I need some schooling

[bocaprowler]

I have been looking to build a new gaming PC for the last 6-10 months. The last time I purchased a computer (3 years ago) I made the mistake of not building one myself like I had always done, I was lazy.

To be perfectly honest, I am looking to build a new computer to coincide with the release of Star Wars the Old Republic MMO, but once I have an updated rig I plan on playing most my games on it and move away from the XBOX/PS3.

I am a little confused over which parts to go with, i7 or i5, do I need the i7 for gaming? Are there other benefits to the i7 over the i5? Also, 1155 or 1366 motherboard/processor?

Also confused with what I should choose as a video card, should I go with 1 card or get 2. nVidia or AMD? I know it all depends on price, but which cards are more reliable, give less BSOD?

I am getting close to pulling the trigger, just need some suggestions. I have about $2500 to spend, but need to pick up 2 24 inch monitors, so about 2100 for everything else, I cannot reuse any parts I have now (laptop).

I don't necessarily need a build (but I do welcome them), I mainly want to know as to why I would chose a certain motherboard, processor, memory type, etc over another.

Thanks for any help, I hope I posted this in the correct place!

Edit: here is the last test build I got, let me know what needs improving or if I should start over.

ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827135252
$99.99


2x G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231445
$139.98

Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F120GBGT-BK 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820233191
$224.99

2x ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor Built-in Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824236049

$399.98

HIS IceQ Turbo Radeon HD 6970 H697QT2G2M Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814161382
$369.99

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro RSA00-AMBAJ3-US 1000W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817171049
$169.99

SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 2TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822152245
$79.99

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811119196
$69.99

Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115070
$314.99

ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813157265
$159.99

Grand Total: $2,029.8

 

[r0aringdrag0n]

1. Intel Core i7 2600k's only advantage to the i5 2500k is its ability to hyperthread (which has no use as of now, but maybe later when games use more than 4 cores)
2. The newest Intel socket (2nd generation CPU) is the Socket LGA 1155
3. I always liked AMD video cards, but Nvidia also makes great video cards. The best performance you can get for about $600 is CrossFiring 2 HD Radeon 6970's.
4. Both Intel and AMD are releasing new CPUs in Q1 of 2012 i believe, Intel will release its "Ivy Bridge" CPUs which uses the 22nm manufacturing process which is rumored to be a lot faster than the Sandy bridge, so if you can wait another few months, see how good the Ivy Bridge (Intel) and FX (AMD) processors are, and buy those or get the Sandy bridge CPUs for cheap.

 

[x Heavy]

I saw the i7 2600K in a Z68 MSI Board as 300 dollars versus the mighty 1000 dollar 1366 Intel Extreme. I saved the extra 700 to get two 580 cards.

Your Corsair Force GT should be good drives in SSD, but take care to learn as much as you can.

Me thinks you have a silver spoon for two of those monitors. Try something like a LCD Samsung syncmaster, you might get three for about the same.

Consider two 256 bit sapphires in Crossfire instead of one monster card. The pricing would be about the same.