Will be building a whole new rig within the next few months; would like some input

[dRastic1337]

I've had my DIY-built gaming rig for about 15 months now, and I've come to dislike a lot of things about it. The case is too small; not enough cable management. The PSU isn't modular and there are a bunch of cables attached to it that I don't use. I think the motherboard has been faulty ever since I bought it, and after trying several cases, my computer still short-circuits whenever I touch the computer if I'm not careful. I'd also like better RAM and a better graphics card.

So, since I'm starting fresh with a whole new rig, I'd like some input about parts.

OVERALL
- This computer needs to last me 3-5 years and keep its ability to play new games that come out
- I would prefer to spend $500-750, but I'd be willing to spend up to $1000 if necessary. I don't have nearly that much cash right now, but I can wait for my birthday and a summer job to help me get there. It's not super-urgent that I buy a new rig, so I can wait to buy a much better one if necessary.

Case
- I have an Antec 900 SE mid-tower case; I think I'd like to upgrade to a full-tower
- Needs good cable management - right now the inside of my case looks like a bunch of spaghetti.
- Lights are not at all necessary. I would prefer them, but if the case does have lights, I need to be able to toggle them.
- I would like really good air flow; lots of fans

CPU
- Right now I have a 3.4GHz quad-core AMD processor. I would like something faster.

1. I'm very confused about AMD vs. Intel. Comparing two similar-looking processors on Newegg (AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition @ 3.4GHz and Intel i5-2500K x4 @ 3.3GHz), there is a huge price difference that I don't understand.

The Intel clocks slower at 3.3GHz ("Turbo Boost" to 3.7GHz; not sure whether that's considered overclocking or not), has a smaller L2 cache, and a lower "manufacturing tech" (though I'm not sure what that means), yet it's almost $100 more expensive than the AMD. It looks like it has some extra integrated graphics or something, but I'm not sure how much that affects the price.

Why the huge price difference? To me, the Intel seems to have less value, yet it's more expensive.

2. I heard that AMD hardware is better for gaming, while Intel hardware is better for resource-intensive programs, like having video editing software and Photoshop open at the same time, rather than graphic-intensive. What really are the main differences between the two brands? I've always limited myself to AMD, but I don't think I'd have a problem going with Intel this time around if it would better suit me.

Motherboard
- Right now I have an ASUS M4A87TD EVO USB3 motherboard
- Needs at least six SATA 6Gb/s ports, as well as built-in RAID0 capabilities
- Needs at least on PCIe 2.0 x16 slot; more are fine, though I'm not sure I'd ever use SLI
- Does not need integrated video
- I would prefer not ASUS, as my board from them is faulty, and I've come to dislike their customer support

RAM
- I currently have two 2GB sticks of OCZ Gold DDR3 RAM (I think it is PC3-12800, 1600MHz, but I'm not certain as I can't find the container it came in). I'd like more (at least 8GB), faster RAM, if possible.

1. I'm not sure in what ways RAM speed or amount affects this, but I've noticed that it takes my computer a minute or two to load a new map on BF3, while my friend with 8GB of RAM loads them in about 30 seconds (I think he has a similar or worse processor than I have). Would improving my RAM help speed this loading time up?

2. I paid $90 for 4GB of RAM, however I see here 16GB of what looks to be similar RAM for about the same price. Just curious - did I overpay for my RAM? I know it's been a year since I bought it, and prices have gone down, but four times the RAM for the same price seems unlikely to me.

Graphics card
- Right now I have an EVGA GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Superclocked 1GB 256-bit
- My 460 will run all of my games, including BF3 on medium to high settings; I know it also runs Skyrim fine, though not necessarily on the highest settings. It runs ARMA on medium to high settings, I think.

I want a graphics card that can run top-tier games on high to ultra settings, and I think I'd be willing to pay up to $500 for one, once I get the cash.

1. What is the most important to look for in a graphics card, when it comes to gaming? Core clock, shader clock, stream processors, memory interface, etc.? I see this GTX 580 on Newegg for $420, but this GTX 550 Ti is only $130, and it has a better core clock, shader clock, and effective memory clock (the stream processors, memory size, and memory interface are higher on the 580).

2. I know the GTX 600-series came out recently, would it be good to save up for that rather than a 500-series? It looks like they all require a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot; I only see these on Intel motherboards on Newegg; when will these show up on AMD motherboards?

