Future-proof Gaming PC $1000+

[jahughes]

I'm looking for a new computer that will last me a while. My first and only build was in early 2005. Right now I have:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.00GHz)
Motherboard: ASUS A8V Deluxe
Memory: 2.00 GB (4x 512) Geil GL1GB3200DC DDR400 CL2
Video Card: ATI Radeon X850 XT (AGP 8x, 256 MB)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TWV480 Total Watts Viewer

My Windows 7 (64-bit) user experience rating is currently 4.0, being limited by the CPU rating. That stuff all works ok (though the video card frequently hangs the system while scrolling), but we're in the days of very cheap quad and hex core processors, so the time has come to upgrade.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:

Within 1-2 weeks (or as soon as I make some decisions)

BUDGET RANGE:

500-2000 USD

The upper end of the budget would only be considered for additional LCD/LED displays.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:

Multitasking: Gaming, Surfing, Watching Movies, Programming (all simultaneously)

I typically want to have 1-3 instances of older full screen MMO games like EverQuest or World of Warcraft running, possibly on separate displays. Additionally, I usually have anywhere from 3-10+ browser windows open, and potentially several other applications and/or a movie playing all at the same time.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:

Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Operating System

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:

newegg.ca, tigerdirect.ca, amazon.com

I'll consider any reliable site with the cheapest price and low shipping rates to Canada.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Canada

Due to the recent exchange rate turmoil, I expect to price via USD.

PARTS PREFERENCES:

Operating System:

I will be using my current copy of 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate on this new build.

Processor:

I'm looking for something capped around $300, but I'm not opposed to saving money on something cheaper like a Phenom II x4.

AMD HDT55TFBRBOX Phenom II 1090T Black Edition Six Core Processor - 3.20GHz, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s) FSB, Retail, Socket AM3, Processor with Fan

OR

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition AM3 CPU HDZ965FBGMBOX - 3.40GHz, Socket AM3, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s) FSB, Retail, Processor with Fan

OR

Intel Core i7 930 Processor BX80601930 - 2.80GHz, 8MB L3 Cache, 4.8GT/s QPI, HyperThreading, Quad Core, Bloomfield, LGA 1366, Retail, Fan

I do a lot of multitasking, but sometimes I do want optimal performance on 1 or 2 cores while gaming. So, I'm not sure if I would get more benefit from a higher clocked quad or a slghtly lower hex.

I would consider either Intel or AMD, but I'm really leaning towards the 1090T. The big problem for me is the motherboard selection.

Motherboard:

I want a motherboard that is up to date right out of the box. If I was to pick the 1090T, the only board I see that appears to not need an immediate BIOS flash is something in the 890 series:

MSI 890FXA-GD70 Motherboard - AMD 890FX, Socket AM3, ATX, DDR3, RAID, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0

But I could be wrong.

I don't want to pay extra for any on-board graphics. I also want something that is very future-friendly. That means SATA 6.0 Gb/s and USB 3.0 preferably, with either SLI or CrossFire, DDR3 and at least two PCI Express X16 slots. At most I see myself possibly adding a DTV tuner card and two video cards, so I don't need too many other slots.

If I were to go AMD it would be an AM3 board, not an AM2+. Windows driver support is a must. My current board is not supported by Windows 7 and it makes me sad that I can't add a SATA drive because of that. I've researched it and there's no fix that works.

I don't really have a good idea what to pick as a cost-effective board if I were to go i7 or Phenom II x4. The i7 boards seem a lot more expensive, but I could probably put together either an i7 or Phenom II x6 CPU/board pair for $500-600. I just don't know if that's what I want to do vs. a ~$340 Phenom II x4 pair.

Memory:

I think I want at least 8 GB of DDR3 RAM, perferably in two 4 GB sticks, so that I can easily add another 8GB in the future. I really don't think I would be happy with only 6GB. The only 8GB RAM I've seen online for a reasonable amount is:

OCZ OCZ3G1333LV8GK Gold 8GB PC10666 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Upgrade - 1333MHz, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 2x4096MB

However, it says it's optimized for i5/i7 architecture. I'm potentially going AMD again, so I wonder if this would pose any problems? I'm also unsure how future-proof this RAM will be. Will DDR3 be around for a while? I also am not 100% sure if it will mesh with the board I choose, as I've been reading things about dual and triple channel. Any recommendations would be helpful here.

