First Gaming PC Build

[flurp]

Forgot this part - Sorry:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Couple Months BUDGET RANGE: (example: US$500-750)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Movies, School, Internet...

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Sound card

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, zipzoomfly.com any other websites recommended

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD/ATI

OVERCLOCKING: Probably CROSSFIRE: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Alright, so I haven't built a PC from the ground up before. Would appreciate any advice anyone has to offer.

What I am currently thinking:

CPU -
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

MoBo -
ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Case -
IN WIN Stealth Bomber B2 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

PSU -
XCLIO GREATPOWER 1000W ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Video Card x2 -
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269-2GVXL Radeon HD 4890 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

SSD -
Corsair Extreme Series CMFSSD-64D1 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - Retail

HDD -
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

Blu-Ray Drive -
LITE-ON Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model iHES208-08 LightScribe Support - Retail

Monitor -
Acer G24 Orange 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 400 cd/m2 50000:1 (ACM) - Retail

Memory -
I'm wanting 2x4gb ddr3 but wanting suggestions.

Keyboard and mouse aren't needed; nor are speakers or sound card.

If I left anything out please ask or let me know.

Also I was thinking of changing the CPU to the PII X4 965 BE supposed to be coming out next week.

Thanks for any help suggestions and concerns.

 

[Helloworld_98]

1) that case is rubbish, get a Coolermaster 932, 922 or 690 instead, or an Antec 900/902.

2) switch that PSU for an 850w by Corsair, OCZ, Antec, PCP&C, Silverstone or Seasonic.

3) there's no reason to get cards with 2GB of VRAM, just get a single 1GB 4890 and put the money saved towards a 5870 and an i7 920, X58 mobo and 6GB of DDR3.

4) on the SSD, wait for the 128GB crucial M225, it'll be around $250 and be a lot faster than the one you choose.

5) drop the VRaptor for two WDC black 640GB drives in Raid 0.

6) swap the CPU, mobo and ram for an i7 920, a <$250 X58 mobo and 6GB of DDR3 ram.

 

[flurp]

I'll read up on those cases and the PSU.
I'd rather stick with AMD/ATI,
as for Video cards, I wasnt sure if those i listed or x2 of this one:
XFX HD-487A-CDF9 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
I'll look into the HDD and SSD you provided as well.

Thanks

 

[gkay09]

A single 4870X2 would max out @ that resolution...You wont need 2 of them...And even if you install 2x 4870X2, they would have driver problems as it would become Quad-fire and they wont scale well for most of the games...

As for the SSD, even you can check out the newer 34NM intel ones...they are sure to provide good performance...
And +1 for hunter's suggestion on the WD Black 640GB RAID 0...

And for mobo, look into the ASUS crosshair III...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131392

 

[Outlander_04]

raptors are a bad idea since very little speed advantage over 2009 model conventional drives

the ssd isnt competitive . intel x25 g2 seems to be fastest this week , but could be out dated next week

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ yeah, the intel X25 G2 won't be the favourite next week, since the Crucial M225 series have sustained Reads at over 230MB/s(this is what Tweaktown have said, but Crucial markets them as 250MB/s), sustained writes at ~190MB/s, and you get a few more GB/s per $ with the 128GB M225 costing just a bit more than the 80GB Intel G2.

 

[flurp]

What do y'all think about this Case and PSU?

Antec Signature SG-850 850W Continuous Power ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

Antec Skeleton Black ATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail