What I am aiming for is something with a foot print similar to Alienware's X51, something I can hide behind the monitor. I would most likely put it up with a 27 Dell, or similar display. Hardware wise I want to support 16g, 3.2+ (i5?) processor, and equivalent to Nvidia 680 series cards. Are there 680s that fit in slim line cases? Most likely I would run only a 256g SSD in this machine and back it with 16g or whatever is best for 7Pro or the main board; having seen some that like odd numbers like 6/12.
I am trying to determine if I can build a Windows system combined with 2560x1440 27 display for under 2k or if I should buy the latest iMac instead. Please don't bother with flaming the Mac, as an AIO its price isn't out of line and the current generation is actually nicely equipped.