Another first time builder

[Na8]

I Know nothing about building, but have done a little research and am trying to put together an average gaming pc that will be able to run new titles for the next year or two w/o upgrading (I'm not planning on overclocking).
Here is my updated list:

-Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm

-ASUS Sabertooth 990FX AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

-AMD FX-4170 Zambezi 4.2GHz (4.3GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4170FRGUBOX

-SAPPHIRE 11188-22-20G Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (OC Edition)

-G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

-Thermaltake Smart SP-530P 530W ATX 12V 2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

1. Are all these parts compatible?

2. Do you have any suggestions on better components (without spending much more) and why would your proposed component be better?

3. Is there any way I can get more bang for my buck?

Thanks

 

[obsama1]

1.) All compatible.
2.) Your PSU is inadequate. You will need at minimum, a 500W PSU.
3.) The FX CPU's are slower than Intel CPU's. I'd would get an i5 3450(if you're not OC'ing) or an i5 3570K(if you're OC'ing).
4.) Don't get the OC edition GPU. OC'ing it yourself is easy, and the OC from the factory is moderate.

 

[tsnor]

AMD FX-8120 is really not a good CPU for gaming. Thsi ref says i3 outruns it. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

Radeon HD 6950 nice. TDP of 6950 is 200W. Overclocking brings it higher.

G.SKILL Ripjaws X --> make sure you have clearance between the extended RAM heatspreader and your CPU heatsink on MB.

Austin DR-B300 ATX Max 300w --> seen any reviews of the PSU brand? 300W for 6950 based system is not workable. Try something like $45 antec vp 450 http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Antec-VP450-Power-Supply-Review/1487

 

[undercovernerd6]

best suggestion is
1. I-5 2500k
2. Z68 mobo
3. 6950-7870 gpu, if not go big or go home.
4. Corsair builder series cx 500w v2 80 plus bonze

benches show the 7870 being a few frames within the 6950, obviously running at 1900 res that v-ram is fine.

 

[Na8]

1.) All compatible.
2.) Your PSU is inadequate. You will need at minimum, a 500W PSU.
3.) The FX CPU's are slower than Intel CPU's. I'd would get an i5 3450(if you're not OC'ing) or an i5 3570K(if you're OC'ing).
4.) Don't get the OC edition GPU. OC'ing it yourself is easy, and the OC from the factory is moderate.

Thanks for the good advice.
Is there any comparable GPU you would recommend that isn't the OC edition?

Also,
would the:
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
be a good PSU for my build?

 

[obsama1]

It's OK, but you can get better quality ones. The regular 6950 or 560 Ti would suffice.

 

[Na8]

AMD FX-8120 is really not a good CPU for gaming. Thsi ref says i3 outruns it. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html

Radeon HD 6950 nice. TDP of 6950 is 200W. Overclocking brings it higher.

G.SKILL Ripjaws X --> make sure you have clearance between the extended RAM heatspreader and your CPU heatsink on MB.

Austin DR-B300 ATX Max 300w --> seen any reviews of the PSU brand? 300W for 6950 based system is not workable. Try something like $45 antec vp 450 http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Antec-VP450-Power-Supply-Review/1487

Thanks, Ill check out those suggestions. (and good heads up about the RAM/CPU clearence)

I now know that TDP is thermal design power (I just looked it up ). If my GPU is 200W, does this give me an indicator of how much extra cooling I need?

 

[obsama1]

Most of the time, GPU's don't need cooling. The built in fan, good airflow, and some case fans will suffice.

 

[Na8]

best suggestion is
1. I-5 2500k
2. Z68 mobo
3. 6950-7870 gpu, if not go big or go home.
4. Corsair builder series cx 500w v2 80 plus bonze

benches show the 7870 being a few frames within the 6950, obviously running at 1900 res that v-ram is fine.

Thanks for the response. I'll check those out.

 

[undercovernerd6]

oops looks like I wrote a response to your power supply wrong I'd go with the tx650 corsair, lol replied to a lot of people today.

 

[tsnor]

...I now know that TDP is thermal design power (I just looked it up ). If my GPU is 200W, does this give me an indicator of how much extra cooling I need?

You can use TDP to understand how big a power supply to use. Roughly electricity in = power out.

With the video card TDP = 200W, and AMD FX-8120 TDP = 125W you know your "Austin DR-B300 ATX Max 300w" isn't going to make it.

Video + CPU + 50 for MB, etc is about min power you need. If you overclock add another 100w. So min PSU for your setup is around 400W, 500W OC. All this assumes a good power supply, not a cheap fail unit.

But I'd steer clear of the FX-8120 for gaming. Too many reviews say is gets KILLED by a cheap i3 config using the same video card. For example http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-fx-8120-6100-4100_6.html#sect0

 

[Na8]

You can use TDP to understand how big a power supply to use. Roughly electricity in = power out.

With the video card TDP = 200W, and AMD FX-8120 TDP = 125W you know your "Austin DR-B300 ATX Max 300w" isn't going to make it.

Video + CPU + 50 for MB, etc is about min power you need. If you overclock add another 100w. So min PSU for your setup is around 400W, 500W OC. All this assumes a good power supply, not a cheap fail unit.

But I'd steer clear of the FX-8120 for gaming. Too many reviews say is gets KILLED by a cheap i3 config using the same video card. For example http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-fx-8120-6100-4100_6.html#sect0

Ah thanks for the insight. That makes a sense about the TDP. I got an updated list based on you and others feedback.