$1200-1300 AMD Gaming Build. Criticism/Advise Welcome and Wanted.

[BumOnUrCouch]

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Approximate Purchase Date: Mid-Feb.

Budget Range: $1200-1300

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (WoW, Sims 3, & Skyrim at Medium-High Settings), Net Surfing, Youtube.

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, speakers, & hard drive

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country: U.S

Parts Preferences: AMD CPU / Radeon GPU / Roomy Mid-tower Case

Overclocking: Yes (New to OC'ing so go easy)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe but will not make or break my build.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Looking for great airflow. Doesn't have to be completely silent.

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Parts I've Been Eyeing.

AMD Phenom II X4 960T Zosma 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103995&Tpk=amd%20960T

^^Or, Should I go with... v.v

AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996&Tpk=amd%20fx-4100

ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157262

OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply (Just looking for a good modular, psu.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018

Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147060

^^Also, I'd like to max out the fan slots in the case so any recommended case fans would be appreciated.

Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Five 8mm Heatpipes Dual 120mm Fans
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106150

2x CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233186

Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441

SAPPHIRE 100315-2GL Radeon HD 6850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102959

HANNspree By Hanns-G HF225DPB Black 21.5" 5ms Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262011

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986


I think that's about it. I have a 2tb Hd already thats why I only listed the SSD. Not sure if I missed anything. Thanks for looking and if you reply, Thanks for your advise/criticism.

 

[azeem40]

Looks good to me!

 

[BumOnUrCouch]

Awesome. Only thing I've been a bit skeptical about is the PSU. I really have limited knowledge of good PSU's. So, if anyone has any recommendations on a good, modular PSU and/or a few good case fans to fill the slots on the Challenger? Feel free to post them. Thanks.

 

[azeem40]

The PSU is fine. [strike]However, if you want a cheaper but more "powerful" PSU, try the Antec Earthwatts 750W. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371051[/strike]

EDIT: Sorry, forgot you said modular.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Five 8mm Heatpipes Dual 120mm Fans
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835106150

I'd suggest going with the Hyper 212 Evo over the Frio - I'm getting to the point where I don't like huge, heavy coolers like this and am starting to prefer smaller, more efficient coolers like the Evo.

Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147060

^^Also, I'd like to max out the fan slots in the case so any recommended case fans would be appreciated.

Not a bad choice - I'm not a total CM fanboy lol but I have the HAF 912 and it's an awesome case for the price. You should really read this about setting up a good air cooling air cooling solution - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-airflow-heatsink,3053.html

It looks pretty good, but I'd really hesitate to recommend the FX/Zambezi/whatever CPU due to the BIOS issues and other problems. I'd suggest reading this about the Windows issues that FX has been having: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-7-hotfix-bulldozer-performance,3119.html

The 960T is an excellent choice - it's not a 2500K but it's definitely one of the best that AMD has to offer.

 

[BumOnUrCouch]

Sounds good. Thanks for the fast replies. I was looking at the CM Hyper 212 Evo Plus (which ever is the upgraded one). I think I will stick with the 960T. Great links also. I'm also interested in some high airflow fans that are decently silent. And also, anyone have any take on a better PSU that's modular around $100 or less? Thanks for the advice.

 

[BumOnUrCouch]

Best answer selected by BumOnUrCouch.

 

[christian_11]

ust bought about the same...runs fast..handles anything u throw at it
running
fx6100
gigabyte fx900 mb
16 gb of corsair vengance with fan cooler
xfx 6670 video
400r carbide tower
h100 liquid cooling
corsair 750 tx power
6 aero shark cooling fans with sunbeam controller
alot of custom cable i made
already had the rest like you
aoc 21.5 screen
wave wireless keyboard, mouse combo
5.75 tb of drive space
looking to get same video card your looking at in crossfire
spent a little less then 800 dollars for all on amazon
hope it helps a lil

 

[sudheer_suri]

Hi,

Check the below mentioned configuration which i am planning to build.

Cabinet : HAF 912 / Antec X1
Processor : AMD FX 8350
Motherboard : Asus M5A99FX Pro R2.0
RAM : Corsair Vengeance DDR3 4 GB (CMZ4GX3M1A1600C9) x2
Internal Hard Drive : Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM (ST2000DM001)
SMPS : Corsair Gaming SeriesGS700 - 700 W
Cabinet Cooler : Cooler Master Silent FAN 120 SI2
Processor Cooler : Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Graphic Card : MSI AMD R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC 2 GB GDDR5 / Sapphire HD7870XT
KeyBoard & Mouse : Logitech Keyboard & Mouse
DVD Writer : LG / Samsung