Power supply
- Right now I have a 500W PSU (not sure of any specs on it, since a friend gave it to me when he got a better one)
- I don't think I'm too picky; as long as it's modular (I'm tired of the clutter in my case) and can power four or five SATA hard drives, my graphics card, and everything else, I'm probably good with it

Hard drives
- My hard drives aren't the best but they work. I'm not upgrading them with this build. I may invest in an SSD and some bigger, faster drives later.

I think that's about it; if I forgot anything, please let me know. Any input on any of the parts is appreciated

Thanks!

 

[Snipeye]

CPU:

1) You're thinking that speed for speed, the AMD should be faster, but that measuring stick has been outdated since about 2006 with the Core2Duo CPU's coming out. Here's a link to a graph that can help show the difference in performance between the two:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/processor-architecture-benchmark,2974-10.html

2) In my opinion, the best gaming CPUs are Intel chips, but they are priced higher. AMD wins when you're on a budget and trying to squeak as much as you can on a performance/price ratio.

Recommendation: Intel i5-2500K if you're willing to overclock. Or wait for new CPUs to be released this year for price drops.

Motherboard:
Depending on the CPU, assuming you go with Intel, take a look at Gigabyte motherboards, my favorite brand of choice. If AMD, someone else will need to make a recommendation.

RAM
1) More RAM can help improve your PC. 4GB is the recommended minimum, but 8GB can't hurt. If you got a SSD, that'll help improve boot up times, especially for single player games.

2) RAM prices have gone down a lot, even over the past year. At the time, I honestly would say you DID overpay for RAM, but there are some RAM with higher prices because they have better performance, especially for OC'ers. RAM standards now are along the lines of 8 GB DDR3 1600MHz while older DDR2 prices are going up because of discontinued production.

GPU

1) There's not one single thing that's important because you have to factor in the total picture. Higher clock speeds are nice, but if it's running GDDR3, 128bit bus, it's crap compared to a 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 GPU. You can only use that kind of comparison if the two cards are designed the same. The 550Ti and 580 are not, however. Read up on hardware reviews like tomshardware.com, anandtech.com, and some others. They provide details about how the card is built, how it performs against other cards, and any pros/cons the reviewer has about the card.

2) Don't bother with the 600 series. Based off of your budget, you don't have the money or room to pay for a $500 card. Stay realistic and get one around $200.

Other:
1) Find out what kind of PSU you're using. If it's a generic POS one, you're better off buying a new, good brand one. Otherwise, you're going to have power and reliability issues down the road if you use it with a new build. Remember, for the PSU, you must PAY QUALITY to OWN QUALITY. And if you don't, well, how do you feel about a $50 PSU crapping out on you and destroying $500 worth of other CPU parts with it? Yeah, not fun. Again, read reviews and don't be afraid to ask for advice on this.

2) How old are your hard drives? Standard rule of thumb: After 5 years, regular, mechanical HDDs will start dying on you (slower boot times, more BSODs, eventually crapping out completely). Unfortunately, because of the flooding in Thailand where most hard drive manufacturers make their stuff, there's a short supply of available HDDs on the market, making prices higher than they have been in years. Barely 2 years ago a 500GB would cost about $40-50. Now they're up to $80-110. SSDs are great, but you can expect to pay even more. For you, you'll want the standard 7200RPM Seagate/Western Digital/other brand HDD, but it'll affect your budget and ability to pay for other parts if you do buy one.

Edit: For a $750 budget, I think you have too high hopes of what you can get. Remember, you can't spend $500 on an awesome card, and then scraps for everything else. Everything in a PC supports itself and if there's one part that's not good or reliable, it can (and will) affect the entire PC build. If you were reusing parts, it won't be so bad, but it sounds like you're looking for a completely new system; a $1k budget would be ideal in that case, otherwise, you'll be using cheaper, or less parts in a $500-750 build.

 

[NY9ER]

I have a AMD FX 3.10GHZ 8CORE WITH THE Corsair Vengence 8gb ram with the GTX 550TI video card but my computer ran me about 800 to 1000 cause I use overnight delivery, just for the AMD FX 3.10ghz 8 core processor and asus motherboard cost me around 350.00.

 

[a pet rock]

Serious recommendations now will be outdated in two-three months. The rest nVidia's 6xx line ought to be hitting soon and will hopefully force AMD to drop prices on their absurdly priced cards. Intel's Ivy Bridge should be coming in April meaning everything in the CPU area will be different.

