![]() | CSX Limited Edition Orange Flame Stacker Aluminum ATX/BTX Aluminum Full Tower Case (CX-830ORFL-01-GP)
Buy new: $262.27 It's ironic a case so cool is covered in flames, but CSX's Orange Flame stacker is just that. The paint job is first rate and its all over a Coolermaster Stacker case. The case is roomy and well designed for beefy rigs. Tool-less drive bays and a slide out motherboard tray make building in this case a pleasure.
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![]() | AMD HD995ZFAGHBOX Phenom 9950 Black Edition Quadcore 2.6 GHz 512KB Core Socket AM2+ 140W Processor
Buy new: $189.99 The Phenom 9950 BE is AMD's top of the line Quad Core CPU. At undeer $200, it's a steal. With it's unlocked multiplier, it makes experimenting with overclocking a bit easier too. Get yourself a decent sized heatsink and you're set. At this price, the Phenom is a great alternative quad core.
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![]() | MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX Phenom Socket AM2+ PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 ATX Motherboard
Buy new: $152.99 / Used from: $178.90 The MSI K9A2 Platinum features AMD's latest 790FX chipset. It has a great layout with SATA connectors that won't be blocked when you install 2 large video cards. The feature set includes DDR2 1066 and of course Crossfire X support. It was the best balance of price and features for our high end Phenom processor. Even the BIOS was a breeze to browse through.
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![]() | OCZ Technology 2 GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800MHZ Dual Channel Kit (OCZ2A8002GK)
Buy new: $52.99 We chose to go with 2 of these 2x1 GB kits for a total of 4 GB system memory. With DDR 2 prices so low, more and more gamers are going with 4 GB and a 64-bit OS. Since we weren't planning on hitting super high FSB speeds, a DDR2 800 kit serves this config just fine, even with a bit of overclocking.
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![]() | Diamond 4870X2PE52G ATI Radeon HD 4870X2 PCIE 2GB GDDR5 Dual DVI Video Card
Buy new: $529.38 / Used from: $654.31 The new kid on the block also happens to be the biggest and baddest one on the block too, and he brought his twin brother. The AMD Radeon HD4870 X2 is one monster of a card. Packing 2 4870 GPUs and 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, it is arguably the fastest single video card you can buy. Though it's pretty power hungry, but 2 of these in crossfire X tears through pretty much any game we've thrown at it.
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![]() | Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10,000 RPM SATA Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD3000GLFS
Buy new: $229.99 Continuing with the trend of going with the biggest and baddest, we present the WD Velocilraptor. At 10,000 rpms, it offers the fastest seek times and sustained transfer rates outside of getting a solid state disk. It also comes in a 2.5" form factor, packed in it's own ICEPAK heatsink adapter.
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![]() | Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD1001FALS
Buy new: $119.99 / Used from: $108.00 The Velocilraptor, while spacious for it's type of HD is no match for it's big brother (at least in capacity). The WD Caviar Black 1 TB hard drive puts up great numbers in speed, but also delivers that magical 1 TB mark in capacity. This is a hard drive tag team that will be at the top of the charts for a long time.
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![]() | PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series
Buy new: $188.99 / Used from: $220.25 The latest and greatest from Creative Labs comes in the form of the PCI Express X-fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion Series sound card. It takes the PCI-E X-Fi Titanium complete with it's cool EMI shield and pairs it up with a modular front panel bay controls. More connections, same great sound card.
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![]() | Cooler Master Hyper Z600 Nickel Plated Copper Base Aluminum Fins 6 Heatpipes CPU Cooler - (RR-600-NNU1-GP)
Buy new: $59.99 This cooler is much bigger than you can imagine just by looking at it. Installation is a bit involved, but with 2 120 mm fans attached to each side achieving a push->pull airflow offers amazing cooling performance on your system. Be aware, it covers up ram slots with all fan slots populated. so get ram without tall heatsinks, and install them 1st.
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![]() | Cooler Master Real Power Pro Series 1250W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - (713003350-GP)
Buy new: $280.33 This power supply is a monster, it's no surprise that a system of this magnitude would require a power supply this big. But be prepared to put it in a large case too. The cables that come out of the unit take up lots of space and are not modular, but that design choice results in one of the most reliable and efficient power supplies on the market. We were surprised at how quiet it performed.
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![]() | Antec TriCool fan unit ( TRICOOL120MM RED LED )
Buy new: $15.36 / Used from: $14.89 Besides the fans that came with the CSX case, we used a couple of these Antec 120 mm fans on the CPU heatsink. The Antec Tri Cool fans have proven to be very quiet and move a good amount of air. They have very versatile connectors, and the LED can be disabled if you aren't into that kind of bling.
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![]() | Razer Lycosa Programmable Backlit Gaming Keyboard
Buy new: $68.64 / Used from: $64.00 The Razer Lycosa compared to some other gaming keyboards may be labeled a "no frills" keyboard. However it offers among the most comfortable key press motion out there. The keys are coated in a soft rubber material for better grip during gaming. The backlight is very uniform, and does not bleed between the keys. The polling rate is super high for a keyboard too.
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![]() | Razer Lachesis 4000 dpi Laser Gaming Mous--Banshee Blue
Buy new: $59.99 / Used from: $71.92 This is arguably the most precise laser tracked mouse out there. It is a little light for those who like heavy mice, but after hours of gaming, the weight is a welcome trait. The shape is ambidextrous so left and right hand usage works equally well. The 4000 dpi sensor lets you snipe and execute twitch motions in games with ease and precision.
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![]() | Logitech Z-5500 THX-Certified 505-Watt 5.1 Digital Surround Sound Speaker System
Buy new: $192.05 / Used from: $224.95 In a word: Massive. The subwoofer on this speaker system is intimidating to say the least, and that's before you even turn it on. The system is THX certified, and has inputs for more than just your PC. Connect your iPod, game console and more to it if you wish. The remote makes it a joy to use too.
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![]() | Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 64-bit for System Builders - 1 pack
Buy new: $179.99 / Used from: $200.00 Vista 64, with SP1 it is a great gaming system platform. Direct X 10, more secure, and you will be able to utilize all 4 GB of memory installed on your system.
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![]() | Sony BWU200S DVD+/-RW Blu-ray Disc Serial ATA (SATA) Drive
Buy new: $599.99 / Used from: $349.99 It's true, we did not build the system without an optical drive. The Sony blu ray disc-Rom and DVD-R covers that base and adds some high def into the mix too. Blu ray burners might not be practical for everyone but BD-ROM playback is surely reaching the sweet spot in price.
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![]() | Crysis Warhead
Buy new: $19.99 / Used from: $16.99 Take on the fight as the volatile Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes in Crysis Warhead, a parallel story taking place during the events of Crysis. Psycho's secret mission will take him to the other side of the island on a ruthless pursuit of a North Korean general hell-bent on obtaining powerful technology
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![]() | Spore
Buy new: $45.99 / Used from: $18.96 Create universal wonder in Spore, an exciting new simulation game that lets you develop your own personal universe. Work your way through five evolutionary phases, including Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization and Space. Or you can jump right in and begin building tribes and civilizations on multiple planets. What you do with your universe is totally up to you.
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