First Gaming System (~800): how is it? + a few questions

[Guest]

Budget Range: 750-800
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming – FPS, web
Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, hard drive
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, others
Country of Origin: US
Parts Preferences: none
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 or lower

How does this build look, guys?

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk – OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
16.99

ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built-in Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059
179.99 (159.99 with rebate)

XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150477
209.99 (179.99 w/ rebate)

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
79.99 w/ $10 off promo (59.99 w/ rebate)

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
59.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.564585
COMBO
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
219.98

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.546483.11-147-153
COMBO
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
144.98

TOTAL: 911.91 + 10 Gift card (841 after rebates)

Is there a way to bring the build price down a bit without losing quality? close to 800 would be good. I see the athlon II x4 640 as a good budget gamer CPU in a lot of builds. Am I getting a better deal with the phenom II x4 955 BE or should I get the 640?

 

[MadAdmiral]

I'd actually look at the X3 450 (or other X3 4xx) before the X4 6xx. The X3's are extremely low priced, yet offer great gaming performance.

Something else to consider, though it won't really lower the price (assuming that board is in a combo with the other CPUs), is the ASRock 870 Extreme3 as your board. It's the same price as the Gigabyte, yet has functional Crossfire speeds (8x/8x instead of 4x/4x). If you don't want Crossfire at all, the ASRock 770 Extreme3 is a great choice at $75.

Other than that, you're looking at lowering the GPU to either the GTX 460 (no SLI available period) or the 5770.

 

[HeyImGodly]

gtx 460 1gb gets 100fps+ @ 1920 x 1080 res with 4x AA