$900 High Performance Budget Gaming Build =)

[Nearsite]

) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing?
Mostly MMO gaming, WoW, GW2, Secret World, some encoding of video files so that they'll work on my WD Player, viewing photos, web surfing and downloading here and there.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Budget is $900 including tax and shipping.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Bay Area, California near Microcenter and Fry's. I'm blessed!
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 with integrated wifi, CPU, HSF, Case, Powersupply, Ram, Videocard, and 2xDVD Readers in case I want/need to copy
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll be reusing, monitor in signature, mouse, keyboard, SSD and Harddrive
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24 Inch 1920x1200
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Now or soon
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 a z77 board, but do not need sli or xfire support. USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0 are desired as well as integrated wifi.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'm just going to buy a system builder 64bit Windows 7 which will be against my budget.

 

[Dangman]

Geez, did you have to choose a hard to read color? Please change the color so that we can read it better.

Also, how far of a drive are you from Microcenter?

 

[Nearsite]

Geez, did you have to choose a hard to read color? Please change the color so that we can read it better.

Also, how far of a drive are you from Microcenter?

Yah, sorry about the color, I'll fix it. Didnt' realize it was so bad until I submitted it.
I live 10 minutes away from my Microcenter in Santa Clara.

 

[J Macker]

The color is still hard to read. Leave it default colors. Use Bold at most.

also, there's very few (if any) motherboards with integrated wifi. I'm not sure why you listed that as a requirement. You will probably have a separate wifi card (not integrated).

 

[Nearsite]

The color is still hard to read. Leave it default colors. Use Bold at most.

also, there's very few (if any) motherboards with integrated wifi. I'm not sure why you listed that as a requirement. You will probably have a separate wifi card (not integrated).

Yeah, let me fix it again. I was actually trying to make it easy to read, my bad. Well I was hoping this thread could help me choose a mobo with integrated wifi.

 

[Dangman]

Well I was hoping this thread could help me choose a mobo with integrated wifi.

There is a Z77 mobo with integrated wifi but your budget is too small to afford it. Unless you want to sacrifice PSU quality, GPU performance and quality, RAM amount, both DVD burners, the ability to OC or just raise your budget by another $100 to $150, your best bet would be to grab a separate wifi card + mobo.

So what do you want to do?

 

[Nearsite]

There is a Z77 mobo with integrated wifi but your budget is too small to afford it. Unless you want to sacrifice PSU quality, GPU performance and quality, RAM amount, both DVD burners, the ability to OC or just raise your budget by another $100 to $150, your best bet would be to grab a separate wifi card + mobo.

So what do you want to do?

How about raise my budget by $150 to accomodate that?

 

[Dangman]

How about raise my budget by $150 to accomodate that?

Awesome:
$205 - Intel Core i5 3570K from MC with sales tax factored in
$210 - Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB Wifi Intel Z77 Motherboard
$38 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$265 - Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$34 - 2 x Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE SATA DVD Burner
$25 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
---
Total: $867 shipped

Yes my initial estimate to include that mobo with wifi was higher than actually seen.

I went with Amazon.com as much as possible since they don't charge CA residents tax. Alse, when you buy the CPU, ask if they have that specific motherboard in stock as theres a possibility that they just didn't list it in their flyer or their online store but they actually have it. Note that you want the GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB. Microcenter does have the non-wifi version of that mobo, the GA-Z77X-UD5H and so they might get a little confused. They'll knock off $50 if you buy a Z77 mobo with the 3570K.

Case wise, choose your own case, I recommend the following cases:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$115 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Silverstone FT02S-W ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

 

[Nearsite]

Awesome:
$205 - Intel Core i5 3570K from MC with sales tax factored in
$210 - Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB Wifi Intel Z77 Motherboard
$38 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$265 - Gigabyte GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$34 - 2 x Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE SATA DVD Burner
$25 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$90 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
---
Total: $867 shipped

Yes my initial estimate to include that mobo with wifi was higher than actually seen.

I went with Amazon.com as much as possible since they don't charge CA residents tax. Alse, when you buy the CPU, ask if they have that specific motherboard in stock as theres a possibility that they just didn't list it in their flyer or their online store but they actually have it. Note that you want the GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB. Microcenter does have the non-wifi version of that mobo, the GA-Z77X-UD5H and so they might get a little confused. They'll knock off $50 if you buy a Z77 mobo with the 3570K.

Case wise, choose your own case, I recommend the following cases:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$115 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$125 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl ATX Case
$120 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$150 - Silverstone TJ04B-EW ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$164 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Silverstone FT02S-W ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

Danny - I really appreciate your input and feedback. Thank you. Do you live in the bay area and have any experience in finance? I really feel like you should be rewarded with something since you so freely give your time and expertise here on the forums!

 

[Dangman]

Danny - I really appreciate your input and feedback. Thank you. Do you live in the bay area and have any experience in finance? I really feel like you should be rewarded with something since you so freely give your time and expertise here on the forums!

Nah, I live in the SoCal area and no experience in finance .

And thank you for the compliment.