Video Card(s):

I don't know what would be the best setup for a multi-monitor display. I realize most of the Radeon HD 5XXX series cards come with more than one DVI output, but I am worried about taxing a single card with 2+ widescreen 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 displays.

Would two cards not in SLI / Crossfire mode with 1 monitor on each be better for this? Can I set GPU affinity like CPU affinity? Or should I SLI / Crossfire up two cards and just plug up to 3 monitors into that union? I've also heard references to Crossfire "only going at x8 / x8" or something similar. I'm not really sure if I should be concerned about that.

I don't think that technology like Eyefinity is a must for me right now, but I may adopt better games in the future. Also, Crossfire just hits me as a better overall technology compared to what I've read about the differences with SLI, so I may go ATI over nVidia.

Future driver support is an issue. I would like something that will stick around for the next several years.

I was considering getting a pair of Radeon HD 5770's for something like $175 each, but I don't really know if it's worth it vs. a pair of cheaper Radeon HD 5XXX's or one Radeon HD 58XX for what I want to do with my monitors. I have looked up performance charts, but with all the different brands out there I'm still really confused. I haven't looked in detail at the nVidia options.

Hard Drive:

I'm considering a small, 16-32 GB, internal SSD drive for my OS and applications. I think it would be fastest as either SATA 3.0 Gb/s or SATA 6.0 Gb/s? The only cheap SSD drives I've seen are 2.5", so I'm not sure if that would be attachable to whatever standard sized case I end up with. Any help would be appreciated here.

I am also considering a new 1+TB SATA 6.0 Gb/s HDD for data, although I may still have access to a 640 GB SATA 3.0 Gb/s HDD that I couldn't get to work with Windows 7 on my current build.

For either drive, I'm not interested in something I can't install windows 7 onto out of the box.

Optical:

I have a functioning PATA DVD-ROM and another PATA DVD-RW. I might consider getting a SATA equivalent DVD-RW combo drive, but I don't know if there would be any tangible speed increases to make it worth the upgrade. A Blu-ray writer seems too expensive right now, but I might be interested in a player, or maybe a Blue-ray player coupled with a DVD-RW, if something like that exists.

Power Supply:

Depending on the video card(s) I choose, I'm pretty sure that I would have to upgrade from 480W to something else.

Case:

I haven't really looked into cases yet, but I'll probably be getting a new one, since this computer still works and I might keep it around.

OVERCLOCKING:

Maybe. I lack the monitoring commitment and experience to really say yes.

SLI OR CROSSFIRE:

Maybe. I am thinking about setting up a dual or triple monitor system. If I go for multiple monitors, I am looking for a setup that will basically let each expanded desktop run independently and I'm not sure if a SLI / Crossfire setup would be better than two cards setup without SLI / Crossfire, if that's even possible. I am aware that most new cards feature multiple outputs, but so does my current card, and trying to run two desktops on it really taxes the system.

MONITOR RESOLUTION:

1920x1080 or 1920x1200

I'm looking for a good, cheap LCD/LED monitor in the 20-24+ Inch range. I may buy up to three of them if the price is right. I'm also considering a digital HDTV display to match, but I obviously don't want to pay for 3+ DTV tuners. I might end up with just two PC monitors and 1 independent TV monitor all on the same surface. I'm leaning towards 16x9 PC monitors because of my desire for a TV in the mix, which would have to be native 1080p.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

Ceteris paribus, I would like a quiet PC. I find my current PSU to be pretty loud, but I'm not commited to the maintenance a liquid cooling system would require.

So ya... I wrote a lot, but I have a lot of questions and decisions to make.

Thanks.

 

[jbakerlent]

Welcome to the forum. Well, my recommendation goes for the Phenom II X4 955. I know you will be multitasking a lot, but the hexa core is just not what you're looking for (imo). As for the i7, it is very worthy as well, but the Phenom would already completely thrash your current build and it's upgrade path may be better. If would be glad to give you a config of either, but I'll start with the Phenom.

