Need advice on my $1,200 Gaming Build

[DavidKenji]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Tomorrow BUDGET RANGE: With a monitor, $1500 would be max.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming -> Movies -> School

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Need all parts, completely fresh build

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: I'm into Intel CPUs

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes (in the future)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Need suggestion on a new 23"+ monitor for under the 1500 cap

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I am looking to build a PC that would be good to use for at least 4 years, with upgrade options. I don't care too much about "bling", but I like the black look.

These are the parts I have on my wishlist from Newegg.com so far (5/12/10):

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750
MOBO: ASUS P7P55-M LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Combo Price = $297.98

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
Price = $119.99

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Price = $109.99

GPU: XFX HD-587X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Price = $399.99

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Price = $89.99

Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Price = $99.98

Burner: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Price = $24.99

HSF: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler
Price = $26.99
___________
Subtotal: $1,179.90


Few questions I had about this build..

Is everything compatible? Any known issues with these parts?

How is the mobo in the combo deal? I am a little confused on choosing a quality one...

Will the i5-750 be sufficient if I were to add an extra 5870 in the future?

Do all 5870s have eyefinity? (Confused because there is another 5870 that is more expensive that has "w/eyefinity" in the title)

I am starting off with one monitor, but would like to add another of the same in the future. I would also like to hook my PS3 up to the monitor if possible. What 23"+ monitor would you recommend?

Is the timing good on the RAM selected?

As for the building process, is there anything else I would need to get other than arctic silver 5, screwdrivers, and anti-static wrist band?


I have only built one computer in the past, and that was about 10 years ago. I am excited to hear any input from you guys. Been reading these forums a lot for the past month.
Thank you very much for any suggestions,
~David

 

[jbakerlent]

Welcome to the forum.

1) Yes everything is compatible. Nope, good choices on the parts.

2) That's the one thing I would change. I'd recommend this motherboard instead.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

Although it is a bit more, it supports crossfire and is ATX. It also has some nice features like USB 3.0.

3) The i5 would bottleneck crossfired 5870s.

4) They all should - if they have a displayport they should support it.

5) I like these two
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001330&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

6) Yes the timings are nice and tight

7) You shouldn't need the AS5, the Hyper+ comes with a tube of thermal paste. You'll need a phillips head. The wristband shouldn't be a necessity either as long as you ground yourself on the case regularly.

 

[retrodebate]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/284717-31-1600-monitor-final-thoughts

Here is the thread about my build. Almost same price range. I am looking into the SLI also and might have to figure out what to do about the i5 being compromising the 5870's. Hope this helps.

 

[Eg Lawns]

I just don't like the ddr5 memory on the GPU

 

[DavidKenji]

jbakerlent, I think I am going to go with what you recommended and include the Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P motherboard and Asus VH236H monitor to the list (The Samsung looks beautiful, but doesn't have HDMI). This all included would bring me to $1,456 before shipping, which is perfect!

Last few questions..

Will that HSF be all I need? Should I buy extra fans or anything like that?

Eg Lawns, Is there a difference between a ddr5 and a gddr5? Some other posts say that they are the same when it comes to video cards?

Would overclocking the i5 solve the bottleneck issue with dual 5870s?

Lastly, would I run into any space issues with two 5870s in that HAF 922 case?

Thank you for the great responses.
~David

 

[jbakerlent]

I'm glad you liked those options.


1) Between the HAF and the Hyper you have all the cooling that you will need
2) They are the same
3) To a degree. There aren't really any processors under $1000 that wouldn't bottleneck dual 5870s though.
4) I would highly doubt it, but I can't speak from personal experience

Best of luck

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I'd move to this MoBo rather than the Gigabyte.....Don't see the sense of having Xfore and USB 3 when if you insert the 2nd GFX card, the USB 3 and SATA III are crippled. This board for $5 doesn't suffer that limitation

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.369221

Would suggest either a 650 watt PSU (one GFX card + overclocking) or an 850 watter (twin GFX cards ad overclocking). Price differences are minimal. See the ones in bold if your planning on serious overclocks ....the underlined ones will suffice for moderate overclocks.

For comparison purposes , the list below contains performance ratings (10 scale) at jonnyguru.com / prices as per newegg on 02/21/2010 and ones w/ double asterisks (**) made it onto silentpcreview.com's Editor's Choice List meaning they excelled at both electronic and acoustic performance:


Antec SG-850 - 10.0 ($220) **
Antec CP-850 - 10.0 ($110) ** (Would require case change)
XFX 850W Black Edition 10.0 ($185)
Corsair HX850 850W - 10.0 ($180)

Antec TruePower Quattro (TPQ-850) - 9.5 ($150)
Corsair TX850 - 9.5 ($140)
Seasonic M12D 850W - 9.5 (NLA) **
NorthQ Giant Connector 850W - 9.5 (NFS)
Etasis ET850 - 9.5 (NLA)
Silverstone Zeus ST85ZF - 9.5 (NLA)

Enermax Revolution 85+ 850W - 9.0 ($250)

Thrmaltake Toughpower XT 850W - 8.5 ($216)
OCZ Z Series 850W - 8.5 ($200)

NorthQ Black Magic Flex 850W - 8.0 (NFS)
Coolmax CTG-850 - 8.0 (NFS)

SilverStone Decathlon DA850 - 7.5 ($230)
Enermax Galaxy DXX 850W EGX850EWL - 7.5 (NFS)

SilverStone Strider ST85F - 7.0

Silverstone Element ST85EF 850W - 6.0


NFS - Not For Sale / NLA = No Longer Available

Hard Drives - Check out the performance charts and pick whatever 500 GB per platter drive performs best under your usage patterns. The 2 TB WD Black and XT from Seagate are good choice but at smaller capacities, you are limited to the Seagate 7200.12 or the Spinpoint F3. The 7200.12 excels in gaming, multimedia and pictures whereas the F3 wins at music and movie maker. See the comparisons here (copy past link in manually, link won't work in forum):

(http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/compare,1006.html?prod[2371]=on&prod[2770]=on)

Look at the tests that reflect your usage and choose accordingly.

Looking at the latest reviews, I'd take the Mugen 2100 ($34) over the 212

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=492&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=4
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=432&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=23

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142

I'd skip Artic Silver .... takes 200 hours to cure which can mean up to a year of normal usage.

See these threads ....might be able to get free if any left

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/280452-28-diamond-carat-thermal-compound-giveaway
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/282002-28-diamond-test-results
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/281732-28-diamond-results

And these reviews

http://www.hwreviewlabs.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64%3Amega-44-thermal-paste-round-up&catid=32%3Around-ups&Itemid=47&limitstart=3
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/thermal-interface-roundup_10.html#sect1
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=138&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=3

The mid tower 922 would fit twin cards but, if you have serious OC's in mind, I'd prefer a full tower case like the HAF 932 or Antec 1200.

 

[jbl91]

^ No Idea why you decided to copy and paste those power supplies...
Anyways, why does the Asus board not suffer from limited bandwidth??
Where can one purchase the 2100? Oh, and also why would they want to? It's the same as the 2000, and the 212 outperforms it so....
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2419&page=4