First time builder looking for advice on a 700-900 gaming rig

[kingfumblebum]

Seeing as my six year old dell is dying before my eyes and a tax refund is in the mail, it's a perfect time for me to upgrade. I think I have most of the parts picked out but I'm sure this list can be optimized both for performance and money. Of course, Newegg sold out of my chosen mobo shortly after I picked one out; I wanted GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail instead but oh well. At least it'll save some money.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as possible

BUDGET RANGE: $700-900 but I could be persuaded to go slightly higher for the right purchase.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Games, Music, Movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Keyboard. Mouse and speakers will eventually upgrade but they work fine.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: No preference

PARTS PREFERENCES: No preference

OVERCLOCKING: Yes but first timer. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I would eventually like to crossfire. Maybe in a year or so.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080


https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=11379226 Edit:fixed
Comes out to $869.36 - $55mir including shipping.

Are there any glaring omissions or obvious changes? Are there any cords or brackets or anything that I'll need to order? Thank you.

 

[MykC]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129032 LG DVD Drive $22
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319 WD 640GB HD WD6401AALS $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137 CM 690 $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009 750W PC Power and Cooling $125 - $25 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 Xigma CPU Cooler $36 - $10MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590 4GB DDR2 800 $45 - $25 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125256 1GB 4870 $200 - $30 MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165025 Phenom II 720BE and Biostar 790GX $212
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.164886 or Phenom II 940BE and Biostar 790GX + $48

720BE $875 - $90 MIR or 940BE $925 - $90 MIR

I don't think the PSU you selected can out of the box connect to 2x 4870s. Thats the only reason I changed the PSU. The case you had isn't very popular, this will serve you better.

 

[MykC]

You can save some money by moving to a cheaper 500W/600W PSU and forgetting crossfire. It would save $50.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194038 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010 600W
Also the Antec 300 case is also a good case and it would save you $20.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Don't leave home with out http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 Artic 5 compound

 

[kingfumblebum]

Thank you for your help. My only problem with switching cases is the shipping costs. It's about 18 bucks to shop the Antec and 25 to ship the Cooler master while the Rosewill has free shipping. Will there be enough difference to justify the extra cost?

The reason I wanted crossfire was to hopefully extend the life of the computer once it starts becoming obsolete. I'm not sure if it would even be worth it. If I add a another 4870 in about a year, would that give me a noticeable increase or would I just be wasting my time? Perhaps I'd be better off taking the $50 saved from the psu and putting it toward the 940be instead.

 

[kingfumblebum]

Also, if I'm not going to crossfire, would there be a better/cheaper choice for a mobo?

 

[MykC]

For the AMD platform there isn't a cheaper solution due to the combo discount. You do get your money's worth moving the 940BE. I personally don't think dual GPUs is really worth it. I'd say let the 1GB 4870 run its course then replace it with a single more powerful GPU when you need to. I mean when your ready to upgrade you may want a DX11 card.