Gaming computer build advice

Hi,

I am looking for advice on the configuration I have made.  The PC will be primarily used for WoW and FPS's (L4D2, Boarderlands, etc.)  I have a budget of $2000, but coming in under budget is fine.  This will also be used as a LAN travel PC for me. 

What I am looking for is something that will let me run most if not all of the current games out now without sacrificing much of "the pretty" for performance. 

I  also want this computer to be able to be somewhat easily upgraded 1-3 years down the line (RAM upgrade, video card(s), HDD's, etc.). 

Edit:  I am currently using a 22" widescreen monitor, but am looking at getting a 24-32" monitor.  Would this be feasible?

Here is the config i am looking at:

Ticket Number: 409267
Total Price with Instant Savings: $1,875.00

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master CM Storm Scout
Exterior Finish: - Not Available
Trim Accents: - Not Available
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 Micro Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series  (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 22x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Available
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - Not Available
Chassis Mods: - Not Available
Noise Reduction: - Not Available
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
Boost Video Card: - Not Available
Boost Memory: - Not Available
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - Not Available
Office: - Not Available
Benchmarking: - Not Available
Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support

any and all advice is welcome :D


Edited by vash989 - 25 May 2010 at 3:05pm

I was looking into getting an HD monitor and running at 1920x1080

Edit: At least at this resolution.


Edited by vash989 - 25 May 2010 at 3:43pm

with a evga micro edition you only get 2x pcie slots... so that means 1 gpu and a add on card or 2x gpu. since you want to be ugradeable go with a EVGA LE you get 3 pci-e lanes. so that means you can run dual gpu and a add on card like sound, usb 3, video editing ect.

a good sign of a good monitor is identical vertical and horizontal viewing angles. that would mean it is a ips panel which has a much better picture quality then a tn panel. if you need help finding the monitor you want give us a price range for it and your desired resolution.

anything over 1tb has a higher failure rate so stick with 1tb. also as you fill it up it will take longer and longer to scan, maintain, defrag, load, ect. a wise move to do is get a 1tb now and when you upgrade add a ssd 120+gb for a major increase in performance. the ssd is for os apps and games. the 1tb will be for personal, data, work, music, movies, ect.

gpu i am pretty sure all you will need is a 470 at that res. if you ever wanted to go sli you will need the 1k watt corsair psu. 2x 470 is better then 1 480. if you went with the 480 and wanted to add sli you would need a 1250 watt psu.

a full sized case is always better if there is room in the budget and your home. they have much better airflow, more room to upgrade and you don't have to worry about parts getting larger as technology develops. the haf 932 has legendary airflow and a tool less design for easy upgrades. keep in mind you get free labor on upgrades for life just cover parts and shipping. this will be cheaper then buying a new computer every few years.

the os tweak can be a pain... if you need somethign re-enabled you need to know how or call ds for a walk threw. you should scratch it and if there isn't a option when you order put that under special requests.

so changes so far:

1 i7 920 you wont notice the difference between that and a 930 with the oc
2 case switch to 932 if you have the space if not 922
3 drop os tweak
4 switch mobo to evga le
5 change psu 1k for the 470's or 1250 for the 480's
6 change to the d 14 it has better cooling power, the d12 is great but this is better
7 win 7 pro for backwards compatibility and xp mode

once you have made up your mind on your monitor we can finalize a build for you.

120gb for a ssd minimum yes. the intels are the best  then ocz then corsair. the 80 gb is a waste of money

Thanks for all the help guys, you have given me alot better insight into just what I should get :D

I was going over these builds again, and ran into a little snag, I finally measured my available space and its smaller than I thought.  I only have the following dimensions (roughly) to put my computer in:

10"Wx21"Hx18"D

I believe this is smaller than either of the HAF cases.  Does anyone have any advice on a high performing case that will fit into my space?