My friend wants a $3000 gaming pc.

[kinglime]

Money is no issue for my spoiled friend :P (so jealous)

I have put together this list of parts for a PC I plan to build him.

Newegg.com - Once You Know, You Newegg

Is it compatible, is it good? etc. I tried to use brands GLC likes

[flanzig1]

You don't show an optical drive,OS or monitor.
DVD: LG or Lite-On
OS: Win 7 64bit Home Premium
Monitor: 24" or bigger to take advantage of SLI video
This will add about $300+

[kinglime]

I do actually have a monitor on there but forgot the OS/DVD burner. I think he may want blu-ray.

Added Asus Blu-ray drive and Windows 7.

[David M]

With that budget I would not go cheap on the monitor. What you friend would be doing is putting Prius tires on a Porsche.

Get a 30 inch 2560 x 1600 monitor which cost about $1200. You can still build a very fast gaming computer for $2000.

[pacoasp]

I'd also go with windows 7 64bit professional because of the RAM limitations. (home is limited to 16GB, pro and ultimate support up to 192GB)

[jdeb]

The power supply is overkill. Get a Seasonic x850 Gold unless you are planning to sli in the future. Corsair Vengeance is the preferred memory for that chip-set. 1.5V 1600Mhz.

[kinglime]

It's two 580's in SLI. And I will fix the RAM.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by kinglime It's two 580's in SLI. And I will fix the RAM.

sorry, I missed that.

[glc]

1. Replace the Dominator with Vengeance 1600.

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

2. Instead of that small SSD, why not go whole hog and put a big Intel 510 SSD in for the OS and apps?

Newegg.com - Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) -OR-
Newegg.com - Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH250A2K5 2.5" 250GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

3. Do it right and get this PSU:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX1200 (CMPSU-1200AX) 1200W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 SLI Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

[birddog_61]

Running sli 580's with a 1920x1080 monitor is like driving a Ferrari with blinders on, ya its fast and will corner great but you can't go over 5mph because you cant see anything.

The way I see it you have 3 options regarding graphics card and monitor.

1) Drop one 580 and keep the monitor you have, you will be able to max any game coming out in the near future.

2) Keep the sli 580's and buy 2 more of that monitor, then run them in a surround setup and enjoy the wrap around gaming goodness.

3) Keep the sli 580's and buy one big 2560x1600 monitor and enjoy wonderful picture.

[David M]

In thinking about it, three 1920 x 1080 monitors are less expensive than a single 2560 x 1600 monitor and have more pixels but if you are going to get three monitors then I would recommend an AMD Crossfire card over an Nvidia card. I would not use two monitors because a weapons cross hair or where you are going will be at the center bezels. The downside to three monitors is that they use a lot of desk space. Mine measure out at 5 1/2 feet wide.

Two 580's is overkill if you are not driving a lot of pixels. It's not overkill for 2560 x 1600 monitor but would be overkill for a single 1920 x 1080 monitor.