Build Time

[CaffeinePowered]

Comment about how much of an idiot I am below

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819116501 - $350
Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813131822 - $330
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814130824 - $450
Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231522 - $350
HD
- OS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820167049 - $150
- Data - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148834 - $100
- Salvage from old Box - 1TB Internal, 1TB Exernal

PSU - Salave 1000w Silverstone from old Box
Blu-Ray/DVD-RW - Salage from Old Box

Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811129100 - $135
CPU Fan - Use Stock Intel Cooler

Im horrible at picking out cases, also memory is a fuck ton more expensive than I thought it was going to be...and there goes my hopes of a new PC, woosh.....

[at0m]

Go check out the $1k gaming PC thread. I'm being completely serious, it's not skimping on hardware + it's a shitton cheaper than what you've picked out.

Also that processor will be two generations old by the time you get it. Get an Ivy Bridge, and a motherboard to match.

[HeK]

Well, first up your CPU is a generation behind. The replacement for that 2700k is the 3770k.
If you are gaming more then video/archiving/photo editing, get the 3570k which mildly performs better in games but costs $100 less.

Your PC3-2400 ram is worthless unless you overclock, according to Asus's spec sheet. They recommend 1600....
You may want to research the bus freqs to maximize your memory bandwidth.

That mobo is really over spec'd, unless you plan on running quad-sli. Consider a cheaper model if you are going to stick with a single video card.

That case is huge and loud. Unless you need space for tons of drives, or lots of airflow/space for watercooling due to massive overclocking, think about a smaller case. The Antec 300v2 is a very good choice.

I've heard good things about the Intel drives, but for the cost you would be better off with the 520. That or a OCZ Vertex 4.

[rilnac]

Vertex 4's have the best $/GB ratio without sacrificing performance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820227792

And here is the antec 300, very good for airflow, it is also one of the easiest cases to work on.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811129180

[Didzo]

First thing: get a CPU cooler, even if you aren't overclocking. I wouldn't trust the stock Intel ones. Here's a very popular one that I happen to own as well:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6835103099
It fits snugly next to my RAM (heatsinks are chunky), but it probably cools the RAM as well since it draws air in from across the fins.

Here's my RAM suggestion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820233238

Still more than fast enough, and optimized for the new Intel processors. Those clip on fans look gimmicky, and I imagine that they hinder airflow across the heatsink fins and create turbulence rather than doing anything useful. You could also save even more cash on the RAM (get DDR3 1600 and be done with it) and get a SSD for games or something.

I would get WD over Seagate for the sake of reliability and warranty.

Case suggestion:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811119225
I have the 932, and this case seems to have improved on all areas that could've used improvement. These things have more fans than you'll ever need and are built like tanks, but the appearance and bulk are not everyone's cup of tea. If I were picking a case and did not move my computer around much, this is what I would get without a second thought.

For something easy to carry (sturdy built in handle) but still sort of cool looking, there's this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811119264
Also comes in black. The case only comes with 1 fan, but a second fan is offered for free by Newegg to compensate. You can get 4 case fans for $14 anyway. I like the cable hiding options and painted interior, which aren't that common at this price point.

The Antex 300 v2 that Rilnac posted is another good choice, if you just want pure function without any aesthetic frills.

I suggest with going with whatever case suits your eye. All in all, most case options will house the internals just fine.

[Mission Difficult]

I recently built, and I used an Antec P280 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811129179
By far the quietest case I've ever used and cools well.

I also have a really absurd cpu cooler, but like the case it's extremely quiet and cools incredibly. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6835608018
I have an oc'ed 3770k and it never hits above 42.

[CaffeinePowered]

Slimmer Alternative


CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819116501 - $350
Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813131822 - $330
GPU - Salvage GTX280 for now, get a 600 series a few months later
Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231507 - $145

HD
- OS - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820227706 - $110
- Data - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148834 - $100
- Salvage from old Box - 1TB Internal, 1TB Exernal

PSU - Salave 1000w Silverstone from old Box
Blu-Ray/DVD-RW - Salage from Old Box

Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811129100 - $135
CPU Fan - Use Stock Intel Cooler

New Total - ~$1200

Case ist still a bit up in the air, but I have some suggestions from HeK and Rilnac that are nice...looking for a full tower for the added space.

[HeK]

Motherboard is still overkill. See my previous comments.

[CaffeinePowered]

Motherboard is still overkill. See my previous comments.

I like this one

And I might change my mind on the video card(s if I choose to go an SLI Route). If Im going to splurge on one part at the start I never feel like Ive done myself a disservice spending an extra $100-150 on a board.

[HeK]

Ok, then why not use this board?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813131819

Are you going to be using three or four cards in SLI?

[Didzo]

Noise canceling full-tower case for a decent price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811352017

Corsair RAM with slightly better timing for $5 less:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820233304

Edit: Deal on the RAM ends today.

[CaffeinePowered]

Parts were ordered last night, got everything on the 'slim build' list, but swapped the OCZ memory for the Corsair memory didzo linked.

Final Total with shipping was $1,180

[Versus]

that's a lot of ram

[Goffin]

32 gig of ram?  jesus man..  Are you building a PC for gaming or for a file share?    :o 

[CaffeinePowered]

that's a lot of ram

My PC has too much ram

- Said nobody ever

[at0m]

[quote author=versus link=topic=6582.msg255978#msg255978 date=1351473226]
that's a lot of ram

My PC has too much ram

- Said nobody ever
[/quote]I remember a few years ago, before Dual-Channel, having more RAM actually made your rig slower. Don't think that's true any more though.

Also, if I could copypasta the number of times Caff said in IRC that he's going to run an OSX VM, your brain would asplode.

[Gump]

did anyone hear caff is getting 32gb of ram for an osx VM?

[zaneyard]

did anyone hear caff is getting 32gb of ram for an osx VM?

[CaffeinePowered]

New video card arrives today, EVGA GTX 670

[at0m]

I somehow missed where you thought it was a good idea to keep your 260