New Gaming PC Build

[TXAG]

I haven't built a computer in about 6 years, so I am looking for some guidance.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming. I would like to be able to play Battlefield 3 at 60 fps on Ultra settings at 1920x1200. I will also be playing Diablo 3 if it is ever released.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
About $2000. I am willing to go a little over that with tax/shipping.

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

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.
Case, Mobo, CPU, RAM, PSU, HDD, SSD, Video Card(s), Monitor (1920x1200 or 1920x1080), Optical Drive, Aftermarket CPU Cooler, OS

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I am looking for a 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 monitor. About 25 inches or so.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next 3 months.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Crossfire/SLI support, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No. I will be buying Windows 7 64 bit.


I've been reading some of the other computer build threads, and these are the parts I've come up with so far based on those threads:
214.99 - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz
209.99 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
254.98 - ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard bundled with CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
99.99 - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

$789.95 so far.

 

[Forceman]

Good start. If you want to play BF3 on Ultra at 60FPS, you're going to need Crossfire/SLI to do it at 1920x1200. A GTX580 / 6970 will get you close by themselves (with no MSAA), but you'll probably need 2 x GTX 570 or 2 x 6950 for true Ultra. If you aren't buying for another couple of months you can wait and see what the performance reviews say, and see how close we are to next-gen cards at that time.

 

[Dangman]

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next 3 months.

Can you narrow down that timeframe any further? I ask because whatever parts we recommend this week may not be the same parts we recommend a month from now let alone 2-3 months. If you can't narrow down that time frame to within a month, I recommend coming back when you're 2-3 weeks away from buying and ask for advice then. That way you'll get up-to-date advice and a parts list that has a low chance of having outdated, out of stock, overpriced, or outperformed parts. Not to mention, that mobo + RAM combo deal ends this month.

 

[TXAG]

Can you narrow down that timeframe any further? I ask because whatever parts we recommend this week may not be the same parts we recommend a month from now let alone 2-3 months. If you can't narrow down that time frame to within a month, I recommend coming back when you're 2-3 weeks away from buying and ask for advice then. That way you'll get up-to-date advice and a parts list that has a low chance of having outdated, out of stock, overpriced, or outperformed parts. Not to mention, that mobo + RAM combo deal ends this month.

Sure. Let's change it to within the next month (November).

 

[Dangman]

In that case, go with these parts then for the rest of your build:
$280 - XFX HD-695X-CDFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$156 - Hitachi Desktar 7K1000.D HDS721010DLE630 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - Samsung SH-222AB SATA DVD Burner
$26 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$105 - Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-750 750W PSU
$200 - Asus VW246H Black 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor
----
Total: $785 plus tax and shipping

Case wise, choose your own case. I recommend the following cases:
$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56W ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance nVidia Edition ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$125 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$125 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$125 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 White ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$140 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$170 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$190 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case
$270 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW Full Tower ATX Case

 

[Aehs01]

My buddy just built a new rig with all the same components and an EVGA GTX 570 and he is running BF3 on Ultra with no complaints.