Building a New Computer

[TapeDeck]

I think I'll stick with the current case, and unplug some of the fans if they aren't needed to keep it from overheating.

[Ad Bot]

[Zaran]

Get Corsair, OCZ, Mushkin, or G-Skill RAM.

[Reactor Worker]

I'd go with an i5 processor, you will not see any of the benefits of an i7, at least not in gaming.

With the savings (IE. you can get a cheaper CPU and motherboard) you can get a decent GPU. A GTS 250 is a good card, but an ATI 5770 is cheaper and usually performs better. This would be a good choice.

If you can spare the cash it might be worth upgrading to an ATI 5850.

[Zaran]

The i7 920 is the best processor currently on the market.  They can clock as high as the extreme editions can for a much cheaper price.  And you will notice a difference between the i5 and the i7.

[Yummerz]

Make sure you have plenty of RAM. 

[Righteous One]

I don't know if you're up for suggestions, but I agree with RW.

I have an i5 750 that runs great. They are almost matched in performance. The i7 generally cost more because of the Hyper-Threading. Since you're doing gaming this is something that you won't need.

I can pull-up a great mobo for you too.

[Otis Da HousKat]

I'd go with an i5 processor, you will not see any of the benefits of an i7, at least not in gaming.

With the savings (IE. you can get a cheaper CPU and motherboard) you can get a decent GPU. A GTS 250 is a good card, but an ATI 5770 is cheaper and usually performs better. This would be a good choice.

If you can spare the cash it might be worth upgrading to an ATI 5850.

The AMD Phenom II X4s are very excellent for the price point as well.

The i7 920 is the best processor currently on the market.  They can clock as high as the extreme editions can for a much cheaper price.  And you will notice a difference between the i5 and the i7.

The difference of super extreme overpowered compared to just extreme overpowered.

Really, unless you are gaming on three 2560x1600 monitors and simultaneously encoding 10 large video files the i7 is overkill. The i5 is slightly pricier than AMD's offering. You're going to get a lot better performance by getting a cheaper CPU and a better GPU.

[Righteous One]

That's a great point.

If you are going with the Phenom get the 955, the 965 is just clocked slightly higher.

The sad thing is is that with the AMD motherboards there isn't really room for expansion and there isn't really anything to upgrade too.

With intel's motherboards you could, in the future, upgrade to an i7.

Either way, the i5 and 955 are about equally matched.

[Righteous One]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.330690

Here's a good i5 combo.

[RedSaturn]

I will use your specs

[TapeDeck]

I want to get an Nvidia GPU.  Any suggestions that would be better than the one I currently have?

[Zaran]

The GTX 260 is a good card.

[TapeDeck]

[Reactor Worker]

I want to get an Nvidia GPU.  Any suggestions that would be better than the one I currently have?

It's your decision, but I wouldn't choose a card solely based on the whether ATI or Nvidia designed it.

A 5770 or 5850 would both be great choices and you'd get more performance per dollar with them than you would with any of Nvidia's current lineup (at least in the 200 series). The 5870 is not really worth the extra $100 nor is the 5970 worth the extra $200-$300.

I own a GTX 260 myself but it was bought many months ago (a year?) when the 200's were significantly cheaper and ATI's 5-series wasn't out.

[Jess]

All that is compatible