Help with my gaming build

I was orginally thinking of a i7 920 build but realized I could save money by going amd phenom. This is what I have so far. I have not built a computer before so please make any suggestions or tell me if something I chose is incompatible. I do not plan on OC'ing at all. If you see any potential bottlenecks or where I went over board let me know. Should I ditch one of the GPU's and not go crossfire with this current setup? Will the PSU I chose be able to handle 2 of those Graphics cards? Also please suggest cheap and decent memory. Remember I wont OC so if I can go cheaper on the mobo let me know and suggest.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGMBOX - Retail

MOBO: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

PSU: XFX P1-650X-CAG9 650W ATX12V 2.2 / ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

RAM: please suggest one and also let me know how much I need.

GPU: 2 GPU in crossfire mode XFX HD-585A-ZNBC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB Black Edition 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported ... - Retail

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black 500gb

You might want to follow the guidelines from the link in my signature. We need at least a budget.

CPU: Go with the 955. It's a better for price to performance.

Mobo: That's a very pricey board because it supports 4 GPUs, which is not a good idea. I would go with the Gigabtye GA-790XTA-UD4 for $140.

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115

PSU: Not a good choice. Stick to the major brands. Newegg has an OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W in a combo with the HDD below.

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB. It's the fastest, quietest and coolest drive out right now. It's in a combo with the OCZ PSU for $95 after rebate.

GPU: Not a good idea to Crossfire right away. For $50 more (about what you saved on the above), you can get an HD 5970 ($650 total). This card is two 5970s on the same card, but have been downclocked slightly down to the level of 5850s. So at stock speeds, it performs as well as the two 5850s, but can be overclocked much higher than the 5850s. Well worth the extra $50.

That's it. That's a marketing gimmick a lot of tech companies use since Intel is more popular than AMD.

Yes. 4 GB is good enough for just about any build.

I like the second one. You're getting a much better board for only $7 more. The other main difference is the BE GPU, which is just a factory overclocked GPU. You can do that yourself with literally 3 clicks with ATI's Overdrive software. You might be able to save a bit more if you looked into more combos with the HD 5850 or see if the combo discount is better with the Spinpoint.

That extra $150 in the budget can be used for an OS, optical, case or whatever else you need. If you don't need anything else (or at least not the OS), step up that 5850 to an HD 5870 for another $100.

It all looks good.

One kind of interesting idea that you might want to consider: downgrade to the X3 425. Take the amount saved and pick up an HD 5870.

For gaming, the CPU isn't nearly as important as the GPU, and triple core CPUs are actually better than quad cores for gaming (proof). The difference between the 5850 and 5870 is that the 5870 will be able to play Crysis on high details at 1900x resolutions while the 5850 would need you to turn the details down.

Either way, you'd have a good gaming build.

No you don't have to change anything else. Both CPUs use the AM3 socket.

If you don't overclock, you don't need an aftermarket cooler.

That case should fit everything. Even the 5870 if you decide to go that route.

I personally would take an XFX over an OCZ. The XFX reviews have shown them to be really good PSUs, while the OCZs have been hit or miss depending on the line. All of which seem to have an X in the name so I can't remember the good from the bad ones. You don't need a new mobo if you drop to an x3, and its not a bad idea. For me whether you should depends on what resolution you game at, and what else you use the computer for. If you have a 1680x1050 monitor, I would stay with the 5850. I would also stay with the x4 if you use your computer for other things like editing/converting of A/V files, or other CPU demanding tasks.

You seem to be on the right track, everything else looks good.

Hardware secrets seems to think highly of the XFX 650W.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/899/10

Here is a review of what you call a good line, the Modx

http://www.hardocp.com/article/200 [...] r_supply/9

Notice the giant red X? The Z series is good, I think the stealth is ok, the mod series not so much. My post was true, or else I wouldn't have made it.

