Hey :)

I'm working on building a gaming PC for myself, so I can max out some of the higher end games of the last few years. My current PC is actually a pretty good gaming machine, but I think it's time for an upgrade.

My main concern is the underlying hardware(the stuff you can't upgrade) IE, the motherboard, CPU, PSU, HDDs, Case, and cooling solution for the PSU.

Here is the CPU I had in mind:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115225&cm_re=i7-_-19-115-225-_-Product

Here is the motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423&Tpk=GIGABYTE%20GA-X58A-UD3R%20Motherboard

Now, I'm not stuck on the motherboard, I've done very little research, but I'm pretty sure about the CPU.

As for the rest of the CPU, I'm clueless. I'm thinking 6gb of ram. I'm also not stuck on the 1500 dollars, but that's just something I would like to hover around. Give me some ideas and I will really appreciate it.

What I want is the best computer possible for gaming, hovering around the 1500 dollar price range.

Also, I'd like to know if there are any tips and tricks on how to pick which processes to turn off when optimizing Windows 7 for gaming. I'm assuming the best way to stop these is on startup through the MSConfig menu. Any tips on optimizing my system for gaming, would be great.

I also know that many of the better cases aren't compatible with many of the best CPU air cooling fans and syncs.

Suggest away!! :)

Also, don't be afraid to suggest that I wait until some new device is released. I'm in no hurry.

1500$ is gonna get you a sick rig!

I'm just posting to stay tuned, maybe I can pick up some tips myself, I plan on getting a new GPU shortly but I'm kinda of out of touch with the market right now.

Mummelmann said: 1500$ is gonna get you a sick rig! I'm just posting to stay tuned, maybe I can pick up some tips myself, I plan on getting a new GPU shortly but I'm kinda of out of touch with the market right now.

Yeah man, I hope so, there are some really knowledgable people about this stuff on here, so I'm hoping that one of them see this thread. I'm gonna go post it on some walls.

you will have a godly pc with that money! I envy you.

lol, whatever I build, it'll be shite in a year, so I'm the dumb one really, but I needs mah dragon age at 60 fps.

ok 1500 is pretty sweet to build a rig with. i would say go with the quad core processor for one i have the q6600 2.4ghz quad. i got a 9400gt 1gbgraphics card and a 650watt powersupply. the main thing is you can not cheap yourself on the processor, motherboard, and powersupply.the rest can get by on. so i would say also get a 1tb hard drive since they are getting c heaper by teh day. my total rig cost me 500 and i can still play games like MW at max. also just about every game i have i have maxed out graphic wise on the pc. granted my processor is actually 3 years old i can still (once i get me a new fan for it) overclock it to where i want it. if i was you find someone very knowledgable about pc parts and no not best buy geek squad either. im on my rig right now and i have found one game i have slowed it down on but i think that is cause of ram which i only have 2gb and i want alot more. 

Oh when looking at motherboards go with asus they make the best ones. the processor i bought the q6600 has a very very very good overclock to it. and has been known to be overclocked with the right fan to 4ghz. which on a quad core is amazing. my nvidia card i can overclock as well as long as i have the right fans. the only things i really need is the new fan on it and the ram. then i can run pretty much anything. oh my motherboard can hold up to 16gb of ram. so im all good to go with that. which from what ive seen recently windows 7 had a bump in ram allowance.

ok i went back and looked at what your getting very nice. yes go with that but make sure you get a decent power supply to run it all though. otherwise it would be underpowered.

I spent about $1300 last year building a system.  It was built to max out StarCraft 2 when it releases.  I am a big believer on an easily upgradable casing and motherboard, everything else can come in pieces.    

Last year I went with a dual card system.  I have 2 fairly older cards right now.  (2) Nvidia 9800 GT 512 linked, they were cheap but can play almost everything out there maxed (currently).  I mainly spent the money for the case, and dual card motherboard, and my 3D monitor.  The rest I just upgraded in the casing.

Some may scoff, however I went with an XPS from Dell.  Mainly because the system comes with a huge, stainless steel casing.  Hell, the thing weight alone screams quality casing.  The casing is awesome, large enough to fit any motherboard, and fully customizable.  It has a handle on the top that you just pull forward.  The side pops right off exposing all components, easy for upgrade.  I have had a lot of cases and this one is one of the best.  (IMO) the XPS brand is awesome and in comparison to some of my other built computers, has been great.  You could get an entry model fairly cheap with the case, then just go to Fry's and pick up all the additional RAM, Video Cards, ect.   

I was about to say that : don't forget about 3D !
3D ATM and IMHO means NVidia for the GPU(s), a monitor designed for it and glasses.

If i had to buy a CPU, that would be a core i7, but i confess i have not refreshed myself since last year.

yup i know what your talking about on the case it is a nice case but the case i got was a nzxt guardian 921. very nice solid case. and with the fans and lights it looks amazing as well. and its a decent price.

and if you wanna know yes there are temp gauges on the front that go to the processor, hard drive and just inside the case.

You should think about one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167023

Overall I can't help you much as im on holiday and in working off a crappy 56k connection. But in general you'll want something that looks like this:

HD 5850/70 1GB
Intel Core i7 *Remember this is their enthusiast platform and you're locked in to their high end processors*.
Intel X58 mobo
6 GB Ram
Intel SSD boot drive
Windows 7
1 TB HDD
Nice case
Good PSU

The details actually become less important as you spend more, its when you cheap out that you really need to make sure the parts are good etc.