$800 gaming system - Please comment

[jrbisson]

Hi everyone, I'm putting together a new gaming system and would like to request your comments:

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week (more likely Boxing Day)

BUDGET RANGE: 800 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming mainly but also Photoshop and Lightroom

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, CD/DVD writer (I'm happy with these parts from my current system)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: pccyber.com (I prefer to purchase my parts locally)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Ottawa, Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

CROSSFIRE: Yes (in the future)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: None

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Parts already selected:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz

ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 DDR3 AMD 790GX Motherboard

Corsair DDR3 PC3-12800 4GB Dual Channel Kit

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5770 1GB 256-bit DDR5

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout Gaming Case

OCZ GameXStream 850W Power Supply

Thanks in advance

 

[Silmarunya]

Which hard disks are you using? You listed none...

Excellent build, but 850W is overkill. Even with overclocking and future crossfire 650W is plenty. But buy a PSU of a better brand (or a better OCZ line) like Antec or Corsair.

If you're going to overclock, you'll need an aftermarket CPU cooler. The cooler master 212 is cheap and performs brilliantly for example.

Other than that, great build.

 

[jrbisson]

Thanks Yes, I forgot to mention that I already have two HDDs which I plan to re-use from my current system.

I agree about the PSU. 850W does seem a bit overkill. How about the following:

ANTEC EarthWatts 650W Power Supply

Finally, thanks for reminding me about CPU cooling. I was thinking along the lines of this:

Scythe Mugen 2 120mm CPU Cooler

Thanks again. Much appreciated!!

 

[Silmarunya]

Which HDD's are you using? Remember, they're the slowest component in a system. Upgrading them (well, the one you're using as a boot drive) will often boost system performance further than a powerful CPU or large RAM memory will.

About the mugen: excellent choice!
About the PSU: much better quality indeed.

 

[jrbisson]

I currently have a Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB SATAII as my boot drive and a Seagate 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB SATAII as my backup for photos,videos and other important files.

Do you think this is sufficient?

 

[banthracis]

The 7200.11 or the 7200.12 Seagate barracuda's?

if it's the 7200.11 then I'd say get a new boot drive.

 

[jrbisson]

It's a 7200.11

Ok, if I were to get a new boot drive, would a 500GB be preferable over a 1TB? I seem to recall reading somewhere that typically a 500G will outperform a 1000G. Is this usually the case or more like an exception for a given manufacturer.

BTW, I started using Seagate after 2 WD drives failed on me within one year. Haven't had a Seagate drive fail on me yet. If there's a better drive, please recommend one.

Thanks again for all your assistance. These are great tips

 

[MadAdmiral]

I agree with banthracis. The 7200.11 is way behind the .12. You can either get the Seagate 7200.12 or a better choice is the Samsung Spinpoint F3. It's the same price here in the States, and it's slightly better. It may be sold out or unavailable though.

The Antec PSU you linked to is excellent, but another good choice is the OCZ StealthXStream 700W. Here in the US, you can get it for $80 with a $25 rebate (so $55 total).

Here's a slightly cheaper and better board: ASUS M4A79XTD EVO. It's one of the best board in that budget range.

You're probalby overspending on that RAM. It's CAS Latency 9, and likely overpriced (as expected of Corsair RAM). See if you can find some CAS Latency 7 sticks. 1333 mhz would also be cheaper, with no noticeable difference (as long as it's CAS 7).

Did you consider the Antec 300 Illusion as your case? It's cheaper, and an extremely well built case.