Mike Titchen - ASUS Master Challenge Top 10
NOMINATED ASUS MOTHERBOARD: P7P55D DELUXE
NOMINATED ASUS GRAPHICS CARD: ASUS EAH5850
CPU: Intel Core i7 860I have chosen this CPU because it offers a great stock clock speed for the p55 platform, and is relatively cheap compared to the 870 (with only a 130mhz clock difference) yet this is still a very overclockable chip.
CPU COOLER: Corsair Hydro Series H50 CPU Cooler with a Noctua fanIf you're using extra cooling, describe why I have chosen this simple water cooling solution because it offers really low temperatures for the price (about $30 more then a high-end air cooler). This coupled with a quiet yet very powerful Noctua NF-S12 will compliment the low-noise aspect of my build.
MEMORY: 8GB, Corsair CMD8GX3M4A, DDR3, 1600mhz+ (overclocked)This is a great value kit that is designed for p55 users. Corsair's "Dominator" range of DDR3 memory is some of the most overclockable out there, this coupled with the bundled fan will enable me to push the memory past 2000mhz.
AUDIO: ASUS Xonar DSI have chosen to purchase an additional sound card because I guess I'm a bit fussy with ANY static coming through my headphones. I listen to quite a lot of music on my PC, and I can't stress enough how much of a difference you'll notice when you switch to a dedicated sound card - it's not a waste of money!
HARD DRIVE 1: G.Skill Falcon II Series 64GB SSDI have chosen this SSD for two reasons, performance and price. The performance offered by this SSD is by far the best in this price range (with read speeds in excess of 200mb/s). I'm aware 64gb is rather small, yet it is adequate for my needs as I will most programs and files on a HDD.
HARD DRIVE 2: Western Digital Blue 500GBThis is simply used to store my music, movies and software.
PSU: Seasonic X-Series 750W Power SupplyThis baby's fully modular. That's right, FULLY modular. I have waited quite some time for this, as I really dislike having a bundle of molex connectors hiding away in the bottom of my case. This is pretty pricey for the wattage, but you can't really put a price on full modularity! Oh, and it's also super efficient (80 Plus Gold certified).
CASE: Lian Li PC-B10BThis case not only looks stunning, I'm not a big fan of "gamer-esque" cases, so I really appreciate Lian Li's style. This case has an interesting formfactor too, it's as long as a full tower case, yet it isn't as tall. This means that I can still fit in long graphics cards, yet it isn't as gigantic as a full tower case. Lian - Li has also taken the time to coat all of the panels with noise dampening foam, as I really don't like a load PC when I'm listening to music, watching a movie or playing a game.
MONITOR: BenQ G2420HD 24inI've chosen this monitor for value. A 24" 1080p lcd for under $250 is pretty good. This will let me watch HD movies and play games at a very attractive resolution. This also has HDMI, which is great at this price.
KEYBOARD: Razer Arctosa Gaming Keyboard and Razer DeathAdder Gaming Mouse V2This keyboard is about $50 cheaper then it's back-lit counterpart yet still offers awesome features such as anti-ghosting as well as fully programmable keys that can run macros!
MOUSE: Razer Death Adder V2This mouse is the next generation of the proven "Death Adder", it feels great in my hand and offers a 1ms response time as well as 3500dpi.
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Professional 64 bit I have chosen this OS because I'm still in school so I qualify for the education discount which means I can get this awesome OS for only a fraction of the price.