Input on first time build? $1000 Gaming PC

resslx

Distinguished
Dec 5, 2010
4
0
18,510
I've never built a PC and I have very limited hardware experience. Lots of from-the-hip going on here. I've been scouring TomsHardware, AnaTech, TechReport, NewEgg, Falcon's Guide, and /r/buildapc for the past week.

My budget is around US$1000. I plan on using the pc mainly for graphic design and gaming.
I'm not sure about many things, specifically, what might be overkill based on the range of the other components. Go easy!

Here's a NewEgg list of what I've come up with so far.

CASE - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
I already know three people using this exact case. Having trouble finding alternatives.

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

SSD - OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX40G 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC
90% on using some form of SSD, cost and risks aside.

PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
Not sure if 650 is overkill, but I'm anticipating SLI down the road. Will it still be adequate?

Motherboard - ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Toughest choice, most variables, least I know about. I want one to support SLI down the road. Not many reviews on this board, but not sure about alternative.

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Another shot in the dark, customer reviews and price range seemed to match

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
4G seems enough, not sure how much difference 1600 really makes over 1333.

GPU - XFX HD-687A-ZNFC Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP
Looks like an excellent mid-range card. I feel comfortable with one decent card instead of two lesser SLI-ones. I expect to pick up another one down the road.
 

xurwin

Distinguished
Mar 7, 2010
459
0
18,810
cpu: change to a amd phenom II X4 955 you can overclock it to a 965 or higher with two clicks in the bios

case: a haff 912 or antec 300 would be more a good choice

mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=asrock_870-_-13-157-198-_-Product
this mobo can xfire and this has a lower price

here's a config

cpu:amd x4 955
hdd:samsung f3 1tb
gpu:his 6870
psu:antec earthwatts 650watts
mobo:asrock 870 extreme 3
case:haf 912
dvd:asus dvd sata drive
ssd:gskill phoenix pro 60gb
ram:gskill ripjaws 4gb 1600

total:$901.91
 

banthracis

Distinguished
If you're using any CUDA accelerate software switch the GPU to a GTX 470.

Asus gtx 470 $240 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121400&cm_re=gtx_470-_-14-121-400-_-Product

If you don't need CUDA don't bother with the 6870. Much better price/performance with a 5850 for $175.

XFX 5850 $175 after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477

PSU
much better XFX 650 w for $65 after MIR 80+ bronze, modular and has enough cables for sli/xfire in the future.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207007&cm_re=xfx_650-_-17-207-007-_-Product

Use Xurwin's suggestions for the rest.