System Build Opinion PLUS 790FX-GD70 Questions

[JamesBob]

I have basically chosen all of the parts, but would appreciate opinions on quality and/or suggestions around the same price



APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Possibly within the next month

BUDGET RANGE: Under $700 after rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, Graphics, HDD

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (e.g.: newegg.com, ncix.com -- to show us selection & pricing) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: (e.g.: Grand Fenwick)

PARTS PREFERENCES: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to use an AMD CPU & Biostar mobo with a 24" LCD and full tower case)

OVERCLOCKING: Possible OC, but nothing big, CrossfireX

MONITOR RESOLUTION: no greater than 1280x1024

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Preferably fairly silent (cannot be heard with door shut for reference)


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Cooler Master HAF 922m ATX case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&Tpk=HAF%20922m



Corsair 750 Watt ATX Power Supply
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0273362


AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103696&cm_re=AMD_phenom_ii_x4-_-19-103-696-_-Product


MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130223&Tpk=msi%20790fx-gd70


G.Skill 2x2Gb SDRAM DDR3 1600mhz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193&cm_re=DDR3_Gskill-_-20-231-193-_-Product
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I would like some recommendations and opinions on the brands i chose and their reliability and performance



Any graphics card suggestions (single card, not CrossfireX yet) that would be able to be CrossfireX compatible at a later date preferably under $125
(Stupid question, but would like to confirm that 790FX-GD70 is NOT SLI compatible)


Lastly, The MSI 790FX-GD70 states "Supports four unbuffered DIMM of 1.5 Volt DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600*/1800*/2133* (OC) SDRAM, 16GB Max"

Does this mean that it will only support 1333 as it's highest speed for compatibility and it must be OC'd to 1600/1800 etc? Or is it compatible with Factory 1600mhz etc.

That is all for my extraordinarily long post, thanks for your opinions

 

[mindless728]

it means that you will have to manually set the speed to DDR3-1600+ (as it is not in the jedec specifications)

 

[hunter315]

The 790FX chipset does not support SLI, but it does support 16/16 crossfire, pick up an XFX 4850 1GB card for about 125, it should play everything on high easily and you can add another one in down the road.

What is means is that it will only automatically set the speed up to 1333MHz, anything above that you have to set manually and you should anyway. If you have ram rated at 1600 all you have to do is set it to 1600 and it will run fine.

 

[Proximon]

The 790FX chipset supports only CF, not SLI.

Stop worrying about DRAM frequency. It has almost no effect on performance. More important is latency.

The memory controller is on the CPU. Currently, AMD CPUs do not support anything higher than 1333... although yes it's fairly easy to overclock, again the benefit is nothing.

That's not to say you should only buy 1333Mhz memory. Nothing wrong with margin. Maybe some future CPU will actually make use of it.

The Corsair 750TX is NOT quiet. The 650TX is. The Antec TP-750 would be quiet except under high load...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025

EA750 would be a good option as well
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026&Tpk=EA750

 

[JamesBob]

When you mean not quiet as in very loud? As in highly audible outside the case even? It recieved great ratings everywhere i looked and has a decent price. Not taking price into account, is the Antec EA750 or the Corsair 750TX better?

On the 4850 side, is the HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 Turbo a better choice due to cooling and quietness, since i most likely do not need the 1gb of memory due to lower resolution(i think?)
Only $110 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244

*thank you all for the RAM help, that helps rest my mind a bit

 

[Proximon]

Well, the 750TX is about as loud as a normal 120mm case fan on full. It's not hair dryer loud or anything
I can easily hear it over three quiet Scythe case fans running at half speed, when my GPU fan isn't drowning everything else out.

I believe the EA750 is a bit quieter. It has excellent reviews also.

From what I have learned about fan design recently, I strongly suspect that this is the card you want:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161297
The open sides are supposed to reduce noise, and your case has the airflow to deal with this type of cooling.