$1100 Gaming PC for Newb builder

[deepstrike]

Hello, gentlemen. I'm looking for a decent system that can run AAA releases for the next 2-3 years on medium to high settings. I would also like the system to have the capacity for some upgrading after about that time period but I'm still on the fence as to what would be better - a single card upgrade or a second card in crossfire (which could change the build significantly...I think). This will be my first attempt at building a computer too, so please consider that as well : )

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: All parts purchased by the end of January

BUDGET RANGE: $1100 (Before Rebates)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: GAMES! (Guild Wars 2, Diablo III, Brink), some photoshop/illustrator work

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, Tigerdirect, Amazon (anywhere else I can get a good deal)

PARTS PREFERENCES: None, really

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I'll be picking up a new monitor and OS (MS Windows 7 student deal) for this build.


Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH - Retail

Video Card: HIS H577FN1GD Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail

HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

DVD Drive: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Monitor: ASUS VW246H Glossy Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail

Total: $1066.39 Shipped + $30 Student Windows 7 = $1096.39
(Don't mind if this goes over by a couple of bucks if the upgrade is worth it)


Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[moonbagel]

Take a look at these combo deals
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308218
pay $5 less + free shipping for a better mobo
slower timed ram though

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.310962
slightly worse psu but better video card by far

 

[deepstrike]

Whoa! Excellent find.

I'm assuming the better mobo and video card would offset the slower RAM?

Also found the Coolermaster HAF 922 for about $96 at ProVantage - which is the same price as the 690 from Newegg.

Total comes to about $1103!

 

[moonbagel]

Yea I'd say so considering the 5850 is slightly less powerful than 2x 5770s and the mobo has 2x pci-e slots vs just 1 on your previous build.

Also I wouldn't necessary pay $30 more for RAM that's timed 7-7-7-24 vs 9-9-9-24.

One thing I did notice about the 5850 combo deal is that the PSU probably won't be able to handle 2x 5850s in crossfire. So if you decide to pick up another 5850 down the line you're going to need a new PSU as well. Your call I guess.

 

[deepstrike]

Definitely things to consider.

Now, I was reading some of the customer reviews for the mobo and some recent ones were saying that it was not compatible with the CPU or a Windows 7 fresh install???

Thanks for the input, moonbagel!

 

[obsidian86]

650 is the reccomended spec for crossfire on the 58xx/57xx series

 

[cyberkuberiah]

the psu will easily handle a 5970 or dual 5850's . anything more = waste .

 

[cyberkuberiah]

my friend is running an oc'ed i7 860 with 5850 CF on a 650 with 4 drives , 4 fans etc . i am running a single 5850 with i5 on 550vx , more than enough for every single gpu out there (i prefer fast single cards , 5870 was outta budget).

 

[cyberkuberiah]

i can say this only for corsair psu's as i have used them and not as an estimate about their quality and capacity , like how the're rated is very close to how they deliver . other good brands are pc power , cooler master toughpower series .

 

[moonbagel]

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-radeon-hd-5000/hd-5850/Pages/ati-radeon-hd-5850-system-requirements.aspx

The requirements list about 600W, but that does not change the fact that the PSU bundled with the 5850 only has two 6-pin PCI-e connectors when one would need four 6-pin connectors to Crossfire with 2x 5850's (two connectors for each).

In regards to the question in compatibility issues, from what I've read there have been many successful boots with the combo setup.

I found this thread that confirms this:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/276647-31-first-timer-orders-parts-gaming-many