Also, the reason the i5-2500k is $100 more expensive than the 965 is because it is flat out better at everything. Snipeye linked to a good review, but I think this one is much more pertinent to a gamer's perspective. Frankly, AMD has nothing to offer a gamer right now besides Llano at the very bottom end.

Same thing applies to the graphics cards you're looking at. The 550Ti is a POS and doesn't even compete against the 460 you have. I use this site for initial opinions, and then when I get serious about buying I start checking every review site I can find.

 

[Ph?bus]

I stopped reading the post pretty early on.

You want to spend $500-750, at most $1000, and you want this thing to last 3-5 years? Computers have come a long way, but they're not quite at that stage yet. If you really want that, then invest in a console, and spend the rest on a little business-class machine.

If you want it to last 3-5 years, and still be able to play games on max/high, you're going to have to spend quite a bit; probably close to $2,000 or even higher. It's hard to speculate where video game graphics will be in 5 years, not to mention how monitors will be in 5 years. To be able to run games at high settings at some crazy resolution, you'll need to spend a lot on a beast of a machine.

Be more realistic with your goals. 3-5 years for a mere $750, even $1000 just isn't going to happen. Especially if you want the games to look good.

 

[Muffs]

Think of what css looks like, or even games made in 06 just six years ago. Stuff back then is garbage because of the advancements made. I'd say get the intel 2500k and get another gtx 460 to sli. 8 gbs of ddr3 is a must if you want to have this last. Hard drives well thats just bad wit the flooding.. I paid 100 for a 1.5tb off newegg on sale, it was 70 two years ago

 

[frost889]

Overall: Price is always that boulder over your head, but keeping a cap is a great idea. 5 years is a long time, but I think you should be looking even longer. Those of us who build it ourselves do so with the intentions of upgrading down the line later, one piece at a time.

Case:Remember some mid-towers are as large as the "old" full towers now a days. Plus, those full towers are a lot more unworldly when placing them on or under a desk. I'd go for an oversize, and, more importantly, well ventilated and well built mid tower. Do you really need 300 hard drive trays or 6?

CPU:For speed and gaming overall, Intel wins hand down.

BUT -- and this is the caveat I look at, for price / performance? AMD walks away laughing. I always built and used Intel until this past summer, when I built an AMD machine, and I'm happy as hell. AMD chips overclock really easy (sitting at 4ghz now on a Phenom idling at 26 degrees).

AND -- once you buy an Intel chip, that's all she wrote. That chip will only last as long as that Mobo socket. At least with AMD, as evidenced with the AM3+ socket, you might get at least 2 CPU cycles out of it.

Motherboard: I have used ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte. Partial to ASUS myself as I like the new UEFI BIOS. Look for quality here as this is the bedrock of the system. By cheap, get problems. No need to over do it here either, but quality (always makes sure it has a good warranty) is king.

RAM: Simple, cheap, and easy. Don't skimp as the prices are so friggin' low. I'd go 8 gigs, no more, no less. 16g has no extra benefits for gaming. Lower latency does. 1600 mhz is the flavor of the past few years but 1866 sometimes have better timings . Mushkin, G-Skill, Corsair, hard to miss here. Stick with a good reputable brand and set it and forget it.

GPU: Toughest, most contested, most argued topic among builders is what to do with the graphics card. My BEST advice, as I've stated before, is look at quality. Brand MATTERS with graphics cards. Buy an off the shelf model or a no-name, well, you get what you pay for. If you are building a rig for the next 3-5 years, I'd look at the prices and read a TON of reviews before pulling the trigger.

Keep in mind, the 680 is the fastest single gpu card out there, BUT, now that the cat is out of the bag, it means the 580 will drop in price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130587

a GTX 580 for $389 after rebate!!! It was a $500 just 6 months ago! You take a 20% performance hit versus the 680, but save BIG bucks AND get a top notch, smokin card that will run all games on high settings. Going from 60 fps on a 580 to 75 fps on a 680, you visibly might not even notice the difference.

Power supply: Do NOT skimp on quality here. Buy the best. This is a bedrock component, it can outlast your system. Given the video cards and possible upgrades you are looking to in the future, I'd go around the 750 watt marker. I'd also stay at no less then GOLD efficiency. I stress this as the build quality of power supplies can vary and the more efficient are typically built better. Read lots and lots of reviews though. I'm a fan of the Corsair and I'm using one now, it never gets hot, I never hear it, and it never hiccups on me.

Hard Drives: I was skeptical of the "SSD Mania", but I tried it. Bought a little 64gb drive to be a boot drive . . .

