I hope this is possible ??

[mattgilliam]

Hello there I;m looking for some feedback on this build .. The total cost on newegg is $1.144.90 the case has some pretty good reviews so hopefully heat wont be a huge issue ..i do wanna overclock this system if a couple cheap fans or a heatsink will help let me know im sure there's tons of overclocking room on the cpu and the two gpu's Im definatly not gonna be talked out of buying this particular processor It's truly the best possible value I've found for a pc running crossfire.. I;m not really wanting to wait around for the Radeon 5ooo series cards I mean how many DirectX 11 games will there really be in the next year or 2 ?? Ive heard a great deal of good about the 4870's so thats what I must have..I'm willing to make improvements on this build if needed tell me what u guys think

System specs:

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX $189.00 Newegg

Two: SAPPHIRE 100279-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Cards (crossfire) $149.00 each Newegg

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $79.99 Newegg

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL $79.99 Newegg

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAJS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM $44.99 Newegg

XCLIO Blackhawk Black Finish 0.8 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Full Tower Extreme Cooling Computer Case $89.99 Newegg

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply $79.99 Newegg


SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM $30.99 Newegg



Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor $149.99 Newegg


Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM $99.99 Newegg

Hope i didnt forget anything let me know of any needed changes or improvements

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The build is off to a good start. One thing that should be changed is that old hard drive. The newer drives offer higher data density and are considerably faster. You might as well get the version of Vista that comes with a free upgrade coupon to Windows 7. Here's a combo deal with a modern fast hard drive and Vista with a free upgrade to Windows 7:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-152-181 $149.98 (Samsung F3 500GB + Vista Home Premium)

You should get a HSF since you're planning on overclocking. The stock HSF will work fine for a stock speed CPU, but don't work very well for overclocking.

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail $36.60 - $10 MIR

 

[mattgilliam]

The build is off to a good start. One thing that should be changed is that old hard drive. The newer drives offer higher data density and are considerably faster. You might as well get the version of Vista that comes with a free upgrade coupon to Windows 7. Here's a combo deal with a modern fast hard drive and Vista with a free upgrade to Windows 7:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-152-181 $149.98 (Samsung F3 500GB + Vista Home Premium)

You should get a HSF since you're planning on overclocking. The stock HSF will work fine for a stock speed CPU, but don't work very well for overclocking.

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail $36.60 - $10 MIR

Very nice HDD + OS combo thats much better and still in my budget thanks for the feedback ill surely be getting that CPU cooler tooo..

 

[bashful98033]

You didn't give a budget for the build, so I don't know how close you are to the max. The comment that I have on your build is regarding your monitor --- I think you can do much better for not much more.

First thing is that I think most monitors can and should last for several years longer than the computer they come with. So, the money you put into a nice screen now is money you can save a couple years from now when it comes to time to have a new build.

Anyways, some concrete suggestions:
ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built in Speakers - Retail
Full HD 1080P - $169.99 after $20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

The comparison between the monitor you selected and this one is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010190020%2050001146%201309846869&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16824009175%2CN82E16824236059

So, the net difference is $20 and I think you get a much better monitor as a result

Another choice (for $120 more) is:
ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail - $269.99 after $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047

Finally, the full sized cased that lots of people love to recommend here is:
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail - $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

This is $80 more than your existing selection, but a great case with awesome airflow is one of the things that makes assembly and overclocking much much easier.

I also agree 100% with Shortstuff's suggestions


-b

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259667 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $79.98
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Cooler Master Intel Core i5 compatible Hyper TX3 Socket 775/1156/AMD 130W 92mm "heatpipe direct contact" CPU Cooler RR-910-HTX3-GP - Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006382 $99.99 Free Shipping
PC Power and Cooling SILENCER 750W QUAD S75CF Power Supply Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P55M-D2 Combo Price: $309.99 | $279.99 $30 off w/ code SAVINGS30 on I5-750BOX combo Free Ground Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Socket 1156/ Intel P55/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-750 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.256454 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $254.98 $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $234.98
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100269VXLE Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-152-181 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $149.98 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=SHS223B_BE $29.99 Free Ground Shipping
Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X SATA DVD+/-RW Internal Drive (Black), Bulk w/o Software

