Building a $1.5 - 2.5k PC for a mate

[skele89]

Here's what i've decided on so far:

- Core i7 920
- GTX 295 or HD4870 x 2
- G.Skill PI DDR3 1333 2 x 2

It's going to be used for 90% gaming (Counter-Strike:source, left for dead etc.) and will be overclocked.

What i've listed so far might be overkill for its purpose but just discard that thought - basically want the best PC for this price range, oriented to gaming.


Here's what i need your help on(Don't worry about price for now):

- CPU cooling (please recommend a good water cooling system AND/OR a good air system)
- Mobo with good OC capabilities and functions/settings
- VGU - Would appreciate your opinions on the two options above. Is the GTX quieter? And does it run at lower temps? The GTX is obviously more expensive...

I'm in Australia, so don't worry about getting prices for me on NewEgg

 

[Hefemeister]

Well for starters the i7 runs triple channel ddr3 memory so you would want to get 6gb or 3x2gb of ddr3 1600 RAM.

A few nice board choices in your price range are the:
Asus p6t Devluxe V2
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5
EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI

Both Vid cards are great really comes down to if you like ATI or NVIDIA.

For Air I would recommended the TRUE 120
For Water Petra's Tech Shop

PSU minimal would be a corsair or PC Power and Cooling 750watt up to 850watt if you planned on running multiple gpu's at a later point in time.

You could really save some cash by going with the GTX285 or ATI 4890. They would run all games great and later when the prices drop you could always add a second card. That one is up to you.

 

[SapperX]

I thought the xigmatek counterpart was supposed to be more effective then the TRUE 120? It's also a bit cheaper as well. Other then that I second what has been said.

 

[Pinscher]

If youre set on getting one of those 2 cards, get the 295. It is much newer and runs cooler and ive heard of alot of issues with the x2.

I can personally recommend the evga x58. I love my board. It overclocks great and its easy to use. Plus evga is an awesome company with great support and a lifetime warranty if anything were ever to go wrong

 

[meat_helmet]

The EVGA boards are very expensive over here. You might want to look at an ASUS P6T instead:

ASUS P6T Motherboard ASUS P6T Motherboard [P6T] - $345.00 : PC Case Gear, Quality case accessories and components

 

[Pinscher]

Oh I didn't know that. Well then ya the p6t is a great mobo too. How is Asus' support over there?