$800ish build

[AndrewJP]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Primarily a gaming PC. Would like to be able to play games (shooters, racing, RPG) at high graphical settings at 60 fps on a 1920x1200 monitor or plugged into a 1080p television via HDMI. Want to play Borderlands 2 and make it look pretty.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I’d prefer to stay around $800 but would max out at $1000.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Philadelphia, PA, USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Motherboard, CPU, GPU, Power Supply, Memory, Optical Drive, Case, wifi connection (no wired connection in room where machine will live)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
1 TB WD SATA Hard Drive

6) Will you be overclocking?
Definitely not at first.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24” HP 2475W 1920x1200. I also have a 60” 1080p DLP set downstairs that I might hook it up to as well.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
In the next month

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
I’d like to have options to upgrade down the line (i.e. 2nd video card), built in wifi would be nice but not necessary.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Win7 home 64bit

Here are some parts I was thinking about.

$140 Asus P8Z77-V LK
or
$190 Asus P8Z77-V
$90 Corsair CMPSU 650TX (could this power 2 GPU cards?)
or
$125 Corsair HX750 (could this power 2 GPU cards?)
$230 EVGA GTX 660 (is this overkill?)
$18 Lite On DVD Burner
$170 Core i5 3570K 3.4
or
$150 Core i5 3470K 3.2
$35 G.Skill 8GB DDR31600 1.5v Memory
$70 Fractal Arc Midi
or
$50 NZXT Source 210
Any help with wifi card would be appreciated

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Dangman]

Are you actually near a Microcenter?
Are you or are you not overclocking? That determines exactly what CPU and mobo you need to get.
Yes a solid 650W PSU will be enough for two GPUs.

 

[AndrewJP]

Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, there's a micro center about 45 minutes from me in the burbs. (St. David's).

I definitely don't want to OC at the beginning, but I'd like to leave my options open if it makes sense to OC down the road. If I decided to OC I'd go back and get an aftermarket fan for the mobo and install it then, but most likely not now.

Is there one combination of CPU and mobo on my list that's suitable for OC'ing and one that isn't?

Thanks again and thanks for the advice on the PSU.

 

[Dangman]

Since you're near a Microcenter, that means that you qualify for the $40 off any compatible mobo when bought with the Core i5 3570K. As such, even if you weren't planning on overclocking, due to the $40 off deal, it's cheaper to get the overclock capable Core i5 3570K over the non-fuly overclock capable Core i5 3470. Mobo wise, go for the Asus P8Z77-V LK.

GPU wise, the GTX 660 TI is just about right if you want near max setttings.

 

[schmuckley]

http://microcenter.com/product/400664/Core_i5_3470_32GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor
^This is NOT an overclocking cpu.It needs to have the "K" at the end.
You won't be able to get much more than 200Mhz out of it if you go to overclock.
You could save a little with a 7850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202004
..almost as good as 660..and overclocks well.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/660?vs=549
or..do it like this;since 1155 is a dead socket anyway..Haswell is peeking around the corner..
2500K clocks higher on air in general..I traded my 3570K and got another 2500K.I enjoyed it more.
Case $ 48 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075
Mobo $74 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188073
Power Supply $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182073
CPU $220 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
8 GB RAM..can set to 2133 (most likely) and get massive performance right out of the box $35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096
Lite-On dvd burner $18 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 Lite-On is best in this area.
CPU cooler $35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214023 That's for the overclocking
total of about $550 ..leaving you wiggle room for GPU
1 good powerful GPU is what I recommend..multi-gpu can be a headache.
Say budget is s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d to $900
900-550=$350

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125440 This is in there..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006 So is this

and..Look at the comparison then make a decision: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/647?vs=550
IME..Sapphire AMD cards OC like a bauss!

 

[AndrewJP]

Thanks to both of you for the suggestions and advice.

I'm not gonna be ready to OC parts right out of the box so I'm going to stick with the Asus board and i5 3570K, but I'll definitely take a look at the suggested video cards.

Thanks.