ 15.00 MIR for Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W
-$ 20.00 MIR for HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870
-$ 20.00 MIR for HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870
-$ 10.00 MIR for COOLER MASTER V6 GT
Final Price = $ 996.89

Build Notes

Processor:Intel Core i5-2500K: Best bang for buck cpu with high oc potential.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68: Z68 with USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0.
RAM: (2) CORSAIR XMS 4GB 1600 Cas 7 RAM: 8GB of CL 7-8-7-20.
Graphics Card: (2)HIS H687F1G2M Radeon HD 6870 1GB: Dual 6870s which are more powerful than 480, 570, 580, 6950, or 6970.
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB SATA 6.0Gb/s: 1TB with a SATA 6.0 interface
Case: RAIDMAX Typhoon ATX-312WS: Probably my weakest link but still 1 120mm front fan, 1 80mm side fan, and 1 80mm rear fan.
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W: High quality with enough power
Cooling: COOLER MASTER V6 GT : Easily better than stock for overclocking.
DVD Burner: LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner: Generic dvd burner.
 

mjmjpfaff

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you cant oc with that mobo you need a a p67/z68 board or downgrade to a i5 2400 cpu
 
G

Guest

Guest
Leo's Favorite Build

Processor - Intel i5 2500k - $179.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 LGA 1155 - $144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128500&cm_re=gigabyte_ud3_z68-_-13-128-500-_-Product

RAM - G. Skill Ripjaws X 8gb (2x4gb) 1600mhz 1.5v CAS8 -$74.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445&cm_re=g_skill-_-20-231-445-_-Product

Cooling - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus $29.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315397

Graphics card - MSI GTX 570 - $329.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127552&cm_re=gtx_570-_-14-127-552-_-Product

Power supply - XFX 650w -$89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207014&cm_re=xfx_650-_-17-207-014-_-Product

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 912 $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf%20912

Hard drive - Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB - $59.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0340562

DVD Burner - Samsung Lightscribe 22x Burner w/ Dual/Double Layer - $24.99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293535

TOTAL: 994.92 **not including shipping, taxes, or rebates**

For just $17.96 more($8.98 each) you can get 2x Scythe SY1225SL12SH 120mm "Slipstream" Case Fan. (110.31 cfm @ 1900rpm)
 

ChiefTexas_82

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Mar 11, 2011
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LOL! Your combo went bust! (Not good as I was hoping to get another combo with this board. Also bust. :fou: )
 

mlcaouette

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Apr 25, 2011
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1. Matt's just barely over budget build
2. Processor & Motherboard: I5 2500k and MSI p67a-g43 $324.98
3. SSD: OCZ 40GB vertex II $89.99
4. RAM: G skill 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz $64.99
5. Graphics Card: His HD 6870 x2 $369.98
6. Hard Drive: Samsung 1TB f3 $59.99
7. Case: NZXT gamma $39.82
8. Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 RX 750W $89.99
9. Cooling: XIGMATEK Gaia $29.99
10. DVD Burner: LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner $18.99

Price after all the rebates (i didn't put the rebate prices on items listed above): $1003.72 not including shipping (add $17.02 for 3 day shipping within the US)
Includes free dirt 3 game coupon too!
I realize 40Gb is pretty small for an SSD so feel free to drop this in favor of a better case or something else better.
I could drop to a seagate 500GB hard drive to bring the total down $20, but for the extra storage and performance I listed the f3.
Normally I wouldn't pick a Thermaltake PSU but the price to perfomance of this model just couldn't be beat once you include the rebate.
 

mjmjpfaff

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thanks a lot man. do you really want to build a rig now, or are you just going to screw around with this? this is no place to advertise :non:
 

genghiskron

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Mar 15, 2011
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UltraJake

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May 30, 2011
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UltraJake's What Is This I Don't Even (W.I.T.I.D.E.) Rig

Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core
Motherboard: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
Graphics Card: HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Case: RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme Black ATX-612WEB 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible
DVD Burner: HP 24X Multiformat DVD Writer 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model 1260i

Parts links: Here

Price with rebates: $977.91

Want it cheaper? Swap the 6950 for a 6870 to make the total price $882.91 with rebates.

If there are any problems or incompatibilities with any of these parts feel free to mention it to me. :)

EDIT: Swapped the AM3+ motherboard for a P67.
 

mjmjpfaff

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you need a p67 or z68 motherboard not an am3+
 

doublepedaldylan

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Jun 2, 2011
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All parts except case arrived today, after MIR was about $750, so at currently levels, lets see where it hits:

1.doublepedaldylan's "hours of work time spent researching" rig
2.Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K $220
3.Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD53 (B3) $130
4.RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 $46
5.Graphics Card: EVGA 01G-P3-1561-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit $235
6.Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s $65
7.Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion $70
8.Power Supply: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 $135
9.Cooling: Stock, upgrading later once decide to OC
10.DVD Burner: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS $20

Final Price (given current deals): $921
After current MIR's: $886

Leaves room for cpu cooling of your choice, maybe an SSD, or a GTX570. Also enough PSU headroom for OCing, cooling, and SLI later. Was going for some future-proofing. Through combos, I had another $55 off when I purchased.

I could add one of those, but decided to post exactly what I jus picked up and recieved yesterday :D
 

Nnymrod

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May 20, 2011
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Nnymrod's "Idon'tknowhow$1000isconsideredbudgetbutw/e build"
1. Processor: i5-2400 - $190
2. Motherboard: Biostar Z68 ATX MOBO with two PCIe 2.0 slots at 8x/8x and SATA III and USB 3.0 - $130+8S&H
3. RAM: Mushkin 2x2GB 1333Mhz CL9 - $39-10MIR
4. Graphics Card: [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261100&cm_re=560_ti-_-14-261-100-_-Product]2x Palit Geforce GTX 560 Ti 1GB - 220-20 MIR +7 S&H[/URL]
5. Hard Drive: Western Digital Cavier Blue 500GB SATA II - $44
6. SSD: OCZ Agility 3 60GB - $130-20 MIR
7. Case: Bitfenix Shinobi - $60
8. Power Supply: OCZ ModXStreme Pro 600W fully modular, active PFC, 80 PLUS certified - $75-15MIR+3 S&H
9. Cooling: Boxed HSF, CPU is locked, thus no OC
10. DVD Burner: Samsung OEM DVD Burner - $19+4 S&H

Total with rebates - $998

Sandy Bridge Quad Core
SLI 2x GTX 560 Ti
60GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD
Sexy, quality case
Best 1TB HDD on the market

Beast of a computer for $1000. It was tight, and theres no wiggle room, but it gets a VERY powerful graphics setup, and 60GB of the fastest reasonable SSD. Also, I didn't use some no-name $35 case that is going to fall apart, be extraordinarily loud, and look like an over sized toy; I got a sleek, quality case from BitFenix, take a look at it, it really is hawt. As for the Z68 chipset - I couldn't find H67 with 2 PCIe slots at at least 8x/8x, and the Z68 board was affordable, so you also get access to the on board HD2000 graphics and therefore Quicksync, as well as SSD cacheing, which I wouldn't use, but having the option is nice. And yes, 600W is enough power for this rig.

Yes, this is a revision of my previous submission