Threads merged.

It is good that you're here asking for 2nd opinions. And I would verify everything the Shop's staff are pushing you to get from now on - better to do online research first.

Based on that tweaktown article on the Powercolor 6870x2 dated Jul 2011 and priced at that time of @ US$500, I find it alarming that a customer has posted on Newegg's Feedback tab, the price was reduced to @US$140 a year later. The spread of 1 egg (8c ustomers) vs 5 eggs (10 customers) is also worrisome. And most complain of drivers, because it is such a unique design and differ greatly from the stock AMD card.
Research, research, research!
I think the Shop is trying to get rid of its excess stock and a dud stock at that. So, make sure you check reviews and customer feedback of any suggestions they give and what the US current retail price is for all the components and after you tie in exchange rate, import duties, local taxes, etc the price should not differ too much. Unless IT components are notoriously expensive there?

HDDs : Samsung F4s are better over Seagate. If no such model, go for WD Blue drives, if you're going for an SSD OS drive.
SSDs: Go for Samsung 830s. 2nd choice would be an Intel 320 series.

How much is the configuration costing now? With all these changes?

Before I forget, I'm also adding the casing, keyboard and mouse set, internal DVD drive, OS, and either of the two LED monitors from the old quotation-based list to the new one.

As of now, I'm still searching for the following on PC Express since I can buy them directly online within the PH or in-store if they have the stock:

• The Kingston and the G.Skill RAMs Sirius and ASUS suggested since the ones sold by PC Express were of 1.4 and 1.3V respectively.
  The Corsair TX550 isn't available. PC Express only has the TX650M, TX750, TX850 and TX950.
  Ella suggested an Intel 320 Series SSD but they only have the 330 series but have a minimum of 40GB and a maximum of 180GB. I dunno if a 180GB 330 Series is an okay option if I couldn't find the Samsung SSD.
  I found a WD Caviar Blue 1TB hard drive but I checked the reviews on Newegg and 24% of them were one egg reviews. So maybe I'll go scout more Philippine-based online store for the Samsung just to be on the safe side.
  Still scouting for the Maximus V Formula, a good AVR and the thermal interface material as of today.

As for the current price for the entire configuration, this is currently what I calculated from some specs from my quotation list and your suggestions which some of the prices I found either of PC express or on the PC store beside the office:

• SilverStone Precision PS05 casing: PHP 2,900
  A4Tech ComfortKey RoundEdge Keycaps KR-8520D keyboard and mouse set: PHP 450
  Asus DRW-24B3ST internal DVD drive: PHP 895
  Windows 7 Professional 64-bit: PHP 6,100
  Samsung Wide Screen S23B300B 23" LED monitor: PHP 8,955
  (or the Acer S230HL bd 23" LED monitor: PHP 7,880 if better)
  Intel Core i5-3570K processor: PHP 9,995
  Cooler Master TPC 812: PHP 2,595
  PowerColor Radeon HD 7950: PHP 17,200

Current total for the current configuration-in-progress: PHP 49,090 if my monitor is Samsung, PHP 48,015 if my monitor is Acer. Actually, your suggestions are a huge money saver than the quotation Interpace (that's the store near the office) gave me.


Although I really wanted to buy some of the parts that aren't available locally or even online and are possibly outside the Philippines-based, I'm just worried about the taxes and the customs.

I'll update the thread if ever I can get the amount of the other specs I didn't list. Thanks again to the both of you

Isn't there a hardwarezone.ph?

--eta--
Yes, there is! http://www.hardwarezone.com.ph/priceLists

And I based all my SSD purchases off Allyn's of pcper's findings, together with reviews from hardware review sites that a Google search returns for that model, and Customer Reviews off newegg.

Eee!! Ella, thankyouthankyouthankyou!!

I checked PC Express' and Interpace's (Manila-based store, not the Cebu-based one) price lists but none of the specs that I lack are listed. PC Express' list has the Kingston RAM model Sirius suggested but it was the 1.4V version, not the 1.5.

I'll try asking Interpace if they do orders that are not on their stock and just pay extra, or ask one of my Manila-based cousins to do the scouting and pay them if they find any of the specs. If I couldn't find the Maximus V Formula at all, I'll try looking for the ASUS P8Z77-V and the P8Z77-V Pro motherboards Sirius suggested.

