$1000 gaming system

[Dubkatz]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Tomorrow

BUDGET RANGE: I was looking to hit within $900 but can stretch to $1050.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing the internet, general use.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, OS, Keyboard, Mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg or TigerDirect.

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD, Just a Fan of their chips.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe in the future.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

Here is the build I have come up with so far:


COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive X 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130223

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103692

Here is where i am having a tough time deciding on what to get - the video card. I have read all the reviews i could find on this great site and here are 2 choices that i came up with. 2 are the same card, different manfu. One is Drx 11 card. I mainly play WoW but am looking to play Bioware's new Star Wars game when it comes out. I want to make sure that the video card i get can handle both games.

GIGABYTE GV-R489-1GH-B Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125276

XFX HD-489X-ZSFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150438

XFX HD-577A-ZNDC Radeon HD 5770 XXX Edition 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150464

I just don't know what card to get. Total on this build comes in somewhere around $990 bucks. I know i still need a dvd drive but i have one of those laying around from some other builds i have done for friends.

Any advise would be much appreciated, also, if you see any parts that you think that there is a better option for fell free to let me know.

Thanks,

Dubz

 

[BohleyK]

You have a good build going there. Not much I can really tell you since you seem to know what you are doing. I would swap the 965:140W for the new 965:125W, should be the same price. With Corsair memory you are paying for the name really. There are better RAM modules out there for less money. G.Skill and OCZ have some better performing timings at a more affordable price.

The video card option isn't all that hard. 5770 has excellent scaling with Crossfire and you have an unrestricted Crossfire board. The 4890 will out perform one 5770 but when you Crossfire those 5770's forget it. Not to mention the DX11 and power consumption advantages the ATi 5000 series cards offer.

If you are not planning on Crossfire you should get a cheaper motherboard and a 5850 or 5870.

 

[MadAdmiral]

One change. Ditch the WD and get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 HDD. It's cheaper, faster, and all around better.

Agree with BohleyK on the GPU. I like to go with the 5770 or 5850, especially when trying to future proof. Be sure to check out the G.Skill RAM. They've got some excellent sticks that will be faster and cheaper.