Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard $61.97
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory $29.99
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $54.99
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card $214.98
Case: Apex Vortex 3620 ATX Mid Tower Case $31.62
Power Supply:Corsair 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $59.99
This is the rig I am going to be making. Any ideas on it? I want to play games 1080p high/maxed settings. What is this computer capible of? What is a better graphics card for the same price?
For gaming, I think six cores is a little much since most only make use of two. It really depends on other things you plan to do with it. More power is definitely not a bad thing. The overall package will play games at high/ultra at 1920x1080 like a champ.
As far as a better GPU for the price, I'm not as familar with Radeons so I can't be much help there. Google some benchmarks of comparable cards and compare prices.
The HD7870 is right around the price field of the GTX660, Here is a link to both cards and what kind of FPS they get in various games. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=660
I'm assuming you are looking at new egg for the 7870 graphics card? If so, the GTX 660 is there right now for $180 and honestly the performance on some games the GTX660 is 2-5 fps lower then the higher priced 7870 but on other games the 7870 take a huges lead.
The 7870 is in its own price field and league, its the best for now in the 200-220 market from what i can see.The GTX 660 is also worth a look, for $180 its really a solid card with darn near same performance as the 7870 in some games.
get a quad core and buy an atx board. preferably something that is not asrock...I have had bad experiences with those. check out asus, msi, or gigabyte....those are my favorite brands