Looking for Advice on This Build, Please & Thank You

[Mr Subs]

Hi,
My name is Evan. This is my first build that I have been researching for just about 4 months now. I am capable of waiting longer to see if prices go down or combos go up, but would greatly appreciate comments or advice that get me building this little monster ASAP.

GPU & RAM: XFX 5850 & G.Skill Ripjaws (1600) Cas 7

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 AM3 AMD 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

ODD: LG Black DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Case: NZXT TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series TEVO-001BK Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Monitor: Hanns·G HH-231HPB Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DCR 15000:1 (1000:1) Built-in Speakers

Keyboard/Mouse: Gyration GYM1100FKNA 2.4GHz RF Air Mouse GO Plus w/ Full Size Keyboard

Game: World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack

Power Strip: Kensington 62668 6 Outlets Power Strip 15 Feet Cord Length

Total: $1,575.86

If I got this combo I would be switching the 5850 for a 5830 which would make the total $1,490.86. Should I?

Does that power strip protect the computer?

Do you think I could OC like barely 10% or so with that 550W PSU?

Is that a bluray player? If not, could I get a recommendation for one, please?

Benchmarks show that the i5-750 is one of the top CPUs for WoW, so I was looking at this combo.

I would like to lean more towards Intel and nVidia because they appear to be better for WoW because of fps benchmarks and possibly less cases that caused screen tearing, but as for technical problems such as glitching nVidia might be a little worse. I believe the remarks I read regarding glitching were for older cards, though.

On another note, to take the short term and long term price down I think I would rather go with a 5770 card and the 945 Deneb CPU.

 

[dndhatcher]

Are you sure you want to play WoW? If not you can just download the free trial online and play it for a week or two to see if you like it.

I wouldnt go 5830, its not enough faster than a 5770 to justify the price increase. Either go 5770 or 5850.

If you are getting a 5770 then you could really drop down even to an Athlon IIx3 440 ($75) and get almost the same peformance. If WoW is the target game, then this would get you most of the performance for far less price. WoW is not a heavily graphics intensive game.

The Antec Neo Eco 620 is only $80 and has more 12V rail amperage than the Corsair 550. Both PSUs are good quality Seasonic products.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371031
Even with a 5850 you should be able to do a nice moderate overclock with either.

 

[Mr Subs]

Yea, I like the game. I have a lvl 70 character thats why I'm getting the expansion to move up to 80. I didn't play it my entire school semester, so I'm hoping I can manage my time and just play it for an hour or two every other night or so from now on.

Anyway, are you sure about that CPU. The game is really CPU intensive, I believe. I think the 5770 will be just fine for me.

Here are some benchmarks. They are very different looking.
PC Games Hardware-CPU benchmark for WoW
AnandTech-CPU benchmark for WoW

If I use a higher Watt PSU, does it use all that extra energy, or does it only use what the parts need?

 

[Somebody_007]

it uses only the wattage it needs a 550w will consume just as much as a 650w.

And why that mouse?

How bout this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823114004&cm_re=razer_lycosa-_-23-114-004-_-Product + http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153055&cm_re=deathadder-_-26-153-055-_-Product

 

[tecmo34]

^+1 on the keyboard...

I would go with this mouse for WoW... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153054

 

[obsidian86]

well if you wont run a dual card setup soon you could get a cheaper board or you should get a bigger power supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443

 

[Somebody_007]

and if you wanted to use the monitor speakers as speakers take this combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.392366 since built-in speakers really suck. You could also take the mouse tecmo suggested but I find it ugly .

 

[Mr Subs]

About the mouse: I just wanted to be lazy and point and click stuff, because with an addon I use I can set commands on the keyboard so that one click can do an infinite amount of things depending on what key or keys I hold down on the keyboard. Maybe the air mouse technology hasn't been refined well enough yet, but I thought it was a cool idea, so I wanted to give it a try. Otherwise, I had been thinking about the Logitech Silver Cordless TrackMan Wheel Mouse.

I really like that last combo you posted, though, somebody_007. I'll definitely think about that.

I really need some advice on the CPU and therefore, possibly the motherboard. I'm still kinda thinking 945 Deneb, the 5770, and both the Gigabyte 790X MOBO I have at the top and this MSI 890GXM-G65 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX. I'm not sure why I have a micro ATX board picked out, though.

 

[Mr Subs]

Best answer selected by Mr Subs.

 

[fastx21]

Yeah are you sure about that mouse/kb? I'm currently using a razer copperhead (somewhat older mouse) and it still works as well the day I got it.

But other then that you've obviously done your homework so there's nothing I would change about that build.


BUT consider a 700w psu or higher. You obviously picked an 8x 8x board so you would want that option to upgrade later.

 

[Mr Subs]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I think I will go with the

Antec Neo 520 PSU from dndhatcher's suggestion

Razer Keyboard/Mouse/Headset as suggested by somebody_00

GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX as suggested by obsidian86 to create this combo with the 955

I will put the list in a new post, since I already selected one of the many best answers here. This took the total down about $250, so I want to make sure my decisions aren't catastrophic to playing Cataclysm. This seems like it will be about just right. I am also looking for help finding a bluray player.

Thanks again,
Evan