Sandy Bridge build...

[LambentMaterial]

Hello, I am planning to build a computer this week. I am gonna get a i5-2500K and work around that.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming. Examples of game I like: Fallout 3, Team Fortress 2, Mass Effect 2, etc. Also some video encoding.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000-$1500. Preferably towards the lower end of that. No more than $1500 (tax/shipping included).

3) Where do you live?
Southern California

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
Motherboard
CPU
Memory
Video card
DVD Writer
Power supply
Hard drive
CPU heatsink

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will be reusing my keyboard, mouse, monitor, and sound card.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Westinghouse 37inch. The resolution is 1920x1080.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP. This week.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
Nothing in particular. Maybe USB3.0.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-Bit.

-----------

This is what I have so far. I don't have much experience with hardware, so I have selected these parts from reading around the forum. Any recommendations are welcome.

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP (~$80)
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 PRO (~$190)
CPU: i5-2500K (~$220)
Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus (~$30)
Video card: Radeon 6950 (~$300)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB (~$65)
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB). DDR3 1333 (~$80)
DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1S (~$20)
Power supply: Corsair CMPSU-750TX (~$110)

Total: $1095. Haven't calculated tax or shipping, but it would be well within my budget.

Let me know what you think! Also, what other miscellaneous items should I order? Things such as screws, thermal paste, etc.

 

[E4g1e]

Hello, I am planning to build a computer this week. I am gonna get a i5-2500K and work around that.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming. Examples of game I like: Fallout 3, Team Fortress 2, Mass Effect 2, etc. Also some video encoding.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000-$1500. Preferably towards the lower end of that. No more than $1500 (tax/shipping included).

3) Where do you live?
Southern California

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
Motherboard
CPU
Memory
Video card
DVD Writer
Power supply
Hard drive
CPU heatsink

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will be reusing my keyboard, mouse, monitor, and sound card.

6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes.

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Westinghouse 37inch. The resolution is 1920x1080.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP. This week.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
Nothing in particular. Maybe USB3.0.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64-Bit.

-----------

This is what I have so far. I don't have much experience with hardware, so I have selected these parts from reading around the forum. Any recommendations are welcome.

Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP (~$80)
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 PRO (~$190)
CPU: i5-2500K (~$220)
Heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus (~$30)
Video card: Radeon 6950 (~$300)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB (~$65)
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 8GB (2 x 4GB). DDR3 1333 (~$80)
DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1S (~$20)
Power supply: Corsair CMPSU-750TX (~$110)

Total: $1095. Haven't calculated tax or shipping, but it would be well within my budget.

Let me know what you think! Also, what other miscellaneous items should I order? Things such as screws, thermal paste, etc.

You can save about $75 or so by going with an HD 6870 instead of an HD 6950.

Second, there have been two different 640GB WD Caviar Black hard drives - the WD6401AALS and the WD6402AAEX. The AAEX is faster (sequentially), but both drives cost as much money as or more than a 1TB hard drive from another brand that's equally as fast as the AAEX.

Third, the Corsair TX750 is now a little long on the tooth. You can get a better-quality and better-performing Antec TruePower New 750W for just a few dollars more than that TX750. Otherwise, you can get by with a Corsair TX650 instead of the TX750 even with moderate overclocks.

And that original CM690 is a good case, just that it's not so good of a value at $80.

In other words, that build could be better, especially for the price that the combination sells for total: You have some good parts, some not-so-good parts, and some parts that are clearly overkill for your use.

 

[LambentMaterial]

You can save about $75 or so by going with an HD 6870 instead of an HD 6950.

Second, there have been two different 640GB WD Caviar Black hard drives - the WD6401AALS and the WD6402AAEX. The AAEX is faster (sequentially), but both drives cost as much money as or more than a 1TB hard drive from another brand that's equally as fast as the AAEX.

Third, the Corsair TX750 is now a little long on the tooth. You can get a better-quality and better-performing Antec TruePower New 750W for just a few dollars more than that TX750. Otherwise, you can get by with a Corsair TX650 instead of the TX750 even with moderate overclocks.

And that original CM690 is a good case, just that it's not so good of a value at $80.

In other words, that build could be better, especially for the price that the combination sells for total: You have some good parts, some not-so-good parts, and some parts that are clearly overkill for your use.

Thanks you!!!!! I'll take all of that into account.