New Build - Gaming rig 1500-2000 USD

[tahn72]

Approximate Purchase Date: 3-4 week
Budget Range: 1500-2000 USD
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, some development.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard/Mouse
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No preference, perfer reputable dealers, prefer all parts from same
dealer to save on shipping.
Country of Origin: USA
Parts Preferences: Intel/Nvidia
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Either, though perfer SLI
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
Additional Comments: I do have an existing monitor which I may use as a 2nd monitor
for expanded desktop when not gaming. I do not plan on duel
monitor gaming, I will only be gaming on the main monitor (looking
to upgrade to a new monitor).


Here is what I have thus far burrowed from some other people who have posted builds:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W
Quad-Core Desktop Processor 219.99
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 $209.99 199.99
PSU: PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W High Performance 80PLUS Silver SLI CrossFire ready
Power Supply 149.99
Case: Rosewill FUTURE Gaming ATX Mid Tower Front USB 3.0 69.99
Graphics Card (s): Possibly two 480's in SLI or possibly a GTX 580, with only gaming on the one monitor not sure
what's best. .
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) CL8 1.5V 74.99
Main Drive (SSD): Not sure best currently.
Storage Drive: Likely a 2 TB drive of some sort for older games, data, ect…
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 27.1
Monitor: Suggestions? I would like at least a 22" possibly 24". Depends on what the current sweet
spot price point is.
Total thus far: 742.05

Thanks.

 

[lp231]

Bought a 24" 1080 monitor for like $200 (sale and it was back on 09), used it for a few hours before returning it. Then went and exchange for a 24" @ 1920x1200 for $50 bucks more and the difference is huge. Viewing experience doesn't feel cramped and less scrolling which is great for reading text.

 

[nd_hunter]

Here's what I would do. Well, I would go with Crossfired 6850s, but you want nVidia, so we'll do SLI'd 560 Ti's. You won't really need anything more for gaming on one monitor.



CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
$219.99, free shipping

CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
$27.99, free shipping

Mobo: ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264
$189.99, $8.50 shipping

RAM: 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws X 1600MHz C8 1.5v
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231445
$79.99, free shipping

GPU: 2x MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565
$489.98 ($20 MIR available), free shipping

SSD: 128GB Crucial M4 SATA III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
$218.99, free shipping

HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
$59.99, free shipping

Optical: Samsung 22x SATA DVD Writer
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151235
$22.99, free shipping

PSU: Antec High Current Gamer 750w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371049
$89.99 ($25 MIR available), free shipping

Case: Zalman Z9 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235027
$69.99, free shipping

Monitor: ASUS PA246Q 24.1" 1920x1200 P-IPS Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236119
$494.99, $8.99 shipping

Total: $1982.37 shipped, before rebates

 

[tahn72]

Monitor: ASUS PA246Q 24.1" 1920x1200 P-IPS Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236119
$494.99, $8.99 shipping

Total: $1982.37 shipped, before rebates

Is there a specific reason you're recommending this monitor? It seems pretty pricey compared to what other monitor's that you can get. After clicking that link and doing some playing around I did find this 27" beast that seems to be getting pretty favorable reviews. Does anyone else have this one?

PLANAR PX2710MW Black 27" 2ms Full HD HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 1200:1

 

[nd_hunter]

Is there a specific reason you're recommending this monitor? It seems pretty pricey compared to what other monitor's that you can get. After clicking that link and doing some playing around I did find this 27" beast that seems to be getting pretty favorable reviews. Does anyone else have this one?

PLANAR PX2710MW Black 27" 2ms Full HD HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 1200:1

1. It features the resolution you listed.
2. It fits in your budget.
3. It's an IPS display.
4. It's made by ASUS.

 

[mjmjpfaff]

CPU: i5 2500k- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 220$

MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte Z68 UD4- http://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GA-Z68X-UD4-B3-1155-Intel-Motherboard/dp/B004ZQ6F7C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312998857&sr=8-4 160$

CPU COOLER: Scythe Mugen 3- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185168 50$

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8gb Low Profile- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186 61$

GPU'S: MSI GTX 570 Lightning- http://www.amazon.com/MSI-N570GTX-Twin-Frozr-Power/dp/B004XVMAKU/ref=sr_1_7?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312999250&sr=1-7 325$x2=650$ i know it is out of stock but they are a great price and you are ordering weeks from now

SSD: ADATA S511 120gb- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211551 220$

HDD: Samsung F3 1TB- http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312999662&sr=1-2 50$

DVD BURNER: Sony 24x DVD Burner- http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SATA-Internal-Drive-AD-7260S-0B/dp/B003MRHOQG/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312999782&sr=1-2 20$

CASE: Silverstone RV03- http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Extended-90-Degree-Motherboard-RV03B-W/dp/B004X19B02/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1312999853&sr=1-1 140$ this case cools better than the HAF X thanks to its unique design

MONITOR: Hanns G 27.5" 1900x1200- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052 279$ shipped

HEADSET: Corsair HS1A Gaming Headset- http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CA-HS1ANA-Gaming-Analog-Headset/dp/B004IZN3NY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1313000606&sr=1-2 65$

Total=1915$ shipped

 

[tahn72]

I would like to thank everyone on contributed to the suggestions. I ended up going with this selection of parts and have pulled the trigger. I should have everything by sometime next week:

ViewSonic VA2702w Black 27" Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor
ADATA S511 Series AS511S3-120GM-C 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
ASUS ENGTX580 DCII/2DIS/1536MD5 GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
IOCell Networks Traveler 251U 2.5" Gray USB 2.0 External Enclosure
GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
ENCORE ENEWI-2XN42 PCI Express Wireless N300 Adapter, 2dBi
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
CORSAIR Professional Series HX750 (CMPSU-750HX) 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Western Digital Caviar Green WD15EARX 1.5TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

My question is, does anyone have any experience with any of the components listed? If so anything specific I should do to prepare for my build while I wait on shipping? I have already sent a note to both ADATA and GIGABYTE to inquire on specific drivers that I should get prior to starting my install. Also to see if I should flash the bios on the MB with the beta version, because I know there are some known stability issues due to drivers with the controller on the SSD and most Z68 MB's. So I am basically trying to head off at the pass any issues and just have a disk pre-burned with all of the needed drivers, updated patches, and everything. Anything specific on any of the components would be great, what to watch out for, that sort of thing.

Thanks

 

[gnarx]

Would this be a good deal for a monitor? I was thinking about even getting one myself:


Viore - 24" Class / 1080p / 60Hz / LCD HDTV - 169.99

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Viore+-+24%26%2334%3B+Class+/+1080p+/+60Hz+/+LCD+HDTV/2925769.p?id=1218364484016&skuId=2925769&st=2925769&cp=1&lp=1