Total: $894.85

 

[Onus]

Why_Me, I think he wants to do Crossfire with two GPUs, not just one. He also says he wants the AMD PII 955.
@OP, were you to decide you wanted a faster CPU, you might consider this option:
ASUS P7P55D LGA 1156 Intel P55 Intel Motherboard - $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131404
Will do Crossfire.
Intel Core i7 860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - $290
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214
If you need a stronger CPU, i5 is a wannabe, missing some good features that the i7 has.
Personally, I think the AMD CPU is a perfectly viable choice, especially considering how much cheaper than i7 it is. AMD may yet come out with something notably better for socket AM3; I wouldn't bet they're going to leapfrog Intel any time soon, but improvements are still likely.

 

[mattgilliam]

Sorry guys I didnt mention a budget my max budget is about $1200.00 and the only possible way to fit two radeon 4870's in this budget is to go with the Amd phenom quad core CPU... The stock speed is pretty quick @ 3.2GHz...now what im wondering is how much can this phenom be SAFELY OVERCLOCKED and iwill it make enough of a difference to outweigh the risk of overclocking ? Ive heard these can be overclocked well over 4GHz ... How safe is that though ? Will this machine perform well if i use it without any overclocking?

 

[mattgilliam]

You didn't give a budget for the build, so I don't know how close you are to the max. The comment that I have on your build is regarding your monitor --- I think you can do much better for not much more.

First thing is that I think most monitors can and should last for several years longer than the computer they come with. So, the money you put into a nice screen now is money you can save a couple years from now when it comes to time to have a new build.

Anyways, some concrete suggestions:
ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built in Speakers - Retail
Full HD 1080P - $169.99 after $20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

The comparison between the monitor you selected and this one is:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010190020%2050001146%201309846869&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16824009175%2CN82E16824236059

So, the net difference is $20 and I think you get a much better monitor as a result

Another choice (for $120 more) is:
ASUS VW266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail - $269.99 after $30 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236047

Finally, the full sized cased that lots of people love to recommend here is:
Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail - $169.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

This is $80 more than your existing selection, but a great case with awesome airflow is one of the things that makes assembly and overclocking much much easier.

I also agree 100% with Shortstuff's suggestions


-b

Thanks man that 23" asus is a steal at that price thanks alot for the input this screen will definatly be a beautiful addition for this build I cant believe this build still comes under budget....wow!!!!!

 

[dndhatcher]

5 days and the first 5800 series cards ship.

 

[mattgilliam]

So after taking all your input here's some final specs for my build....this will be my first build and i think its gonna be a great one due to some help from u guys>>>



AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

A pair of SAPPHIRE 100279-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Cards

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler



XCLIO Blackhawk Black Finish 0.8 mm SECC / ABS Plastic ATX Full Tower Extreme Cooling Computer Case


Thermaltake W0116RU 750W Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS Certified Modular


SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM



ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM

Grand total on NEWEGG its true only $1.256.00 only $56 dollars over budget and i even got a stronger psu and a faster hdd oh yeah and a bigger monitor thanks alot guys you've really helped me out.....Now what can this thing do? High settings in Crysis with "eye candy" turned on??????

 

[bashful98033]

According to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2404-5.html a pair of 4870s should give you exceptional performance at 1920x1200

As others have said, the shipment date of the next set of ATI cards isn't that far away so if you can hold off on the video card portion of the build, you might be able to save more and/or buy better than what you have listed.


-b

 

[hunter315]

One GLARING issue that im suprised no one mentioned yet, a 770 chipset CANNOT support crossfire, it only has 1 PCI-E 16x slot so you cant even get to cards on the board.

I would really suggest going with why_me's build, the i5's are a great value now, and he is so far under budget with it that you could even include a second 4890.