CPU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=955_black_edition-_-19-103-808-_-Product

MOBO
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

GPU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150476&cm_re=hd_5870-_-14-150-476-_-Product

RAM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276&cm_re=g.skill_ripjaws_series_4gb_%282_x_2gb%29_240-pin_ddr3-_-20-231-276-_-Product

HDD
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=spinpoint%20f3%201tb

SSD
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227531&cm_re=agility_2-_-20-227-531-_-Product

PSU
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371025&cm_re=Antec_TruePower_New_TP-750-_-17-371-025-_-Product

Case
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129058&cm_re=902-_-11-129-058-_-Product

To address your questions.

This motherboard is very current - 890GX chipset, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s. It also allows for plenty of crossfire bandwidth - x8/x8 is more than enough for dual 5850s.

You have no need for 8GB. 4GB will be plenty. Yes DDR3 will be around for a while. Yes Intel specific DUAL channel RAM kits will work fine in AM3 motherboards. You can only use triple channel in the 1366 i7 build.

The 5870 will handle dual 1080p LCDs well for your uses.

The 50GB SSD I linked above is one of the fastest on the market. You'll need an adaptor to convert it from 2.5" to 3.5" but those are cheap.

Might as well get a new ODD. SATA does not improve performance much, but many modern motherboards won't support your older PATA drives.

Yes, the PSU above will support two 5870s easily.

See what you think, and ask any questions.

 

[jbakerlent]

Here's the changes you'd need to make for the i7 build.

MOBO
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128423&Tpk=Gigabyte%20GA-X58A-UD3R

RAM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231230

 

[Lmeow]

^+1.

Just a few things though...

Your old system is nearly like mine!

1) My '04 system has an AMD Athlon 3200+, ASUS K8N and GeForce 6800.

2) If you do decide to get a Phenom II X4 955, I suggest that you go into the BIOS and up the multiplier to 17x (stock is 16x) to get the performance of a Phenom II X4 965 without actually doing anything.

3)IIRC installing an HD 5870 in the Antec 1200/902 involves removing an HDD bay or it blocks some HDD spaces. I suggest you get something which could accommodate it without having to remove anything, a Cooler Master HAF 922 or 690 II Advanced would work, or a SilverStone Raven RV02. Just a few examples, there quite a lot more which will fit the HD 5870.

 

[jahughes]

Well, my recommendation goes for the Phenom II X4 955. I know you will be multitasking a lot, but the hexa core is just not what you're looking for (imo). As for the i7, it is very worthy as well, but the Phenom would already completely thrash your current build and it's upgrade path may be better.

This motherboard is very current - 890GX chipset, USB 3.0, SATA 6GB/s. It also allows for plenty of crossfire bandwidth - x8/x8 is more than enough for dual 5850s.

You have no need for 8GB. 4GB will be plenty. Yes DDR3 will be around for a while. Yes Intel specific DUAL channel RAM kits will work fine in AM3 motherboards. You can only use triple channel in the 1366 i7 build.

The 5870 will handle dual 1080p LCDs well for your uses.

The 50GB SSD I linked above is one of the fastest on the market. You'll need an adaptor to convert it from 2.5" to 3.5" but those are cheap.

Might as well get a new ODD. SATA does not improve performance much, but many modern motherboards won't support your older PATA drives.

Yes, the PSU above will support two 5870s easily.

Ok, I see a lot of users supporting the 955 over the 965. To me, the small increase in price seems reasonable for the 0.2 GHz. As Lmeow pointed out, I could do a small OC on the 955 to get me to the 3.4 GHz effectively for free, but couldn't I do a similar OC on the 965 and end up ahead yet again? I don't want to mess heavily with new heatsinks, fans or BIOS settings, but I figure a slight OC might be doable on either CPU. So, I'm unsure why people like the 955 versus the 965.

Also, I forgot to mention (it was 4am!) that I also frequently have one Virtual Box'd PC running on top of my Windows 7 system. So, I could see myself trying to dedicate 3 cores to 3 MMO instances and another to my VBox. In that situation I was thinking it might be better to have the x6 core to handle other tasks like browsing, movies and other apps. What do you guys think?

