i5 2500k - $179.99 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589 ( you can call them when you see a good price somewhere also and they will work with you ) some i5 bundles (edit : closet microcenter to you is Ga. Some deals are in store only. Have friends there ? I would still call and try. They are very good there with customer service ) http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a905f0fc#/a905f0fc/28 ...nice stuff Boli and dcraig I am in Sarasota area when I am in Fla. ... close enough ? hahaha
Wow!!!. Man, you guys mean some serious business. I went out for dinner and when I get back, there's all this info. Great stuff!. The following is what I have decided on. Any advice is appreciated. Motherboard: <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253555.png"
Processor: <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253558.png"> Firstly, that $179 deal is amazing!!!. Thanks for that. Secondly, the i5 2500 seems to be $30 cheaper than i5 2500k. I'm not planning to overclock for 2 reasons. 1) I'm not IT savvy enough to pull it off , 2) I don't think I need the overclocked speed. So do you guys think i should still go for the 2500k (I think I will for that price difference, who knows what happens if i'm having a slow day )
RAM: <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253568.png"> Once again, I will be getting 2x4GB, BUT can I get away with 1x4GB?
Hard drive (Hybrid): <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253570.png"> I found this hard drive which is a hybrid. The only company that makes this is Seagate. It is 500GB SATA (7200 rpm) + 4GB SSD. It's a little pricey, but if it makes a difference than I will get it. Otherwise, I will probably get a 500GB for now.
Hard drive (the cheaper option): <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253572.png"> The above is a 2TB. The one I would get is a 500GB for $34.99.
Video card: <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253575.png"> I would get two of these initially. Do you think it's better to just get two for now and then buy another if needed later?. These cards have another $10 OFF, so I could get it for $39.99/card. What if the same make is not available later and I used another video card, do you think that would cause problems?
JFYI: <img src="http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=3253580.png"> I saw this video card where 1 connection splits 4 ways, so really, one card would be able to run 4 monitor and two cards would run 8!!!
Here is some good feedback between the i5 2500k and i5 2500 http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/299061-28-core-2500-core-2500k
I don't have any experience with this model hybrid. It is on the expensive side. You could get an ssd on sale ( for OS ) , and an hdd together for close to the same price