[Solved] First System Build

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: approx christmas, but give or take a week

BUDGET RANGE: 1000 - 1500 canadian dollars

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Adobe Creative Suite

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: don't need os. i also don't really need a mouse / keyboard.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: no

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Eventually, but not off the top

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080 or 1920x1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Id like to keep this under 1500 (canadian dollars) but im also not one to skimp on parts. Quiet is always nice, but not really required.

LOL. Well thank you. Its about time I get a thank you.

Good luck on getting a 5800 series card at the moment. I've checked EVERYWHERE, name it and I've looked. Everybody is out of stock and when they get back in stock its a race. The 5800 series cards are expensive at the moment but the dollar to performance makes sense. Its not a rip off if you buy one its just extremely hard to get one.

A 4890 Crossfire setup is amazing. I've never seen one in action before but I've seen the benches and its pretty sweet. It will top a single 5850 for sure but 4890's run very hot and you will need at least a 750W to power two 4890's.

The 5800 series at the moment are a luxury. Nobody needs them but everyone wants them. By the end of the first half of 2010 a full line of DX 11 games should be released. There are already a few confirmed for that timeline like Dirt 2, AVP, and a few others I've forgotten.

For now a 4890 is a good choice for high end gaming. You can put a 4890's in Crossfire and beat or equal the 5800 cards and sacrifice the DX 11 but I don't think that is a wise idea. Best off with one 4890 and sell it when the 5800 cards become readily available.

I've decided to get a single 5770 for now and Crossfire another down the road. 5770's in Crossfire have been benched to be on par with the 5870. That is another option you may want to consider. It will give you DX 11 and solid gaming for current games.

There are some people that have had problems with MSI motherboards, it happens with every company. None the less the GD70 is a top AM3 board and it reviewed very well.

If you get the MSI scare like many people there are a few other top AM3 boards at about the same price. I went with the Gigabyte.

Gigabyte 790FX-UD5P:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] -_-Product

Asus M4A79 Deluxe:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] -_-Product

Asus Crosshair III:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] -_-Product

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/790f [...] 61-12.html

actually msi is coming into its own

I've always trusted Bit-Tech. They don't hand out recommendations unless its completely warranted. Bit-Tech can be very harsh while reviewing a product. Just read some of their reviews and laugh at the final rating some reviews have recieved. I've seen more 5's and 6's then 8's and 9's.

MSI GD70 Review:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/m [...] 0fx-gd70/1

That board did review well. Hopefully their trying to make top tier boards to really compete with Gigabyte and Asus. Their competition only benefits us as consumers.