New Gaming Computer V3(Final)

[so1dier]

Alright, this is hopefully my final build. I still want critiques on all the parts, and links or suggestions on better pieces or brand names for pieces.

I will have enough money to buy this machine this Friday, so all I need to do is finish touching up this build and I'll be ready.

I believe the graphics card was measured at 11 and 1/8 inches on a tech video. I've looked at case lengths and I'm not sure where to find the actual length available for the graphics card, just the length of the case overall. I'm not sure if there is a common tech knowledge I don't know about like (case length) - (x inches) = (graphics slot length) but it would be cool if you guys can help me determine if my case will work for the XFX 5870 XXX card.



New Computer
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Operating System
Windows 7 Home Premium

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

Processor
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

Graphics Card
XFX HD-587X-ZNDC Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) XXX Edition 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX

Memory
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory

Hard Drive
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Power Supply
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power
Other Power Supply(If it comes back in stock)
Seventeam ST-750ZAF 750W ATX 12V V2.2 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Two Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Backup Case(If the video card can't fit in the first case)
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


Below this line is just fillers, I'd like to get Razor brand mouse/keyboard and a Sennheiser headset in the future but I'm not buying them this Friday. You can leave comments on these if you'd like.
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Keyboard
Razer Lycosa Mirror Special Edition

Mouse
Razer Orochi

Mouse pad
Razer Sphex

Headset
Sennheiser PC 350
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Concerns/Questions:
-Will my video card fit in my case? (The 5870 was measured at 11 1/8 inches in a tech youtube video).
-Is Seventeam a quality brand? I saw a list of quality PSU's and it said anything greater then 650w is quality from Seventeam and their PSU's that are less than 650w aren't.

 

[MadAdmiral]

First, a 8xx chipset is a waste of money. All it gives you is the ability to drop in a six core CPU without a BIOS upgrade (which either comes with a new board or is free). I recommend getting the Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4.

Second, the 965 is a waste of money. Get the 955 instead, as they're the same CPU, just the 965 has a slight factory overclock. Here's a good combo: X4 955 and Gigabyte GA-790XTA-UD4.

Thrid, the GPU will fit in the 902.

Fourth, I'd stick to the major brands (Corsair, Antec, Silverstone, SeaSonic). Here's a good combo: Antec 902 and TruePower 750W $180 after rebate.

 

[so1dier]

I'm not sure what you are saying about an 8xx chipset(or what it is), cause I can't find it on the specs, but the motherboard you linked me costs more(waste of money?), which isn't that bad considering its in a nice combo.


I have been terrible at looking for combos, pretty much cause I want to make sure I get a good brand over a combo and in version 1 of my computer I picked brands that weren't as popular, like a rosewill power supply.

I'm not sure it will matter but the motherboard you linked has a slower North / South bridge. The reason I chose the 3.4 GHz processor is because I'm not sure how overclocking works, I figured if I spent the few extra dollars the system will adjust automatically instead of me having to change the northbridge speed/multiplier + voltages.

Again nice combo at the end, I'll probably switch to that. If you have any more advice or combos or can explain to me how the AMD 3.2GHz/3.4GHz works and can assure me I'll be good getting the cheaper one I'll definitely switch.

(I was watching a video on youtube showing you how the company does something called binning, assuring a product will run at a higher speed more effectively, that is another reason I'm somewhat afraid to switch from the 3.4 GHz AMD to the 3.2GHz one. I don't want to ware down the processor as fast if overclocking is going to do that.)

 

[so1dier]

I'm also looking for a nice monitor, preferably 1920x1080 if you happen to see a combo with that. I'll keep looking.

 

[MadAdmiral]

The board I linked to would be ideal if you wanted to Crossfire (unlike the one you choose). If you don't want to be able to Crossfire, the Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 would be good (it's cheaper).

The 8xx chipsets cost more when you compare boards that have equivalent specs. What I was saying was that the 8xx boards come ready to use a six core CPUs. The other chipsets may require an update to the BIOS, which is free.

Overclocking doesn't wear down the CPU faster. Besides, when was the last time you've heard of a CPU failing? The HDD and other parts are much more likely to wear out before the CPU.

I would check out some overclocking guides. It's not difficult to do, especially if you're not trying for an excessive clock speed.

I don't know of any good monitor combos. Asus's 23" 1920x1080 monitor is great at $180 after rebate (I don't have the link right now).

 

[so1dier]

These are the combos I could find, if I want to sacrifice loosing what I already chose to save money or possibly get better performance.

1st combo with case
Case combo 1
or
Case combo 2
(I loose the corsair brand name for this combo. How do you guys feel about antec?)
Original Corsair PSU

2nd combo with Processor
Processor combo, 3.2GHz instead of 3.4GHz
(I have to buy a little bit more expensive gigabyte motherboard and slower processor. The gigabyte motherboard also has a little bit slower North bridge and South bridge.)
Original motherboard and Processor

2nd combo with Video Card
Video Card combo 1
or
Video Card combo 2
or
Video Card combo 3
(I loose XFX 5870 XXX edition card for an HIS brand card which I heard bad things about, but I could get a good deal on a monitor.)
Original Video Card


These are the combos I could find, a lot of people are suggesting to just get the 3.2GHz processor to save money, and I figure I will cause I can always change the multiplier later. I'm not sure if these combos are worth it, so I'll let you guys comment on them.

 

[kyle382]

antec is a fairly solid company. Ur links are broked. epic fail

jk

 

[so1dier]

Fixed

 

[MadAdmiral]

The second case combo (the TruePower) is a very good price for that case and PSU.

I'll point out that the CPU/board combo includes a board that allows Crossfire, while the board you choose wouldn't. Here's another combo that has a board that won't Crossfire: X4 955 and Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3. The 955 and 965 are the same chip, just the 965 has a factory overclock. I'd save the few bucks and do it yourself.

Any of those GPU/monitor combos would be good. Brand really doesn't matter for the new 5xxx cards at this point. The only thing you're really losing is XFX's "double lifetime" warranty.

 

[so1dier]

Ok, all I need is a monitor and my build is set.
What do you think of This?

I would like quality picture, quick response time, everything that is good for gaming, and a monitor that just works like it is supposed to, no bleeding around the edges, or dead pixels. So I figure if I'm going to invest money into a nice computer I should spend enough money to get a good monitor too.

 

[MadAdmiral]

It's really not that good. It's only 1600x1200, 35 ms and $3,000. You can get better gaming monitors for around $200. Like this Asus 24" 1080p.