World of Warcraft™

This is what I came up with, having no decent computer knowledge and going off of reviews

XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card @ $154.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard @$124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache 3MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I32120 @$129.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077

CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 V2 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply @ $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9 @$48.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

Seagate - Barracuda 1TB Internal Serial ATA Hard Drive@ $69.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Seagate+-+Barracuda+1TB+Internal+Serial+ATA+Hard+Drive/8490625.p?id=1186003683968&skuId=8490625&st=internal%20harddrive&cp=1&lp=2

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 – OEM @18.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with Five Fans, window side panel, top HDD dock @ $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-147-107&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=5#scrollFullInfo

Total Cost: $697.92 excluding tax and shipping, Windows 7 cost is a non-issue

EDIT: See page two for current build

EDIT: Edited in Kalganized suggestions

Don't get an AMD system. Get an i3-2120 with a Z68 motherboard (for future OC capacity). I specifically recommend ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 motherboard.

I'd go with this case instead:
HEC Blitz Black Steel Edition ATX Mid Tower Computer Chassis Gaming Case w/ Front Blue LED 120mm Fan & Top 120mm Fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077
These?

And thanks for the case suggestion.

Graphics card fine for High settings on WoW and SC2?

Yes.

Depends on your monitor resolution. At 1920x1080, Radeon 6770 may struggle to do ultra, but high should be doable. Same goes for SC2.

Alright thanks. Would there be a card maybe $20 more that could pull off ultra?

Radeon 6870 can be bought for roughly $150 after rebates, so it's a bit more than $20. D:

I still don't like seeing OCZ PSUs in builds. I don't trust them. They've foisted real garbage on enthusiasts in the not-so-distant past.

The latest ZS series are Sirfa units and actually aren't too bad from what I've seen, but...for $10 more you can get into the Corsair Builder's Series. These are CWT units and Corsair (unlike OCZ) really will stand behind its products.

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Is that what you're talking about?

And thanks for all of these suggestions.

One final thing, what would a prebuilt computer with these specs cost? I need to convince my dad that a computer you build yourself is usually much better than a prebuilt computer at the same price, as he thinks I should wait until after the first of the year and buy a prebuilt then.

Prebuilts are cheaper, but they will sacrifice quality.

For example, your build (with my modification) vs. this particular CyberPowerPC:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229284

1) While CPU on that CyberPowerPC is i5-2500k, it cannot be overclocked because:
Comes with stock fan
Motherboard is cheap as hell, it won't handle OC

2) Uses cheapo power supply that isn't as reliable as stuff you are buying

3) The RAM that comes with pre-built is DDR3-1333. It's probably not XMP certified nor 1.5v either.

4) Radeon 6670.

Okay, thanks!

Is this an okay hard drive? It's almost $70 cheaper for the same space
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Seagate+-+Barracuda+1TB+Internal+Serial+ATA+Hard+Drive/8490625.p?id=1186003683968&skuId=8490625&st=internal%20harddrive&cp=1&lp=2

Looks like Best Buy missed out on the whole hard disk price increase dealio. Go get it if you can secure one at that price.

Thanks for the help again. My Dad is now open to the idea, but wants to see if he can get the parts cheaper through the tech department at the college he works at. However, they do their ordering after the first of the year, which is an issue because I think after this next patch WoW will not work on my current computer, as WoW likes to crash with Error 132 at least once an hour. I'll be able to convince him to order the parts sooner.

Again, thanks

Tom's Hardware is a good site for this kind of thing.

Still haven't bought the parts yet because my Dad wants to look into it a little more, but I think I decided I'll spent a bit more on a video card.

Is
XFX HD-687A-ZHFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card @ 154.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561
Fine?

And will I have to adjust anything else because of this?

6870 is a good card.

You do not have to change anything else.

Alright thanks

I decided to change the case to something that I thought looked a little bit better, and upgraded the power supply.

CORSAIR Gaming Series GS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified High Performance Gaming Power Supply @v$79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139033

Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with Five Fans, window side panel, top HDD dock @ $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-147-107&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=5#scrollFullInfo

This brings the total to $727.92 (this price hike also includes upgrading to the 6870)
I checked to make sure everything will fit and if the power supply has the appropriate plug for the motherboard, but are there any issues caused by these switches?

They should all be compatible with everything. Although, I don't think the power supply is worth $75. Corsair Builder 500W does just as well and costs far less.

Alright, thanks!