Going to spend around 700-800 for gaming pc

[sung715]

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
$145

MoBo:
ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$90

GPU:
SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$300

RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory
$76.50

HD:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$55

PSU:
Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply
$60

CASE:
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$45

CASE FAN:
Rosewill RCA-1204BK 120mm Sleeve Black Case Fan, 4/PK
$14

CPU FAN:
Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 Hyper 212 Plus 775/1156/1366/AMD/AM2/AM3 Universal Direct Contact Heat-Pipe 120mm Fan CPU Cooler
$26

Total: $756.50

 

[gkay09]

The setup looks pretty good,...

For your questions -
- If you want to buy SB, then you might have to shell out about ~$216 for the CPU and the mobo would cost in the range of the ~$150 or above(if Tier 1 brands) with x8x8 SLI/ Crossfire,...But not sure if it is worth it for gaming though,...

- I doubt it would,...

- No, x8x8 will still suffice for 6950 IMO,...

- Maybe with Crossfire later on and overclocking the CPU, it might hold for a couple of years...

 

[sung715]

Thanks a lot for your help,

I think I'll probably stick to amd. If there's no noticeable performance boost, I dont think I'd want to spend another $150 for sandy bridge upgrade.

EDIT:

I ended up purchasing my build, except I chose the sapphire 6950 over the MSI 6950. MSI doesn't really honor rebates so I thought sapphire might be a better option.

So final price comes out to $718

 

[sung715]

Best answer selected by sung715.

 

[gkay09]

^ Hmm, good build for the money, but what about the CPU Cooler ? If overclocking, I would highly recommend one,...
CM Hyper 212+
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-B10-212P-G1-Universal-Heat-Pipe/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1294201914&sr=1-1

Or this Corsair A50 with rebates comes to ~$18
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Air-Performance-Cooler-CAFA50/dp/B003IT6RDE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294201944&sr=8-1

 

[sung715]

Ohh I completely forgot about cooling!

I think i'll get that CM hyper 212+. Would it be necessary to add another fan to the other side in order to OC to maybe 4.0ghz?

I also noticed that I have 3 additional fan slots (120mm). But 2 of them are in the front for the HD, so those wouldn't help as much right? I might consider getting a side fan, but am at a loss to what rpm and cost I should be looking to pay.

Again, thanks a ton

 

[gkay09]

^ Dont get the AS5, it is electrically conductive, the one that comes with the cooler is good enough,... Spend that money on a fan instead,...

Fan - This would suffice IMO, 2 fans in a pack, not too loud, together move good air
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103022