That A3 board looks pretty good if I was to go AMD x4. Do you think I would have to flash it if I picked the x6? Do I really need the onboard graphics? Or is there a cheaper version without the G (it seems like the FX series is a lot more expensive)? I like that it is ASUS, which I would rather pick than some random company (although my current ASUS board has no support 5 years later).

As for the 4 GB vs. 8 GB. Right now I can completely decimate my 2 GB running just two very old games. The move to 4 GB would just allow me to run a couple more instances, but I feel I would be right on the edge of capacity a lot of the time. Like I was saying, I wouldn't feel comfortable with only 4 GB, especially if I turn to some newer games down the road. I also want a buffer for when I have my virtual PC open. So, are there any cheap yet good 8 GB + options other than the one I picked?

Are you suggesting one 5870 will handle two 1080p displays well? Or that I should get two of these cards. I'm not sure if I'm up to spending $800 just on graphics right now, which is why I was thinking of a cheaper card for each monitor. But if one 5870 can handle 2+ desktops with full-screen EQ/WoW on them without issue, I might pick it so that I can crossfire down the road as prices drop.

As for the SSD, this was more of an afterthought really, but it is starting to seem important. I would be comfortable with something that isn't right at the top as long as it was reliable and less expensive. The options I was looking at were around the $120 range or so, as nothing good was available for under $100. Is there anything worth getting in those ranges? Do these drives have any driver issues about being recognized as an install location for windows 7?

IIRC installing an HD 5870 in the Antec 1200/902 involves removing an HDD bay or it blocks some HDD spaces. I suggest you get something which could accommodate it without having to remove anything, a Cooler Master HAF 922 or 690 II Advanced would work, or a SilverStone Raven RV02. Just a few examples, there quite a lot more which will fit the HD 5870.

Ya, complications like that mentioned above are something I would like to avoid. Honestly, I would prefer a cheaper PSU / Case, as long as they're not lemons and can get the job done. Top of the line here is definitely not something I'm looking for, but I would of course prefer quiet models.

 

[jbakerlent]

Regarding the 955/965 debate, they are based on the same stepping with the only difference being the bump which Lmeow described.

Also, I forgot to mention (it was 4am!) that I also frequently have one Virtual Box'd PC running on top of my Windows 7 system. So, I could see myself trying to dedicate 3 cores to 3 MMO instances and another to my VBox. In that situation I was thinking it might be better to have the x6 core to handle other tasks like browsing, movies and other apps. What do you guys think?

This does change things a bit. Unfortunately, I don't know much about it. If my understanding is correct though, you may just want to get the hexa and 8GB RAM.

The 5870 should be able to handle two displays fine for those two games. And yes, with the TP you could definitely crossfire in the future.

Regarding the SSDs I recommend getting a faster one - Sandforce or Intel. But what size were you looking for? 30GB will hold your OS, browser, Office, drivers, and maybe a few other things, so that's the minimum size you could consider.

It seems a bit odd to me that a gigantic full tower case like the 1200 would not be able to fit a 5870.

 

[jahughes]

Regarding the 955/965 debate, they are based on the same stepping with the only difference being the bump which Lmeow described.
[VBox]
This does change things a bit. Unfortunately, I don't know much about it. If my understanding is correct though, you may just want to get the hexa and 8GB RAM.

The 5870 should be able to handle two displays fine for those two games. And yes, with the TP you could definitely crossfire in the future.

Regarding the SSDs I recommend getting a faster one - Sandforce or Intel. But what size were you looking for? 30GB will hold your OS, browser, Office, drivers, and maybe a few other things, so that's the minimum size you could consider.

It seems a bit odd to me that a gigantic full tower case like the 1200 would not be able to fit a 5870.

Oh, so the 965 is essentially exactly equal to the 955 just with the OC set in the box? That's so shady!

I am leaning towards the 1090T. Do you know if that A3 motherboard you selected was put out before or after the x6? For whatever reason, I am really concerned about having to flash the BIOS on a new board and don't want to do that.

TP = twin port PCIe x16?

As for the SSD, I have my whole system on a 40 GB drive right now, but that includes some video files, desktop clutter, and a virtual hard disk for my VPC. I would probably store all that on a HDD instead, to prevent excessive read/writes.

