[New System Build] Need help with new build

[Jonnodawg]

I have done some system builds in the past but i have never had the result i would have liked with the new computer so i wanted to make sure i was putting some good parts to good use in this case.

Here is what i have decided on so far, please let me know of anything i should change:

AMD Phenom 9550 Quad Core AM2+ 2200MHZ 4MB L2+L3 95W

Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 12CM

Asus M3A32-MVP-DEL-WIFI AM2+ ATI790FX DDR2 4xPCIE2.0 RAID 1394a GbLAN WiFi ATX

Corsair TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF 4GB (2x XMS2 2GB) PC-8500 (1066MHz) DDR2 5-5-5-15 Dominator Airflow Fan

Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)

Gecube HD4870 512M DX10 Dual DVI TVO PCI Express 2.0

LG H20NS10 SATA 20X+- Super Multi DVD Rewriter Black with Software

Thermaltake Soprano Black with 400W PSU

 

[Proximon]

Yep you have some problems there.
Did you have a budget in mind?

ASUS motherboard P43
Antec PSU
E8400 CPU
4Gb 800Mhz DDR2

Toss the rest of your parts in with those. That will get you far more pperformance and stability. Your chosen power supply is quite poor and would likely die trying to power that 4870... if it even had the connections to try.

 

[Jonnodawg]

Well, not really but i guess i want to try avoid spending over $1500 (AUD that is).

 

[Jonnodawg]

Cheers for your recommendations, i made up the list below from what you have recommended. Do you think it would be better if i got some sort of extra cooling? (CPU for example) just coz i have read a little about the heat the HD4870 produces.

Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 12CM

Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200 rpm HDD(16Mb Cache)

Thermaltake Soprano DX Steel with Window Black NO Power Supply

LG H20NS10 SATA 20X+- Super Multi DVD Rewriter Black with Software

Intel ATX E8400 CORE 2 DUO /3.0GHz/6MB/1333FSB/LGA775

OCZ DDR2 4G(2x2G)PC2-6400 800Mhz SLI Ready(2N800SR4GK)

Antec ATX EarthWatts 650W

Asus P5QL-E ExpGATE S775 P43 DDR2 FSB1600 PCIE RAID GBLAN 1394 ATX

Gecube HD4870 512M DX10 Dual DVI TVO PCI Express 2.0

 

[Proximon]

It's quite good for what you have to work with down under. If you can swing the 640Gb version of the HD, it's faster. Seagate 500Gb otherwise, if available.

Have a look here:
http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

And see if you can get a good CPU cooler.

 

[Jonnodawg]

I am just replying to my own post again as i had some more questions for anyone that can help me...

With the rig i stated above would that be good enough to run alot of the high end games (at a relatively high setting with 1680x1050 res) comming out soon?? ie.. Farcry 2 and Crysis Warhead etc..

because i was considering that i should change a few parts so i could add upgrades along the way ie. Running 2 4870s in crossfire... But would this mean i should consider a better case and better cooling?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Proximon]

I understand that Crytek has done some tweaking and their games will run smoother.

A 4870 will run quite well at those resolutions.

If you want to get a crossfire board and allow for a later upgrade, you will need to upgrade your PSU as well.

An Antec 900 or 1200 case would not hurt.

 

[Jonnodawg]

Alright, thanks for all your help proximon