Good build?

[FoldingZebra]

Hey guys, I am putting together a build I want to do by the end of the year. Mind taking a look and letting me know if I created a bottleneck or anything? Thanks

MSI MoBo - 144.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130565

DVDRW - 17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135204

Tower - 139.99 (Full Tower because I plan on water cooling after I build it)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119160

HDD 39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136770

Graphics Card - 289.99 (Can unclock to 6970) x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150518

PSU - 169.99 (1000W to power crossfire + water cooling)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817171049

Memory 8GB (2x4GB) 81.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817171049

CPU (Black Edition for OC) 139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103808

Total Price: $1,454.96 after tax and shipping. (not counting rebates)

How is that?

 

[MadAdmiral]

None of your links work. Try putting it like: " [ url = " HTML address "]" text to display "[ / url ]", without the quotes and spaces. For example: [ url = http://newegg.com/whatever ]MSI Mobo[ / url ] would be MSI mobo. Without the links, or at least the full HTML in the BBCode, you won't get much help because it's extremely annoying to look at the parts.

Here's what I can tell you. Spending $1,455 on an AMD build is stupid right now. If you made some tweaks, you could easily get a Sandy Bridge build, which would be 50-75% more powerful (even more after OCing), for the same price. So I'll give you two sets of advice.

First, how to change the AMD build.

Mobo: Not a good choice. The ASRock 870 Extreme3 is basically the same, but $63 cheaper. No reason to pay more than you have to for a soon-to-be obsolete socket.

PSU: Horrible, horrible choice. First, 1000W is massive overkill (you don't even need 850W for dual GTX 580s). Second, Coolermaster is not a quality brand for PSUs. Instead, get this SeaSonic 850W for $125, saving $57. It's extremely high quality. You'll need to find a power cord for it.

HDD: Another horrible choice. That old WD Caviar Blue 320 GB (which is $50) is really slow and really expensive. Instead, grab the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB for $65. You could get the 500 GB model instead, but you'd only save $7. So the 1 TB adds $15 to the cost.

Case: Typically not a bad choice, but the HAF 932 is really expensive right now. It was just $120 a few weeks ago. It's $170 now with shipping. Instead, grab the HAF 922 for $90 (after rebate). They're basically the same case.

RAM: The RAM "link" goes to the PSU, so I can't see the exact sticks. However, it should be these G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 9 sticks for $75 (after promo), saving $7.

GPU: Not a bad choice of models, but there is very little technical difference in all the different brands and models. So why pay more than you have to? Here's a 6950 for $245 (after rebate) with a $10 gift card. Not counting the gift cards, that saves $18.

So all of that will save you $210 (compared after all applicable rebates, promos and listed shipping costs), if my math is right. That money should be used to upgrade to the following:

CPU/HSF: i5-2500K and Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B $255 after shipping
Mobo: ASRock P67 Extreme4 $150ish (not re-released yet) or Asus P8P67 Pro $170-190 (good luck finding it in stock)

The ASRock option puts you at $175 moreover the X4 955 (no HSF, otherwise it'd only be $140 more) and ASRock 870. You could even try to squeeze in the i7-2600K (with the Mugen) for another $107.

I wouldn't bother with liquid cooling. It's really expensive if you do it right, and can be a near disaster if you do it cheap. Besides, it doesn't offer any better cooling than the best air cooling system (like with the Scythe Mugen).

 

[FoldingZebra]

So the AM3 is going to die soon? Can I upgrade later with an i5 socket?

Does the intel sandy bridge i5 out perform in games? Guess I'' have to read some benchmarks.

On the power supply ~ I have an 850W Antec TruePower Quattro. I was reading that 2 card in crossfire + overclocking would not work on 850W. I really dont understand the PSU wattage I guess. So without the PSU the and switching to a smaller case, the price is about the same. I have not built a machine in over 3 years, and just after I did, AMD looked like the better option. Like I said, I will have to read up I guess.

 

[MadAdmiral]

AM3 is going to die when the Bulldozer CPUs and the accompanying AM3+ socket is released.

There will be some upgrades possible with the LGA1155 socket. The only upgrade that's available right now is the i7-2600K, but the sockets only been out a few weeks. I don't think you'd ever actually have to upgrade it though. The CPUs performing insanely well.

The i5 is a lot better in all applications than the X4 955. The CPU isn't that important for gaming, but your GPU should never be bottlenecked by the i5. In games, the i5 can be anywhere from only 5% more powerful to 50%+, depending on the exact game and exact settings.

850W is simply a massive PSU right now. The majority of mid-range and high end cards can be SLIed or Crossfired on only a 650W unit. The only card that "needs" an 850W is the GTX 580, as it pushed 750W at max load. The 850W will provide plenty of headroom for overclocking or aging.

 

[FoldingZebra]

Best answer selected by FoldingZebra.