I've got an ~$2000 budget - Help me build a dream machine....

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Boztech
Lian Li V1000A -- $189
Antec Phantom 500 -- $159
DFI SLI-DR Expert -- $199
Opteron 165 -- $325
Scythe Ninja -- $29
Nexus 120mm x3 -- $45
2Gb G.Skill DDR500 -- $225
Maxtor Maxline III 300Gb/16Mb SATA -- $135
NEC 3550 -- $40
eVGA 7800 GT CO -- $320
X-Fi XtremeMusic -- $115
Sennheiser PC160 Headset -- $70
MS 4000 Ergonomics USB Keyboard -- $40
Logitech G5 -- $50


Subtotal -- $1941 before shipping

Wow. You used the whole budget and you're not even includding shipping. Is a 7800 GT and an overclocked Opteron really the best you can do for $2,000?

You picked a $159 Antec PSU? And a $199 SLI motherboard when you're not even running SLI? And again, a single $320 video card for a $2000 pure gaming system.

That's just terrible.

 

[Bobthelost]

Originally posted by: Boztech
Lian Li V1000A -- $189
Antec Phantom 500 -- $159
DFI SLI-DR Expert -- $199
Opteron 165 -- $325
Scythe Ninja -- $29
Nexus 120mm x3 -- $45
2Gb G.Skill DDR500 -- $225
Maxtor Maxline III 300Gb/16Mb SATA -- $135
NEC 3550 -- $40
eVGA 7800 GT CO -- $320
X-Fi XtremeMusic -- $115
Sennheiser PC160 Headset -- $70
MS 4000 Ergonomics USB Keyboard -- $40
Logitech G5 -- $50


Subtotal -- $1941 before shipping

An all round pants build imo. The only thing you got sort of right would be the CPU and the DVDRW, maybe the headphones but i doubt it.

 

[Boztech]

Well, I see a lot of people can criticize other people's suggestions but not offer up their own.

Yes, I picked the best bang-for-buck CPU and GPUs because both of those are fully capable of operating at or near the level of their more expensive flagship counterparts with a little overclocking. An Opty 165 can do FX60 speeds, and a GT can do GTX speeds. This frees up money for the rest of the system, which people tend to ignore.

- workstation class hard drive
- silent aluminum case
- silent PSU with unmatched efficiency (85%+)
- silent HSF capable of passive cooling
- best overclocking motherboard on the market, also leaves an upgrade path for SLI
- high end discrete sound
- high end headset
- comfortable keyboard
- accurate mouse

Like I said, offer up a better suggestion if you think I'm that far off. I could've thrown a 4400+ and a 1900XT in the rig, but that would draw another ~$400 away from the rest of the build, and I just don't see where you could afford to lose that much.

 

[MrX8503]

If you arent buying 2 video cards off the bat, dont consider SLI an option becuase by the time you decide to buy that second video card you can get a next gen for cheaper and would perform better than your sli setup. This is why SLI isnt a good idea if you are trying to budget. I change the mobo to the DFI Lanparty ultra-d, it has two pci express slots, but one of em is disabled. It retails for 125$