Like you said, I'd want the drive for Win7, Browsers, Office, and maybe my MMO's to reduce time spent zoning. I was looking at 30/32 GB, but putting games on it makes me take another look at the 50 GB one that you selected (EQ is 9 GB!). I just don't know if that extra 18 GB is worth ~$80. Do you think storing games that constantly log is a bad idea for a SSD lifespan?

As for the cases, of those presented:

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

Seems to be the cheapest. Unless there's something fundamentally wrong with sticking my new system into that, it may be the one I pick. I don't know what critera to evaluate cases with. If there's a specific brand or spec I should be looking for or avoiding, please let me know.

I will take some time to look at more cases & PSU's tonight, but I really do not want to spend a lot on these. I'd rather spend the difference on a few 20"+ 1080p LCD/LED monitors. I saw a few nice, relatively cheap ones in another thread here, which I'll have to investigate aswell.

I am in rural Ontario, Canada right now and there's really no stores other than WalMart within a reasonable distance. I wonder if a place like CanadaComputers would yield a competitive enough shipping rate on things like monitors and a case to make ordering them there worthwhile. I have no problem ordering all the other components from any website, as long as the shipping rates are not insane. PayPal is preferred though. Any thoughts?

 

[143miah]

^+1.

Just a few things though...

Your old system is nearly like mine!

1) My '04 system has an AMD Athlon 3200+, ASUS K8N and GeForce 6800.

2) If you do decide to get a Phenom II X4 955, I suggest that you go into the BIOS and up the multiplier to 17x (stock is 16x) to get the performance of a Phenom II X4 965 without actually doing anything.

3)IIRC installing an HD 5870 in the Antec 1200/902 involves removing an HDD bay or it blocks some HDD spaces. I suggest you get something which could accommodate it without having to remove anything, a Cooler Master HAF 922 or 690 II Advanced would work, or a SilverStone Raven RV02. Just a few examples, there quite a lot more which will fit the HD 5870.

The 1200 doesn't have enough space to fit a 5870 without going into the HDD area?

 

[jbakerlent]

Sorry by TP I meant the Antec TP-750 PSU. I would recommend the 50GB SSD - it's not only bigger, but it's faster (better controller). TRIM supported SSDs shouldn't have any trouble with writes and rewrites. A lot of times you can find the bigger items like cases on free shipping sales. And no, ordering them online is not a problem.

 

[duk3]

IIRC installing a 5970 is tight in an antec 1200, not a 5870.

 

[Lmeow]

You're probably right. I swear I heard that fitting either an HD 5870 or HD 5970 was a pain in the Antec 1200, probably the HD 5970 in the 1200. Although either in the 900 or 1200 I'm pretty sure that the HD 5870 blocks one or two of the HDD bays.

 

[jahughes]

I've been looking a bit more into motherboards. I understand you suggested the 890GX, and while that is a very good card and you already pointed this out, it only has x8/x8 CrossFireX support. When the time comes around I'll most likely add in a second video card, and I would like that minimal extra 5-15% or whatever from the x16/x16 CrossFireX.

I was looking at some 890FX's for the x16/x16 CrossFireX support. Most of them seem kind of sketchy to me, feature some bad reviews, driver issues, spacing issues or are missing USB 3.0.

I was looking around on newegg and noticed this:

ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

This board seems to have everything I want, and a lot of overclocking features that I'll never use. It may be a bit of overkill, but it's a very attractive board with good reviews and I can bundle it with a 1090T for a tiny price break (although the 1090T is $5 cheaper at tigerdirect right now). Though, the lastest review on newegg implies there might be a firmware issue, which worries me a bit.

 

[jahughes]

As for RAM, I am going to stick with my 2x4 GB plan.

These two are the cheapest I have seen. They're actually the same price:

OCZ Reaper Edition 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3RPR1333C9LV8GK

OCZ Gold 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1333LV8GK

I think I'll probably pick the Reaper version for the reasons outlined here, even though I don't really plan to overclock. I am just a bit concerned since these 2x4 GB sticks don't show in the QVL for the 890XT I am leaning towards. Should I anticipate any problems?