It's a little small. I would get a 750W version of any of these brands: Corsair, Antec Earthwatts, OCZ, SeaSonic, FSP, PC Power & Cooling, or Silverstone

And I don't care what some number says above, I still don't trust it over any of the above brands. In addition, the OCZ review is from a 1.25 years ago (Nov. 2008). Things change quite a bit in a year. It also looks like the XFX is rather new. I'd prefer to see some more results before choosing over other very well established brands.

As far as the order of quality for OCZ, you've at least got that wrong. The Z Series is the best, followed by the Mod, then by the Stealth. The Mods are always more efficient and higher quality than the Stealths.

Get the 5870, not a 5870? Do you mean "get the 5970, not the 5870"? In that case, you should realize that there is no way that's in budget. The 5870 isn't even in budget...

So Admiral, you are willing to buy a PSU that fails testing? Perhaps I should call you mad instead. OCZ is starting to ride on name, some are good while others are junk. If you had actually read my links you'd see that the XFX is using PCP&C as the OEM, are you saying they are bad? Who made that OCZ? (hint, the OEM starts with an S, and its NOT SeaSonic.) Do yourself a favor. Don't buy PSUs that fail testing.

I'm not sure if the 650W can cut it or not. One, I don't know how many amps the 650W provides. Two, I don't know how much power the CF 5850 setup takes. Pure guess, if the 650W XFX can do 45A on the 12V rails you'll be ok. It will be even better if it can do 50A.

So what changes have been made in that year? Your argument only makes sense if they actually made changes. $60 for a PSU that will die on you is not a good buy. OCZ WAS a trusted brand. Those of us who follow PSUs have seen a drop in reviews, and no longer recommend them. Sure there are worse PSUs out there, but I no longer blindly tell people to get them.

What chance is there? OEM is PCP&C, how is that taking a chance? (other then its also an OCZ PSU.) If that OCZ was made by somebody other then Sirtec it might have been a lot better.

Dude, if you don't know who made that OCZ power supply, READ THE LINK I PROVIDED. Read the whole thing, its in there. Just because it has OCZ's name on it doesn't mean X company made it. Everything you wrote in that last post shows you didn't read the links. We can talk once you're updated.

If the price is right, XFX is a good buy. Its a PCP&C PSU, and has got good reviews. I'd trust a PCP&C PSU over a Sirtec one anyday.

And you do care whats changed. If you didn't your 1+ yr old review argument means nothing. They better have changed it or its a horribly junk PSU.

Provide the link that shows things have changed? I do believe you are going to refuse to change your mind. OCZ is a great company in your eyes and nothing, includig links, will change your belief. Pretty pointless for me to change this. I'll stand by my original post. XFX PSUs are ok to buy, assuming you aren't paying to much. I wouldn't worry about what some "mad" person says, they are a good choice. (until some link proves me wrong.) I also stand by my choice that you shouldn't blindly buy OCZ PSUs without checking them out first. The company has fallen a bit in the performance realm and aren't the company they used to be. I think I/we have done enough crapping on this thread, so unless something is linked I'll end this. To the OP, what have you decided on so far? Did you decide on the x3 + 5870?

I know Im coming a bit late, but Id go with a

AMD Phenom II 955 or Phenom II 720 (the 955 is rated as the best deal for the money on this website)
MSI, Gigabyte or Asus 790x MB (there are only a few to choose from)
ATI 5850 or 5870 (these are rated as the best deal for the money on this website)
4 GB G.Skill Ripjaws Ram (Corsair is good, but they charge a premium)
Samsung f3 HD

Do you want a Modular power supply? Ive heard good things about the Corsair 750w, though I personally have a Coolermaster UCP 700w. Its more than adequate for crossfiring two 5770's, but not modular. That sort of sucks, and I bought it without realizing it wasnt modular, but Ive heard good things about its capabilities.

As far as a case, thats sort of a personal choice. I like the Antec 900 or 300 series.

I crossfired two 5770's and though its a powerful combo, I wouldnt recommend it because of heat and power supply demand. At the time I saved about 50 bucks over a 5870, but paid about 30 more than a 5850. In hindsite I probably would have paid the extra 50 for the 5870.