so the specs:
Antec 902 ATX Case – $80
Intel Core i5-750 Processor – $176
Corsair 2x2GB DDR3 1600 RAM – $80
Diamond Radeon 5770 Graphics Card – $138
OCZ 700W StealthXStream PSU – $38
MSI P55-GD65 Motherboard – $141
WD SiliconEdge Blue 64GB SSD – $130
Cooler Master Hyper 212 plus CPU cooler – $30
total $813
i didn’t take pics during the build process because i was lazy… and you can see plenty of those anywhere on the web. build time was about 4 hours? it was a lot of fun. much thanks to Eddy Wong for helping me out.
this computer was built mainly to play Starcraft 2 on max settings. i’ll update once i try a couple of games on it =D
UPDATE: starcraft 2 works on max settings on 1680×1050 perfectly. need to grab myself a cheap 24″ monitor for some 1920×1080 action.
UPDATE 2: processor is OC’ed from 2.66ghz to 3.2ghz and RAM running at 1600mhz. doesn’t reach 60 degrees C on full-load with prime95.
UPDATE 2017-Jan-3: This computer is over 6 years old but still running great. The processor was actually OC’ed to 4ghz stable [which is a stupid overclock for air cooling]. Various parts have been been upgraded such as the graphics card and extra RAM and a new monitor, but the core mobo and processor remain.