$2000 Gaming Critique

[IllustriousValor]

Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as Possible
Budget Range: Below $1800-$200. Of course cheaper is better.
System Usage From Most To Least Important: Gaming, Movies, Internet, Music, General All Purpose
Parts Not Required: None, I need all of them. Case, CPU, Mother Board, Graphics Card, RAM, Hard Drive, PSU, OS, HSF, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse,Speakers, Optical Drive [ If possible would like a Blu-Ray Drive or Burner to watch movies. ],
Preferred Website(s) For Parts: Amazon or New Egg
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI Or Crossfire: Maybe
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 1920x1200 Which ever 23" is.
Additional Comments / Questions:
Question #1: If I choose to go with the New AM3 boards and choose a AMD X4 955. Will the X6 still work for the Motherboard? For example: Down the road, I think I read something about a Bulldozer, plus I wonder if they will make the X6 better. Will any of the above fit and work fine in the Motherboard?
Question #2: I have never ordered off of New Egg before. I believe it is Better Business Bureau or what ever is says it's alright. What is your opinion.
Question #3: As for what the motherboards say for acceptable RAM, such as DDR3 1600 (O.C.), would a regular DDR3 1600 Kit work? I mean, would I have to get DDR3 1333 and TRY to over clock.
Question #4: If I get two 4GB (2 x 2GB ) dual channel DDR3 memory, will it equal to 8GB on the motherboard? Or does one have to get a Dual Channel 8GB (2 x 4Gb) which is much higher?
Comment #1: Will be my first build, so if I listed anything wrong. Or if any parts are incompatible please let me know.
Comment #2: Some of the acronyms I may mess up on.
Comment #3: Thank you very much for all the help.
Comment #4: If I do decide to use New Egg, combos is very helpful. The one reason I am considering Amazon is due to the free shipping.
Comment #5: Any help or knowledge on Over Clocking is helpful. Would be my first time. Hoping to get just a little faster is all.

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CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz
Mother Board:
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
MSI 890FXA-GD70 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
ASUS M4A89TD PRO AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s AMD Motherboard
Graphics Card:
SAPPHIRE 100281-3SR Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100281VX-2SR Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
Power Supply:
Corsair 750TX
Corsair 850TX
Case:
Cooler Master HAF 922
Hard Drive:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
HSF:
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Optical Drive(s):
LG Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Disc Combo Model UH10LS20 LightScribe Support - OEM
LG WH10LS30K 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM
Monitor:
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers
ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built-in Speakers
Keyboard:
Logitech 920-000021 Black 103 Normal Keys 11 Function Keys USB Standard Access Keyboard 600
Logitech 967740-0403 Black 104 Normal Keys 8 Function Keys USB Standard Internet 350 USB Keyboard - OEM
Logitech Pro 2000 Black 104 Normal Keys 14 Function Keys Cordless Standard Keyboard
Mouse:
Logitech MX518
Speakers:
Requesting Help Here.
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Accessories:
OCZ Freeze Thermal Compound
Cooler Master 200mm Case Fan
Cooler Master 120 MM Fan x2

Anything I Miss? Fan Filters, Parts, Extra Cables, etc? Any of the links broke?

 

[batuchka]

Some points of discussion:

1. Yes some AM2+ or AM3 700 series mobos have already received BIOS updates to slot in Thubans so AM3 800 series would do it out of box

2. 890FX is a fine looking enthusiast chipset but do u really require 4-6 x PCIex16 2.0 lanes in some of em?

3. Vapor X is good but IMO not worth that premium charged

3. Some would say 2GB is doable for a gmaing rig but 4GB is way more than enuff - no need to hit 8GB hehe

 

[gauche32]

Additional Comments / Questions:
Question #1: If I choose to go with the New AM3 boards and choose a AMD X4 955. Will the X6 still work for the Motherboard? For example: Down the road, I think I read something about a Bulldozer, plus I wonder if they will make the X6 better. Will any of the above fit and work fine in the Motherboard?
Take this one with a grain of salt, but I would recommend buying a more future proof MB even if going with a AMDx4955,if you're worried about upgrading later.
Question #2: I have never ordered off of New Egg before. I believe it is Better Business Bureau or what ever is says it's alright. What is your opinion.
You'll find most everyone on here replies with a Newegg link when suggesting purchases. It is a reputable site, once in a while they fudge it on shipping (packing) but otherwise do a good job.
Question #3: As for what the motherboards say for acceptable RAM, such as DDR3 1600 (O.C.), would a regular DDR3 1600 Kit work? I mean, would I have to get DDR3 1333 and TRY to over clock.
A ddr 1600 would require OC to use it's full potential, if that's what the motherboard says (the o.c). So without OC you'd go to the 1333 if that's the earliest the MB states without OC.
Question #4: If I get two 4GB (2 x 2GB ) dual channel DDR3 memory, will it equal to 8GB on the motherboard? Or does one have to get a Dual Channel 8GB (2 x 4Gb) which is much higher?
That would be 4Gb. People usually suggest 4+ for windows 7. What I read was whatever you'd use for XP, double that for Win 7, with the same components. I read that to mean 6 GB+ for Win 7 to run well (the os uses 1.5ish with nothing running(home 64)

 

[IllustriousValor]

gauche32,

What I meant was for two packs of 4GB, adding up to 8GB.

batuchka,

Are all the parts compatible?

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Question:
I believe I will be able to put in the parts, thanks to posts and videos on YouTube, one thing that scares me is the BIOS thing. How will I install the Windows 7, etc. Not only that, what about if the Drive that I chose will not read the CD/DVD that I put in to install Windows 7. XD

 

[coldsleep]

I suspect you're not getting a lot of advice simply because that is a lot of links to click through. Generally, including the name of the item, rather than "option #1", "option #2", etc. is likely to improve readability.

Typically, Asus is preferred over MSI for motherboards, but all of them look fine. I'd suggest looking at the manufacturers' webpages and see if you'll use the additional features provided by each one.

Between the 5870s, I'd say go for the standard one, unless you plan to overclock the card.

For the RAM, I'd spend $10 more and get this G.Skill 1600 MHz CAS 7 4 GB kit.

The 23" monitor looks like the better choice to me due to the lower response time, but I'm not a real expert on monitors.

As for compatibility, mostly you just have to match motherboard & processor...and sometimes worry about RAM, but most of the time most RAM will work with anything as long as you mess with the timings.

 

[IllustriousValor]

Thanks! I could go with the cheaper Motherboard, however it does not have USB 3.0. Although, I do not know what the big difference is between 2.0 and 3.0.

 

[batuchka]

The difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0 is like night and day!
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews.php?reviewid=964&pageid=22

Here's a far far cheaper mobo but still at least offers 8x/8x CF!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157191

 

[IllustriousValor]

So the main difference is that it transfers/writes/reads the data from anything plugged in the USB? Also, would this board be good? It is the same price as the Asus $179.99, it also has USB 3.0.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128441

 

[batuchka]

Well like i said if the 16x/16x dual CF feature of an 890FX is a must for ya then go as per preference ^^