Want to build the best gaming computer I can for $2600

Except...they don't.

^ second HK's remark. I have been benching game/core activity since I started building machines, and the current crop of games look a lot like this

http://www.techspot.com/gallery/member-galleries/p4089-bc2-half-dozen.html
http://www.techspot.com/gallery/member-galleries/p4092-f1-2010-cpu-usage.html

also found that LP2 uses 6 cores, and a vast majority of them use 3-4 cores. not only this, but multi core game code (4+) is where its heading in a hurry.

maybe at 1024 x 768

1920x1080, actually.

As for core usage, the two games I usually play, Starcraft II and Heroes of Newerth, run at around 25-30% on each core, with 4 cores and ran at about 40% on my previous dual core setup. I'm yet to see any game that would really necessitate >4 cores. My point wasn't that games use only two or three cores and then the remaining cores it unused, it was that it's not really necessary to have a hexa-core for gaming, or indeed to ever pay $950 for a processor.

Starcraft II is just stupid; Heroes of Newerth isn't exactly recent.
Of course it's not necessary, having an expensive graphics card isn't necessary either. But it's nice . It has an extra 4MB of L3.
I disagree with buying it too, but meh.

no i think im just going to buy the i7 950 and a gtx 580 or 6970 which ever i decide on but the thing is i never have a chance to build a really nice gaming rig and while i have the chance im going to.

So to buy your statement that the (your?) 4780 will run Crysis "maxed" out @ 1920 x 1080, one has to believe that your definition of "run" is about 15 FPS,...or , you have a magical 4870, or your definition of "maxed out" is ....well ...medium, because all the benchmarks that came out looked like these (see below)

Here it gets 21 average on HIGH settings...not very high settings (which i assume is required for "maxed out"?)....no?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-radeon-hd4800-games_5.html#sect1

Here it is getting 40 FPS at 1920x1080 on Medium settings

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/powercolor_hd4870/7.htm

and here we have the nastiest of the 4870's the OC'd Sapphire Toxic getting 18 FPS on very high.settings

I built computers during the "Crysis" computer update wave, and benched the same results.

That's subjective and up to the values of him or her making the purchase.

Then your not paying attention, did you look at the BC2 Cpu activity I posted?
and go read the review on Techspot regarding MOH....it needs 4 cores They are not the only ones, and it is rapidly moving in that direction. This time next year you will be hard pressed to find a game, well a major title , that will not need/use 4+ cores.
and to it, The name of the thread " I want to build the best gaming computer I can"...would certainly imply that he can play the games that use 6 cores now....and be ready for the games in the near future that will.

ok guys quick question will the corsair HX 850 power my system if i decided to get two GTX 570's in sli? i would be OC the cpu and the video cards.

It would. Even heavily OCed, that system wouldn't draw more than 700-750W at peak.

hmmm thanks Moiz i just used the antec psu calculator and it said around 801 watts at 90% load but that was with 2 gtx 580s i just didnt know if it was good to run the psu at that high of wattage for a long period of time.