 

[jbakerlent]

You'd be very lucky to get a 10% boost out of x16/x16, but if you want to go that route, I would change over to the 930. You can get a x16/x16 motherboard and the 930 for around $500 and it would solidly beat even the 1090T build.

 

[jbakerlent]

^Didn't see your last post.
Again, you don't want 8GB.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/memory-module-upgrade,review-31549-8.html

Here's a 930 combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.381166

 

[jahughes]

Ok so, cases:

Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

That looks ok. It has the top fan which I feel is really important and also comes with an optional side fan in the box. I'm not sure if I like the LED's though. I sleep in my computer room, so any kind of strobing at night might be a real problem when I leave my computer on.

Dimensions (L x W x H): 18.60" x 8.60" x 19.40"

Pretty sure those dimensions are in the wrong order. Looking at the images, this is 19.4" from the back to the front, which is what I would consider length.

Another case mentioned that has a top fan:

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

It also has LED's in the front and on the top. The front one has a switch to turn it off, but the top doesn't. It also doesn't come with the side fan, which is pretty sad.

Dimensions (L x W x H): 22.20" x 10.00" x 19.70"

On another site it lists this product with "Dimensions: 19.70" Height x 10" Width x 22.20" Depth". This seems to be inconsistent with the other case. So, I took some images of each case's profile, cropped them to fit and compared the length (back to front) and height (top to bottom). Both cases are longer than they are tall.

Antec 902:

Length X Height: 395 x 379 pixels
Resolution: 20.36 pixels per inch
Length X Height: 19.4" X 18.6"

Cooler Master HAF 922:

Length X Height: 413 pixels X 364 pixels
Resolution: 18.6 pixels per inch
Length X Height: 22.2" X 19.6"

So, it looks like the 922 is an inch taller (most of this is outside the case) and almost 3 inches longer, which looks like it should allow for a better fit for the Radeon HD 5870 I'm looking at.

I'm somewhat concerned about dust. I would categorize my computer room as dusty. From what I've read, neither case has really good dust management. The Antec has difficult filters on the front, and I don't think the CM has any filters at all. Aren't top/side/back filters important too? I'm kind of debating buying a big nylon net and just wrapping it completely around the case or something.

I can get the CM for $124 (before $10 rebate) from BestDirect.ca including shipping but before tax and the Antec for $170. So, I'm not really sure what to do, or if there are other cheap options that feature the size I need, front to back & top airflow, optional LED's and good dust management.

PSU's:

So, if I get a Radeon HD 5870 that requires two 6-pin PCIe connectors, will it connect using one 6+2-pin and one 6-pin connector? Most of these PSU's seem to have two 6+2-pin and two 6-pin connectors for crossfire, so I'm assuming I can plug a 6+2 and a 6-pin into each card to make it work.

Is installing a bottom-mounted PSU with the fan facing the bottom a good idea? It just seems really weird to me that it wouldn't face up instead.

The one you linked seems ok:

Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

It was ranked as one of the top 750W supplies from this database. The only problems I forsee are a few reviews about cable length to the motherboard, which might be a problem if I get a larger case. Also, it isn't fully modular, and has a ton of hardwired cables I will never use. Hardwired floppy cable FTL.

I was also looking at:

SILVERSTONE ST75F-P 750W ATX 12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

It was also ranked as one of the top 750W supplies from this database.

It is fully modular, but for some reason lacks a power switch at the pack. I'm not sure how much of a problem that would be. It also doesn't state that it is SLI/CrossFireX certified or ready, but it appears to have the two 6+2-pin and two 6-ping PCI-E cables just like the Antec.

That's the GPU support list PDF, which indicates it can operate two 5870's.

I can get the Silverstone for about $134 after shipping but before tax compared to $129 for the Antec. I'm not really sure what to do since there are no other good yet inexpensive options.

 

[jahughes]

This case doesn't look too bad either:

COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced Black Steel body / Plastic + Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Dimensions (L x W x H): 20.80" x 8.40" x 20.10"

Optional LED's, decent fans, seems to have more dust support is a bit roomier than the 902 and it's only $110 before tax after shipping. Some reviews detail grounding & panel issues though, so I'm kind of concerned about that. It's painted black inside, which I like.

 

[jahughes]

Best answer selected by jahughes.