Sub $1000 gaming build

[tonysathre]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next week

BUDGET RANGE: Less than $1000

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, movies, infrequent video encoding, Photoshop CS4

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, Optical Drive, Case

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Any reputable retailer

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe Crossfire in the future

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 22" @ 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: None


Case: Thermaltake Armor+ MX VH8000BWS - $59.99

Mobo & CPU Combo: ASUS P7P55D-E & Intel Core i5-750 - $344.98

GPU: HIS Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) H587F1GDG - $399.99

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) CAS Latency 7 - $114.99

PSU & HDD Combo: OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W & SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB - $109.98 - $25.00 MIR

Free Addon: BELKIN F5D7010 Wireless G Notebook Card

Total Price: $969.94


Is there anything you would change? Is that PSU going to big enough if I someday decide to do Crossfire? Would the motherboard be worth upgrading to the Pro model?

Thanks,

Tony

 

[MadAdmiral]

Well to start, that board will be horrible in Crossfire. The second PCIe slot only runs at 4x, which would cripple the GPU. And the 600W would not be able to handle 2 5870s in Crossfire. You might have trouble with a 700-750W.

That said, you shouldn't need to Crossfire down the line. By the time you'll really need to start thinking about it, you should be thinking about a complete upgrade.

RAM: Corsair XMS3 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS latency 7 $110. Cheaper for the same specs.

 

[tonysathre]

Wow, that was quick. Thanks for the info. So just change the RAM, and I should be good, since I won't be Crossfiring after all?

Tony

 

[MadAdmiral]

Yep.