Ok, I think I'm ready to take the plunge...

Ok, I have made several posts, asked countless questions, read until my eyes are almost bleeding, and I have finally come up with a configuration that I like and that *almost* falls within my budget. My price point was $2000 incl. monitor...this build (#609792) is $1894. Add to that the cost of the monitor (Dell UltraSharp U2312HM for $259) and shipping, and I'm over, and I had to cut back to get to this point. I could not afford to get both the i2600K and the SSB boot drive, so I decided to drop back to the single 1 TB HDD and keep the i2600K, since it is a lot easier to upgrade the HDD than the CPU imo.

My use will be gaming at a max resolution of 1920x1080, never higher. I will play mostly SWToR and GW2, plus some shooters from time to time. Other than that, internet and a bit of movie watching perhaps (which is why I upgraded to the BluRay reader).

I decided to pay the extra $102 for the CoolerMaster 942 HAF case, since everyone says it is the berries. I accepted the default on MB and PSU, since I know little about either. On the PSU, I really doubt I need 800W and I considered dropping back to the base DSO 500W unit, but this would only save $52 so I didn't. I thought seriously about adding another 1 TB HDD and putting them in Raid 0 config, but that would add another $132 so I didn't do that either.

On video cards, please don't waste time talking up nVidia to me. I want the Radeon 6950 1 GB.

The only other question I have is cooling. I don't want liquid cooling. Is the Noctua air stage 2 that I selected overkill for the CPU OC I have selected ? If I drop back to the air stage 2 Corsair A70 I can save $81. I want to have *enough* cooling, but no more than I need. This system is NEVER gonna run dual GPUs.

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Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 (Intel P67 Chipset) (New B3 Revision) (Does Not Support SLI)
System Memory: 8GB 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 (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)
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: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 6950 1GB
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI)
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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - 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
Install/Test Game: FREE: Battlefield 3 (Available only with Intel K Series and Extreme Edition CPUs)
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 (Extra Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

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I guess that's it. Any and all input will be appreciated!!!

Thanks, DST !!

I made the following changes:

- changed case to HAF 932, saving $65
- changed PSU to Corsair CX600, saving $44
- changed cooling to Stage 2 Air: Corsair A70, saving $81

This brings my system price (new config #610021) down to $1704, which means that with the $259 for the Dell UltraSharp 23" monitor, I am in at $1963, below my original target of $2000 (not counting any shipping, of course). Plus I get a free T-shirt and a free game...woot !!

I am very happy with this config. I have only one remaining question, and that is concerning fans. The "More Info" on the HAF 932 case says "three 120x25mm fans can be mounted on the top for excellent air exhaust (fans are optional)". I'm assuming DSO knows what it is doing and will put the fans needed in the case, so I guess this isn't actually a question ? Also, I remember reading in some forum post about putting a note in the "Special Assembly" at the bottom to add an additional fan for the CoolerMaster cases, and I think I remember it being said that this would be an extra $15 dollars. Can someone set me straight on this business with fans ?

Thanks again !!!

He who hesitates: I went to Dell.com to order my 23" UltraSharp monitor, and the $60 off was no longer there!! So I called them and talked to a real person and complained, and got the discount back. Which made me "get off the pot" and order it immediately. Shipping was free, but it cost me $10.59 MO tax. I also extended the 3 -yr quick replacement warranty to 4 yrs.