Uhh karnzter I was looking at the case and I *think* the CPU cooler might not fit into it. The tech sheet for the case says limitation for CPU fan is 160mm, but the fan is 163.1mm from the base. I'm not sure at all, but it's something you should look into.

Thanks for the heads up, Sirius. I'll ask Interpace on Monday if they have another casing that can fit the Cooler Master TPC 812. I saved the tab on MTS' recommended casings on Google Chrome both at home and at the office. I'll ask them if they have an appropriate casing that can accommodate the 163.1mm-sized CPU cooler.


As for the optional motherboards other than the Maximus V Formula, Interpace sells both the ASUS P8Z77-V and P8Z77-V Pro. I'll check their prices on Monday as well.


So far, as what I've learned from Sirius, the DDR3 1600 RAM with 1.5V and 8GB (2X 4GB) are of the following:
For both the ASUS P8Z77-V and the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro:

• 
  Corsair Vengeance:
  Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8(XMP)
  Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9(XMP)
  
  G.Skill RipJaws:
  G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL(XMP)
  
  Kingston HyperX:
  Kingston KHX1600C9D3P1K2/8G

As of now I Googled each of them, checking the reviews on Newegg, with the Kingston HyperX having the most positive.

As for the monitor, I checked Newegg and Retrevo and found out that the Samsung SyncMaster is a VGA LED monitor while the Acer is HDMI. Regarding reviews, Samsung has a 73% 5-egg review on Newegg while the Acer as of now doesn't have a review. Will it affect the outlook of the GPU's display if I purchase either of the two?

RAM: I'd so go either G.Skill or Kingston, which ever is cheapest or which ever color matches your motherboard. ROG boards are red, P8Z77-V and -V Pro are blue.

Screen: For the Samsung are you sure it's VGA and not DVI? There's no noticeable visual difference between DVI and HDMI. iirc HDMI is basically DVI+sound. I think VGA is capped at certain resolutions though so that's why its preferable to use DVI or HDMI.

A few reviews I've read on Newegg state that the Samsung is VGA not DVI and doesn't have an HDMI input. But I guess it doesn't really affect the GPU's performance and/or look of the game or resolution.

Does the HD 7950 even have a VGA port? Adding adapters would seriously compromise the signal quality as you're going from digital--analog--digital.

I checked its specs on PowerColor's website and it says that its VGA output is Via Adapter. I checked the ASUS Maximus V Formula, the P8Z77-V and the P8Z77-V Pro's graphic specs and all three have multi-VGA output support : HDMI/DisplayPort ports. Right now the last-two motherboards are available on Interpace while I'll have to ask about the Maximus V Formula and the other specs that I still don't have any prices and/or available stocks yet.

Don't use the ports on the motherboard, those are for the Intel HD4000 iGPU on the processor and VirtuMVP. If the screen doesn't have the same ports as your card, switch either the card or the screen. Seems easier to switch the screen though and helps a bit with future proofing. VGA is on its way out (if its not already).

So, in future-proofing sense, maybe the Acer is a better option(?).

I quintuple-checked Acer and Samsung's specs and the Samsung Wide Screen S23B300B has 1ea DVI but no HDMI and dual link DVI, while the Acer S230HL bd has a DVI and a VGA interface/port.

I saw an HP 2311GT but it's just way too expensive. PHP 15,100 expensive and I really didn't need 3D on my games.



---Update---
MTS, we have a problem.

Interpace doesn't have the specs you guys suggested but they can have them be made-to-order but from the looks of it, some of them are going to be pricey.

These were the only specs available that were some sort of similar to the suggested specs:
PowerColor Radeon HD 7750
PowerColor Radeon HD 7850
Corsair Force SATA 3 120GB SSD
SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB HDD (I don't know which of either the WD10EARX or WD10EZRX models was it)
Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1600C9D3B1/4G 1x4GB 1600MHz 1.6V

From the looks of the suggestions the tech guy gave me, there's a chance most or all of them won't comply with the other specs. If I really couldn't find the other specs on other stores, my last option is to to a made-to-order purchase. I don't mind shelling out more money, just want to be sure that we can complete the fixed specs.


And regarding the replacement for the SilverStone Precision PS05 casing, I told the tech guy that the fan's size is 163.1mm, and he suggested me the SilverStone Raven RV03. It's more expensive then the PS05 but I'm cool with it.