Rig Eval and recommendations...

[hearthammer30]

Right now I am using an Aspire Aspire Barebones Desktop w/2 1GB Sticks of RAM. I have decided to move light years ahead. I have been aquiring parts for it since last spring. I am going to be finishing it off in the next few weeks. What I have so far is:
1. AMD FX 8 core Black Edition CPU
2. 890FXA GD70 MOBO
3. HAF 912 Case
4. 1 TB HDD
5. 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance 1600 RAM

I have the following question:

1. What size of SSD should I buy?
What I would like to do is get an SSD to run the OS (Preferrably Windows 7 64bit). I am not opposed to running a partition with more than 1 OS on the SSD.

2. I would like to know what GPU to buy under $300. I am Crossfire capable but I have heard 1 good is better than 2 mid range GPUs.

3. Is a 750W PSU strong enough for this rig?

4. What kind of a difference would getting the other 2x4GB sticks of Vengeance RAM to fill up the slots make?

 

[hearthammer30]

I have a simple question on this...
Is a GPU with PCI-e 3.0x16 compatible with my 890FXA???
I want to make sure I get the best GPU I can but it has to be compatible. I have my eye on 2 GPUs but both run 3.0x16.

1. ASUS HD7870 3.0x16 2GB 256bit Crossfire $259.00 sale price.
2. EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB 192bit SLI $219.00 sale price.
I know the difference between the SLI/Crossfire but I do not plan on running more than 1 GPU so it should not make a difference.

 

[jakewat97]

don't get a 660, only 660ti if you were.

Get the 7870 it will be fine.

750w can even be called overkill for that rig, a 550-600 would be more than enough.

Extra ram is not needed unless extreme multitasking is going on and you run 30 applications at once. I struggle to use up my 8gb.

Vertex4 or intel 520 128gb SSD's are very good choices

Also, what is your budget for all this?

 

[hearthammer30]

Just pulled the trigger on a Corsair modular 750W PSU before I got the above tip and got a good deal on an OCZ 120GB SSD. Based on your recc. I'll probably hold off on the extra RAM.

That leaves a monitor (or 2), GPU and Mouse Keyboard combo. As for Operating System, is Windows 7 64bit a good choice? What is the diff between Windows 7 and Windows 8?