Building a new system would appreciate input :P

[Guest]

Hello, I have been a computer gamer for many years, but have not had the confidence to tinker around on the inside of the case before. I have some money I'm willing to shell out and it seems a better idea to build than to buy. My budget is around $1,000 and I've been doing alot of research on the internet to prepare me for my first build. My questions are with the components listed below does it look like they are all compatible, also does it look like with the components involved does it look to you like I'd be getting the most "bang for my buck" as it were. Thank you in advance for your input.

Case - XCLIO Blackhawk Color Full Tower Case - newegg - $130

MOBO - ASUS M4A890GTD-PRO/USB3 - Tiger Direct - $150

CPU - AMD Phenom II x4 965 Black Edition - newegg - $160

RAM - GSKILL Ripjaws 4GB (2x2) 1333 - newegg - $80

CPU COOLER - Corsair H-50 liquid cooler - Tiger Direct - $80

GPU - HIS Ice-Q Radeon 5770 1GB - Tiger Direct - $150

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200rpm WD6402AAEX - newegg - $70

DVD/RW - LG GH22LS50 DVD/RW (sata) - Tiger Direct - $22

OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit (oem) - newegg - $100

Memory Cooler - Kingston KHX-FAN Hyper X Memory Cooling Fan - Tiger Direct - $25

Total Build $1062 + shipping

I was thinking of getting another Coolmax CMF1225 BL 120mm fan for the back panel of the case for exhaust as I don't think this one has a rear fan included.
I should also mention that I'm a gamer but don't need anything more than 1 vid card atm although would like to add crossfire later...and am looking for the build to be functional/future proof, as well as asthetically pleasing. Thanks again!

 

[boiler1990]

I would get a better case if you're planning to spend something around that range. XClio is a cheap brand that doesn't use quality fans. The Cooler Master HAF 932 is a great full tower, as well as the Silverstone Raven RV02 (just got mine set up today; GPUs idle at 30C ). Both provide a lot of airflow and have great design/fan quality.

As far as GPUs go, I would wait; the new AMD 6xxx series is supposed to be releasing next week, so you can either nab a better 5xxx series for the same $150 or a better 6xxx series for a little more.

Since you're sticking with an AMD motherboard/CPU and GPU, you'll have fewer compatibility issues (if any) than you potentially could with Nvidia GPUs (such as SLI problems, which are known to occur).

 

[Guest]

Ok thanks boiler...will consider the HAF as I'd been looking into that one as well. The only thing I don't like about the HAF932 is the red color led's, as most components I have on the board and psu will be blue led's - just wish they gave some sort of option on that.

I also just thought of something...I was curious about the Corsair H-50, and whether or not to stick with that or go with an air cooler...since it might bring the price down some. I'm not sure if I'll get into overclocking but at some point I might give it a shot.

I'll probably wait as you say for the new GPU's to be released as that's pretty smart. However, doesn't it usually take a couple months for the prices to drop on the older GPU's ?

 

[boiler1990]

I wasn't much of a HAF guy (I love Antec, but their full tower solutions aren't too friendly), so that's why I went with the Raven RV02. Regardless, there is a Blue HAF 932: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213

The H50 is a good cooler (top ~5-10%), but some of the air coolers will give you better results. Either one will work fine for OCing if you do try it.

The prices may or may not drop immediately; some of the cards' prices having been going down continuously. My GTX 460s went down a little bit and have a MIR now...