$1200 AMD gaming rig

[cser]

Hi all. I used to be a PC gamer, but haven't used a desktop for 3 years now. Decided I wanted to build a gaming PC and get back into it.

Approximate Purchase Date: Not entirely sure. I might wait for SB, but it will probably be out of my price range.

Budget Range: $1,200

System Usage from Most to Least Important: strictly gaming

Parts Not Required: keyboard/mouse, speakers

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: AMD

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Possibly xfire in the future

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Here's what I've come up with so far:

Case/OS combo - Antec 300 and Win 7 Home x64

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

HSF - Cooler master hyper 212 (not sure I'll need this, but I will be OC'ing)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

Memory - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303

Mobo - ASRock 870 Extreme3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198

HDD - Samsung spingpoint F3 500GB or 1TB (1TB is out of stock)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

GPU - Gigabyte 6950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125356

PSU - XFX 750watt Black edition (not sure this is enough for OC and 2 6950's)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207003

DVD drive - Asus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

Monitor - Asus 23.6" HDMI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112

Total after shipping is $1,199. $30 MIR's not included.

The only thing I'm worried about is the PSU not being able to handle 2 6950's plus an OC. I might drop down to a 6870.

 

[batuchka]

Err HD 6950CF isn't a power hogger by any means and i would say a 650-700W 80+ would be fine nvm a 750 one ^^

 

[cser]

Ah I thought the 6950's used about 280 watts each. Guess I might be able to save a few bucks, but the XFX 750 is only $110 after the rebate.

 

[batuchka]

 

[cser]

Unfortunately I'm at work and basically everything is blocked so I can't view that. I'll take a look when I get home. Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[batuchka]

Yep u are welcomed - for strictly gaming no intense encode/render/vid edit/compile i'd say the 9XX Deneb is fine

 

[jedi940]

Looks like you have everything under control. Excellent balance and good quality parts. If you want to OC, you will need an aftermarket cooler of some type.

 

[coldsleep]

Agree with batuchka. Your build is almost exactly what I would have recommended based on your budget/usage. You could spend a little more to get an 890GX/FX motherboard, but there's no real reason to do so.

If you're overclocking, you will need an aftermarket HSF like the Hyper212+. It's a good value cooler. If you find the fan too loud, you could always replace it with a different one.

And the chart batuchka linked indicated 509W total system draw for a 6950 CF setup. But the XFX 750W PSU is a very-well reviewed unit, having more power isn't a bad thing.