Advice please!

Budget $3000 (although I wouldn't mind saving some where I can)

Expectations: Run Guildwars 2 and other future games with beauty and without video lag...

Usage: (Most of my data will be left on the old computer), surf online, some light photo editing. I'd like to AVOID an SLI set up.

Needs: Computer will be in a basement office. Temperature is relatively constant around 70 F.

I put together my last few systems... But I'm getting old and impatient. The cost of having someone do something well AND stand by the work is more appealing for me.

I've been a fan of DS since I helped my brother put together his own computer. There was a couple of small "glitches" and DS probably ended up having to eat some profit. So I'm here to settle that score :) 

Here's what I put together... I'm less about dressy show pieces and more about good airflow and a good system. I want a single card so if anyone can chime in on the card choice, SSD, etc.  it'd be greatly appreciated and Thanks! :)

I know the RAM is high...but I've found I LOVE lots of Ram.. I tend to multitask a lot


Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 32GB DDR3 1600Mhz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (180GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 520 Series)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

Originally posted by Baby Huey What size monitor and at what resolution do you plan on running with this system? Also I heard if you plan on running multiple monitors, the 680 with 4GB might be a better option. Also don't forget your Free T-Shirt.

Right now an old Dell 24 inch UltraSharp. Still works.

I believe I'm running 1920x1200. I don't plan on a multiple monitor set (just yet). If anything, I might hook up something down the line in the similar range (21-27 inch range)

Good advice on the 4GB and T-Shirt ... Thanks :) 

Hi Stosh71...   Baby Huey gave you some good advice and your build is real nice.

For your needs stated, you can save $300 by dropping the 3930 six core chip to the 3820 four core cpu.    Light editing and gaming won't use the 3930.

You mentioned wanting a good air flow rig so check out this config.
Config # 734530        Cost $ 2753

I'm not at my rig so can't cut/paste.

The 550d case you picked is a nice case but the HafX with a front 230mm and side and top 200mm fans is the best here for air cooling.

The Hafx also allows the Noctua D14 air cooler for tops in cooling and reliabilty. The Vortex240 is also nice but the D14, even though it takes up more space, leaves little to go wrong.

I changed the X79 mobo to the Z77 mobo because for your light editing and games the dual channel ram as opposed to the X79 quad channel is really all you need.    The X79 with 3820 wil however give you similar gaming performance.

Just another way to go and let us know.     Good luck.

Thanks Asangard.

For single monitor the 4GB vram won't be used.    Oc'ing a video card gives a few fps boost but not a whole lot.

Another way to go is the gtx670 FTW oc EVGA card for $120 less.   The FTW 670 is the same clock as a 680 and has the 680's better circuit board and cooling fan for less money.