. . . and I will never look back. 15 seconds to from power on to full boot on Windows 7. Sick, just sick performance.

BUT . . . I'm not sold on using it as a gaming drive just yet. My WD 1 TB Black holds all my junk and works like a champ and it's wicked fast. Price / performance on those massive drives . . . I just think the cost is too high.

CPU COOLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buy good cooler, buy a good cooler, buy a good cooler . . . ditch the stock cooler. Stock coolers typically blow and that goes TRIPLE for Intel. Coolermaster, Zalman, Noctua (personal use but expensive) all work 100% better. Make sure you get a good cooling compound too if it is not included.

FUN Have fun with the build, take all day, maybe two days. Make sure everything is secure.

 

[I'm your huckleberry]

A lot has already been said that I agree with. Post back closer to when you are going to buy (like a week or 2 beforehand). New GPUs and CPUs should be released by then.

As for determining which cpu/gpu is better, clock speed is not the main factor. Here is a very telling graph:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4955/the-bulldozer-review-amd-fx8150-tested/3

This compares the performance of a single core on all the cpus. Even though the speeds of all the AMD cpus are as high or higher than the intel ones, the intel ones easily walk away with the performance crown. Intel owns the top end of the cpu performance market as AMD simply cannot compete.

As for the graphics card, for the most part, you can look at the numbering of the card to see which has better performance (higher the number, higher the performance, for the most part ...). So a 550 Ti is lower than a 580 and thus has lower performance. Again, clock speed is not the main factor. That would be stream processors, texture units, ROPs, etc. It all comes into play here. But given the total budget of $1000 at most, $500 on a gpu does seem a little unbalanced. You either need to up your entire budget or get a cheaper vid card.

 

[Erebos]

I stopped reading the post pretty early on.

You want to spend $500-750, at most $1000, and you want this thing to last 3-5 years? Computers have come a long way, but they're not quite at that stage yet. If you really want that, then invest in a console, and spend the rest on a little business-class machine.

If you want it to last 3-5 years, and still be able to play games on max/high, you're going to have to spend quite a bit; probably close to $2,000 or even higher. It's hard to speculate where video game graphics will be in 5 years, not to mention how monitors will be in 5 years. To be able to run games at high settings at some crazy resolution, you'll need to spend a lot on a beast of a machine.

Be more realistic with your goals. 3-5 years for a mere $750, even $1000 just isn't going to happen. Especially if you want the games to look good.

I completely disagree and here's why:
I have a XFX 680i LT motherboard that I bought back in 2007 for $475 and I am still using it WITH A QUAD CORE and as I'm sure you are aware of quad cores didn't come out until about 3 years ago. Simple math shows that my motherboard is 5 years old and it still runs like a champ. My computer is completely stock and no OCing. I can have up to 8GB of RAM in it but can only use 2GB due to XP lol
I also am running a 240GT at high settings in all the games I own on a 22" Flat screen LG and no problems with graphics at all. I think the most intensive graphic game I have is ArmAII and I run that on Ultra and it runs it fine. Not everything has to be shiny on the outside to be good on the inside

XFX nForce 680I LT
SLI-Ready Intel Socket 775 Motherboard
Are you ready for dual-GPU computing? Whether you're a gamer or just a graphics buff, the XFX nForce 680I LT is an excellent chassis. It is designed for Intel processors like the Core 2 Extreme, Core 2 Extreme Quad, Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad, Celeron D, Pentium 4, and Pentium D series. It has 2 PCI Express x16 slots, perfect for running two SLI-ready GPUs. There are also 2 PCI Express x1 slots and 2 PCI slots. This Vista Ready motherboard features the NVIDIA nForce 680i LT SLI MCP Chipset. It supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5 setups and SATA components. Other features include onboard LAN, 8 possible USB ports, and NVIDIA technologies like FirstPacket, MediaShield Storage, nTune Utility, and more.

I was running some type of ati card from my old old comp but then upgraded to a XFX 9800gt. The 9800 burnt out during dual monitoring so I upgraded to a XFX 240GT.

So obviously you can see that the XFX series of products look into the future (2-3 years) not just what's best now like other manufacturers... So if you want more bang for your buck go with XFX parts, aside from cpu and accessories. This is debatable but I will stand by it 100%, using the same type of manufacturer for your computer parts makes your computer more stable. Reason being is the manufacturers (or most) take into account their past and future products.

