Need help with this build

[newtopcs1]

Ok this is what I am planning on doing for my little brother. It is a gaming build but will be used for media also. We have a 1500 dollar budget on the tower.
Ok so this on newegg comes out to over 1500 but I am a bestbuy employee and I get some of these through bestbuy for cheap. Im not sure if this is a good build or not. I want to see what we can do with this and maybe drop price a little. For example is there a better ram to go with. We want to overclock but not a lot, just a little. We also will add a second graphics card at some point for crossfire. Let me know what you think I should do.

Power supply and Ram combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.293279
CPU and motherboard combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.292038
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043
CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029
GPU: 5870 or gtx 295
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827140042&Tpk=1260i
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136322&cm_re=velociraptor-_-22-136-322-_-Product

 

[hunter315]

Definitely get the 5870 over the GTX295, you will need a much stronger PSU for 2 GTX295's and they will generate significantly more heat
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129063&cm_re=antec_1200-_-11-129-063-_-Product
Antec 1200 with TP-750 Blue, modular and plenty of power for 2 5870s.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227381
The platinums are wayy cheaper than the dominators and will perform just as well.

Dont get a raptor as the HDD, it gets beaten by modern 7200 RPM drives in everything but seek time.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/2tb-hdd-7200,2430-12.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=F3%20500gb
Get the F3 as a data drive and get an SSD as a boot drive if you really need fast startup.

 

[newtopcs1]

Ok well the power supply listed is a 750w one and the one I listed was an 850? Ill go with the platinum. What about the caviar black? I get it cheap at bestbuy? Then we will add a ssd at some point too.

 

[newtopcs1]

Oh about the graphics card this is for christmas. We would need it to be ready before then. Are these things going to ever be available.

 

[hunter315]

They are in short supply so you have to watch carefully and jump on the first one you find. The 850 is more powerful, but it is also more powerful than you need, the TP-750 saves you quite a bit and wont hinder performance at all.

The 640GB caviar black uses the same 320GB platters as the 1TB model which is on these charts, as you can see the F3 performs better
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Write-Throughput,1013.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Read-Throughput,1010.html

If you can get a 640GB caviar black for less than the F3 at bestbuy then go for it, but dont get the 500GB model, it uses 250GB platters and will be significantly slower.

 

[belial2k]

The WD black 2TB are the fastest available HDDs, but they also have a cost premium. The 1tb drives cost about half as much per gb, and can be raided for similar performance.

 

[balanovich]

The gtx 295 is a powerfull big brute, but it isn't the best for long term expansion and SLIing. Go with the 5870.

With your cooler, you could overclock your CPU a lot.... I've seen a lot of reviews and they overclock the 920 to 3.2-3.4 with the stock cooler. I can Understad you want to take no risks, but any cooler that's better that the stock one is going to be enough. There's no need to over do something.
And there's something I always wondered, how can one know is a cooler is going to fit in a certain case?

And If you want a SSD how about this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139006
It's cheap but got good reviews and is big enough for the OS and the big games.... pair it up with an ordinary 7200RPM one for your data and older games.
I know you wanted an SSD for the future only, but the V series makes SSD quite affordable. there's also a 40 GB version. It's not the fastest, but it's better than any 10000RPM drive. And it looks like the things you'd get for cheap at beastbuy... check if you can't have a go price

Here is a good PSU calculator:
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Just know that the given Wattage is the one your system needs, not the value your PSU must have.

I did a generous estimation on the PSU calculator and it gave 666W with means a 830W (or 850) PSU... that's after Xfire, OC and capacitor aging, at 100% load.
I'd get a 850W PSU to be sure it can last for long and handle everything you want for now and the futur.
Oh, and get a modular one, it make things much easier to assemble!!

 

[newtopcs1]

So you wouldnt go with the 1tb caviar black? Thats the only one I can get as far as I can see through bestbuy.

 

[hunter315]

If its more than the F3 1TB i wouldnt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=F3%201TB
If its only 70 or so then its probably worth it, but i imagine that even with a discount best buy still comes out to be more than newegg.

 

[newtopcs1]

Is the f3 better the the caviar black?

 

[newtopcs1]

Is this 5870 worth waiting for or should I crossfire two other graphics cards?

 

[obsidian86]

they bout the same with the f3 slightly faster

 

[newtopcs1]

Is this 5870 worth waiting for or should I crossfire two other graphics cards?

 

[belial2k]

the 5870 is not going to win too many contest on a price/performance level. For example, it has pretty much the same performance as two 4870s in crossfire, which can be found for about $250. It will win pretty much all contest on features, though. It has directx 11 and eyefinity support for 3 monitors. I always try to go for the best performance for a budget, so I would not choose the 5870 right now. But if budget is not a concern, then 5870 or crossfire 5870s will have great performance AND all the latest technology features.