And please link to your parts so we know how much each one costs and where possible combos could be found, plus i havent a clue which one of the ripjaws you are looking at, there are 3 at 1600MHz all with different prices, timings, and voltages.

 

[Why_Me]

One GLARING issue that im suprised no one mentioned yet, a 770 chipset CANNOT support crossfire, it only has 1 PCI-E 16x slot so you cant even get to cards on the board.

I would really suggest going with why_me's build, the i5's are a great value now, and he is so far under budget with it that you could even include a second 4890.

And please link to your parts so we know how much each one costs and where possible combos could be found, plus i havent a clue which one of the ripjaws you are looking at, there are 3 at 1600MHz all with different prices, timings, and voltages.

+100 for that

LMAO!....I saw that last night and wasn't going to say anything to see if anyone else noticed that.

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, absolutely right. Uh... ...I was too busy looking for a board to go with the i7? Yeah, that's it...

 

[nun]

atleast wait 5 days for the 5800 series chip

 

[mattgilliam]

Wow i look so "Youngster" with that motherboard goof...sorry about no links Here they are with the correction to the motherboard mix-up

Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674

2 Graphics cards
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102849

Ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Cpu cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811103026

Power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038

Disc drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187

Operating system
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116677

Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059


With the much needed changes to the motherboard the cost total is now $1,306.50
Little over the budget but I think the changes were for the best considering well i would've been f#*ked had i ordered that motherboard thanks for the save guys Now hows it looking ??? yes im buying this after the 5000 series come out so maybe the 4890"s will take a nice price drop, so those would be an option if budgetable

 

[mattgilliam]

OMFG autolink fail*

 

[Why_Me]

OMFG autolink fail*

You wan't a gaming rig yes ? How about I post something here in your price range that will mop the floor with that 955.

 

[hunter315]

You have to put something between the ] and [ preferably a description of the part so we know which ones to click on.

 

[Why_Me]

The price on this build can be shaved down some with a cheaper h/s that combo's with that case, cheaper ripjaw ram with a bit slower timings, and also with the vid card. There's a few ati vid cards that combo nicely with that RAM...well with all the G.Skill ripjaw RAM. If you want to hard core o/c then I suggest you forgo the thermal paste that comes with the h/s and get some TX-2 at newegg, or better yet some MX-2 at ewiz.com. Both run right at $5 a tube. Also if your into hard core o/c this h/s down below has the option to add another fan to it.

Now this build isn't exactly what you wanted ....it's better. This allows you to add another card later on for SLI or Crossfire...whichever you choose. Ask anyone here about the i5 750 vs any AMD cpu out there right now. This will clean the floor with that 955. I'l post a newegg link at the bottom of this post so you can see some more pics and specs of that mobo. Also there is a special on Asus SLI/Crossfire (P55/i5) mobo's with a combo deal with the i5 750 that's just as cheap and they o/c like monsters. So if you want that Asus combo instead let me know and I'l link ya.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259675 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $89.98
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10006382 $99.99 Free Shipping
PC Power and Cooling SILENCER 750W QUAD S75CF Power Supply Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P55M-D4 Combo Price: $339.99 | $299.99 $40 off w/ code SAVINGS40 on I5-750BOX combo | Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 Socket 1156/ Intel P55/ DDR3/ CrossFireX&SLI/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-750 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231279 $94.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 $49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=SHS223B_BE $29.99 Free Ground Shipping
Samsung SH-S223B/BEBE 22X SATA DVD+/-RW Internal Drive (Black), Bulk w/o Software

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259592.14-125-290 Combo Discount: -$10.00 Combo Price: $319.98
GIGABYTE GV-N275UD-896I GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee - OEM | Includes free Windows 7 upgrade coupon

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 $214.99
ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail
With HDCP support

$1,199.10

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128404 <---that gigabyte mobo

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P7P55PR $179.99 | $139.99 $40 off w/ code SAVINGS40 on i7-860BOX combo Free Shipping
Asus P7P55D PRO Socket 1156/ Intel P55/ CrossFireX&SLI/ A&GbE/ ATX Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131405 <---better pics and specs of that Asus mobo