Case http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4675290
Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower Case
Yes, it's a Mid Tower but a Full Tower (believe it or not) is a lot harder to hide wires and may even cause problems such as wires not being long enough due to the layout of the screws. The Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower Case I have had no problems with hiding wires.
- Right side panel (no fan, solid) is removable so you can hide the front/top button wires behind it as well as any excess cables/wires.
- Heat sink (metal barrier between the bottom of case and motherboard) where you can hide the power cords and more wires as need. If you look at most peoples' computer insides they have zip ties and what not but no need for any of those in this case.
- Intake fans in the front, top and side and an out-take fan in the back as well as 2 smaller fan slots (sold separately/ optional).
- The power supply sits on the bottom instead of the top thus allowing more air into the case and max air out of the case.
- 3 color lights (RGB) and it also has 2 rotations of patterned lights (circling between RGB or slowly shifting between RGB)
- On top of the case there is a knob/button to push to change color schemes and it also turns left/right to increase/decrease the front fan speed. It also has 4 USB ports, inputs for speakers/ ear-buds and ofc, the power button.

Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136540
Have you ever thought of getting an external hard drive? Reason for this is that it uses 2 cords, 1 to USB and 1 to wall socket for power, which eliminates 1 SETA cable from inside. I would recommend a 1TB (1,000GB) external if you have a lot of stuff installed. Also if your computer dies for some reason you can easily use that cheap comp you have sitting around and plug in the external hard drive with no problems.

Operating System
I don't know why everyone looked this over!!! Before you even get to RAM you must have an OS that is capable of running over 2GB. If you have XP don't waste your time on getting more RAM as XP will only read 2GB. If you have Vista or W7 you're fine going to 8GB or 16GB but that's extreme and unnecessary, for now. If you have Linux then /uninstall and get W7 xD

Motherboardhttp://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=BkV3T8qlOYvYiQLeg-2nDg&ved=0CIwBEOUNMAA (out of stock at newegg and tigerdirect, that tells you something right?)
I go with XFX because they think 5 years ahead lol

GPU http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/EP126969073.htm?utm_medium=productsearch&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=product_ads&utm_content={adtype}&gclid=CMnW-dndka8CFSQZQgodxzBcyA
Intel i7 2600k BUT ask yourself is going 0.3ghz really worth another $350 bucks?

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
8GB should do you and Corsair is always a good way to go

Graphics Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549
Again, I like XFX because they are top notch

Price break down from above:
case 139.99 (119.99 rebate)
hard drive 109.99
motherboard 155.00
ram 49.99
graphics card 289.99

Total: 744.96
Total after rebate: 724.96

GPU (processor) 346.99

Total w/ GPU: 1091.95
Total w/ GPU after rebate: 1071.95

** These prices do not include tax/ s&h

So without the GPU (using one you have 3.4ghz) you are at your price range of $750

With the GPU you want (3.7ghz) you hit your max price range of $1,000

I would suggest going without buying the i7 2600k 3.7ghz and wait till the price drops

Hope this helped

 

[Muffs]

I completely disagree and here's why:
I have a XFX 680i LT motherboard that I bought back in 2007 for $475 and I am still using it WITH A QUAD CORE and as I'm sure you are aware of quad cores didn't come out until about 3 years ago. Simple math shows that my motherboard is 5 years old and it still runs like a champ. My computer is completely stock and no OCing. I can have up to 8GB of RAM in it but can only use 2GB due to XP lol
I also am running a 240GT at high settings in all the games I own on a 22" Flat screen LG and no problems with graphics at all. I think the most intensive graphic game I have is ArmAII and I run that on Ultra and it runs it fine. Not everything has to be shiny on the outside to be good on the inside


I was running some type of ati card from my old old comp but then upgraded to a XFX 9800gt. The 9800 burnt out during dual monitoring so I upgraded to a XFX 240GT.

So obviously you can see that the XFX series of products look into the future (2-3 years) not just what's best now like other manufacturers... So if you want more bang for your buck go with XFX parts, aside from cpu and accessories. This is debatable but I will stand by it 100%, using the same type of manufacturer for your computer parts makes your computer more stable. Reason being is the manufacturers (or most) take into account their past and future products.

