First time build ~$1500

[trevdar]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within next couple months

Budget: Around $1500

Usage - Gaming

Preferred Website: Newegg

Parts Preferences: These are the parts I have come up with during my research. They are by no means set in stone and I'm open to suggestions on all of them. This will be my first build other than for school so any advice is welcome.

Processor - Intel Core i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

MoBo - Asus P8Z68-V Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730

GPU - MSI R6970 Lightning Radeon HD 6970 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127581

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

SSD - Crucial RealSSD C300
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148357

PSU - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Optical Drive - LITE-ON DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Case - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

Aftermarket Cooler - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Monitor - ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112

Overclocking - I plan on doing a small amount.

Crossfire/SLI - I'd like to have the option to in the future.

Monitor Resolution - 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments - As I said previously this will be my first build so any advice or suggestions would be very appreciated. I'm not stuck on any of the items I have chosen. The total price including instant rebates works out to $1533 which is approximately where I would like to be. I can purchase the OS from school and have everything else that I would need.

 

[spunkymunky]

I would change the ssd to
OCZ Solid 3 120gb
http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/ocz-solid-3-120gb-ssd/31944.aspx
costs a little more but you get more space and almost double the speed

Asus P8Z68-V (not pro) has all the features you need and saves some money. The two extra sata 6 ports on the Pro version are kinda useless unless your using 4 ssd's and im not sure if anyone uses firewire anymore. You can even go Asus P8Z68-V LX if your not going to Xfire and save more.

With the saved money you can get a better psu
CORSAIR Professional Series HX850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139011

It is 80+ Silver rather then just 80+ and also is modular. Modular is the way to go, saves a lot of room, a lot of hassle.

 

[trevdar]

Thanks for the advice I will definitely step the mobo back to the Asus P8Z68-V and look into the other SSD. The one thing I'm not very sure with in this setup is the case. I'm not looking for anything too extreme I just want a nice case that has enough room and airflow for overclocking and an eventual crossfire setup... any suggestions?

 

[phenom90]

a very good build... but there is some parts i would like to recommend...

as for mobo.... this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $125

the reason? well.. read here and you'll know what i mean...

http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=Z68%20Extreme3%20Gen3

as for ssd... as a power user... you ain't gonna cut it with just 64gb.... go for this one....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB - $193

for just another $80 you get double the space although not double the speed but at least it is faster than c300.... and also known for its reliability...

and for psu... you can also get a good quality and at the same time... cheaper price... such as this one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194093
LEPA B850-MA 850W - $70 after MIR

this brand seems like not a known branded worldwide... but this psu in fact is manufactured by top tier maker enermax....

as for graphics card... if you would like to have option to go multi-gpu configuration in the future... hd 6950 2gb is a better investment as it is not much slower than hd 6970...
take this model...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102951
SAPPHIRE Toxic 100312TXSR Radeon HD 6950 2GB - $270 after MIR

on paper... this model is one of the fastest hd 6950 2gb in the market... not to mention there is possibility of unlocking shaders to a full hd 6970 for free(not 100% guaranteed, but
there is chance) and high success rate of doing so... and this type of cooling... though may not compete with twin frozr coolers in terms of numbers... but this type of cooler blows heat to the back of the case... it won't dump heat inside your pc like twin frozr cooler does... as it will affect temperature of other components in your pc

as about your case is good... but be sure to add a side panel fan because this case doesn't come with one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103072
COOLER MASTER Megaflow 200 R4-LUS-07AR-GP - $20

total price of my recommended parts plus some of yours after MIR - $1355

 

[phenom90]

since you want us to recommend case to you even you already pick one... and after recommendation of some parts there is some money left after rebates... so why not take advantage of it and pick a larger... better case... use it for a few build should you want to upgrade your pc in the future.... but before i recommend anything... i gt something to say about your pick... the haf 922... despite its smaller size.... it has more room than most of mid tower cases... because of its simple interior design... and it is made wider than most cases.... ecspecially its bulky side panel... it designed like that so you can hide most of your psu cables behind that panel without clearance issue... but the cons is here... the price... the haf 922 already costs $100 without the side panel fan.... if you add one(you should as it helps cool your chipset and gpu) it'll costs $120... here's the catch... feature-wise... if you add another $10... you'll get something like this....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053
Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower - $130

about this case... other than the classification full tower... it comes with all fans included... it has 10 expansion slots... lets say if you willing enough to install
4 graphics cards in your system... you at least still left with two slots to play other stuff... such as sound card or etc. not to mention ability to install ssd in all 3.5" bay without needing a adapter... haf 922 needs one as its hdd tray only designed for 3.5" drive out-of-the-box.... and the $130 model you can put a xl-atx mobo in.... features wise... the rosewill win... but buying a case is not all about features included... if you don't like the look of it... even it is designed for putting the next 10 years of hardwares into it.... you'll probably not gonna buy it... so it all comes down to your personal taste....

so in the end... i hope my suggestions helps... even i talk too much... sorry for that...