Seeking constructive criticism

[exjuan_valdez]

This is my first build in a very long time( in technology standards at least). I was hoping I could get some feedback from the experts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 975 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMG-3000 74.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($107.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: CoolMax 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Saitek Cyborg V5 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($48.99 @ Mac Mall)
Total: $1406.86
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

The reason I went with the 750w PS is that I might(probably) want to crossfire two of those GTX 670s in the future. Oh, and I would have like to have swapped out the 975 cpu for a 1100T but unfortunately the only place i could find any was at NCIX on back order. Thanks for all your input.

 

[Niklas_13]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/b3hD

 

[GI_JONES]

I doubt if you could crossfire with that power supply. It isnt a very good one, and in reality puts out less than 500 watts. Do yourself a favor and get an Antec,XFX,Corsair,OCZ, PC Power & Cooling or Seasonic unit. Other than that it looks good. Also, you dont need 16Gb of ram for gaming. 8Gb is more than enough. With the 16Gb, you will have literally 8 or 9Gb just sitting on your board unused. Drop back to 8Gb and use the savings for a better PSU

 

[exjuan_valdez]

I doubt if you could crossfire with that power supply. It isnt a very good one, and in reality puts out less than 500 watts. Do yourself a favor and get an Antec,XFX,Corsair,OCZ, PC Power & Cooling or Seasonic unit. Other than that it looks good. Also, you dont need 16Gb of ram for gaming. 8Gb is more than enough. With the 16Gb, you will have literally 8 or 9Gb just sitting on your board unused. Drop back to 8Gb and use the savings for a better PSU

Thanks! Does this seem like a better setup?


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($192.14 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMG-3000 74.2 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($107.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($399.00 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Saitek Cyborg V5 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($48.99 @ Mac Mall)
Total: $1542.01
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

I also switched out to the 975 cpu for the 1100T that i really wanted. I just don't know if it's too late to get it.

 

[azeem40]

Yes, but for $50 less, get the TX750 V2. That PSU is overpriced. Get the i5-2500k and Z68 Extreme3. That Phenom build is greatly outperformed and outclassed by an i3-2100 even.

 

[dudewitbow]

once you hit the 180$ price line, its better to utilize an i5 processor.


if you use an extreme3 mobo

if your on a budget and rather use a pro3

doing price shaving for you to magically fit in an i5-2500k

 

[exjuan_valdez]

Yes, but for $50 less, get the TX750 V2. That PSU is overpriced. Get the i5-2500k and Z68 Extreme3. That Phenom build is greatly outperformed and outclassed by an i3-2100 even.

While you are right in comparing the Phenom to an i3. I am keeping that mobo for many reasons. One being the am3+ chipset. I am curious to see what amd rolls out next in it's bulldozer line up. I figure it should be pretty good. I appreciate your sincerity though.

 

[GI_JONES]

There is no gaming benefit from the 6 core Phenom. You are better off with the PhenomII X4 975 you picked originally

 

[azeem40]

^+1. Games are now just starting to utilize 4 cores (i.e, BF3), so it will be a good 5+ years before 6 cores are utilized.