Case http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4675290
Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower Case
Yes, it's a Mid Tower but a Full Tower (believe it or not) is a lot harder to hide wires and may even cause problems such as wires not being long enough due to the layout of the screws. The Thermaltake Element G Mid Tower Case I have had no problems with hiding wires.
- Right side panel (no fan, solid) is removable so you can hide the front/top button wires behind it as well as any excess cables/wires.
- Heat sink (metal barrier between the bottom of case and motherboard) where you can hide the power cords and more wires as need. If you look at most peoples' computer insides they have zip ties and what not but no need for any of those in this case.
- Intake fans in the front, top and side and an out-take fan in the back as well as 2 smaller fan slots (sold separately/ optional).
- The power supply sits on the bottom instead of the top thus allowing more air into the case and max air out of the case.
- 3 color lights (RGB) and it also has 2 rotations of patterned lights (circling between RGB or slowly shifting between RGB)
- On top of the case there is a knob/button to push to change color schemes and it also turns left/right to increase/decrease the front fan speed. It also has 4 USB ports, inputs for speakers/ ear-buds and ofc, the power button.

Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136540
Have you ever thought of getting an external hard drive? Reason for this is that it uses 2 cords, 1 to USB and 1 to wall socket for power, which eliminates 1 SETA cable from inside. I would recommend a 1TB (1,000GB) external if you have a lot of stuff installed. Also if your computer dies for some reason you can easily use that cheap comp you have sitting around and plug in the external hard drive with no problems.

Operating System
I don't know why everyone looked this over!!! Before you even get to RAM you must have an OS that is capable of running over 2GB. If you have XP don't waste your time on getting more RAM as XP will only read 2GB. If you have Vista or W7 you're fine going to 8GB or 16GB but that's extreme and unnecessary, for now. If you have Linux then /uninstall and get W7 xD

Motherboardhttp://www.google.com/products/cata...=X&ei=BkV3T8qlOYvYiQLeg-2nDg&ved=0CIwBEOUNMAA (out of stock at newegg and tigerdirect, that tells you something right?)
I go with XFX because they think 5 years ahead lol

GPU http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/EP126969073.htm?utm_medium=productsearch&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=product_ads&utm_content={adtype}&gclid=CMnW-dndka8CFSQZQgodxzBcyA
Intel i7 2600k BUT ask yourself is going 0.3ghz really worth another $350 bucks?

RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
8GB should do you and Corsair is always a good way to go

Graphics Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150549
Again, I like XFX because they are top notch

Price break down from above:
case 139.99 (119.99 rebate)
hard drive 109.99
motherboard 155.00
ram 49.99
graphics card 289.99

Total: 744.96
Total after rebate: 724.96

GPU (processor) 346.99

Total w/ GPU: 1091.95
Total w/ GPU after rebate: 1071.95

** These prices do not include tax/ s&h

So without the GPU (using one you have 3.4ghz) you are at your price range of $750

With the GPU you want (3.7ghz) you hit your max price range of $1,000

I would suggest going without buying the i7 2600k 3.7ghz and wait till the price drops

Hope this helped

There are other ways of getting win7. Also I've never heard of that site where you listed that gpu. And I don't think that you would be able to run arma2 on highest with what you have. I have a gtx 460 1gb ddr5 oc'd phenom 1090t @ 4.00 GHZ 8gb drr3 And I run it at the highest to. At only 60 or so frames, depending on the benchmark. So taking into account that your mobo is 5 years old and that your cpu would have to be around 3+ years old with a 260 I doubt that you would be able to run arma2 and what you have stated. I tried doing that with a quad core three years old, and a sli'd 220s and it was skippy on low.

 

[Raul Tha Monk]

You could get a gtx 560 ti price range 120-170

 

[Ph?bus]

I completely disagree and here's why:
I have a XFX 680i LT motherboard that I bought back in 2007 for $475 and I am still using it WITH A QUAD CORE and as I'm sure you are aware of quad cores didn't come out until about 3 years ago. Simple math shows that my motherboard is 5 years old and it still runs like a champ. My computer is completely stock and no OCing. I can have up to 8GB of RAM in it but can only use 2GB due to XP lol
I also am running a 240GT at high settings in all the games I own on a 22" Flat screen LG and no problems with graphics at all. I think the most intensive graphic game I have is ArmAII and I run that on Ultra and it runs it fine. Not everything has to be shiny on the outside to be good on the inside

How is your frame rate with BF3 @ 1920x1080 @ High? What about Witcher 2? I know for a fact that your GT 240 will not be able to max or even have playable frame rates for those games, and other games such as Crysis 1/Warhead/2 at high settings (all at 1920x1080, of course). Unless your 22" is straight from 2007 as well and is running at some really low resolution like 1440x900 or something, you aren't getting as good of performance as you claim.