New to building; looking for a little help

[George87]

Hey guys, not only am I new to these forums, Im also new to PC building. I've tinkered with computers my entire life and know what most components are and what they do. However, just know I've decided to build my own PC (so I can get something with a bit more power, have something easily upgradeable, and not killing the bank).

Im trying to keep budget of close to $1000, but would love to play some high quality games.

Here is what I've come up with thus far (through newegg). Please comment on the quality of the build (keeping the budget in mind) and let me know if there is anything that I may be missing.


AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail -- $215.00

MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail -- $169.99

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail -- $159.00

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail -- $149.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM -- $74.99

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM -- $31.99

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail -- $107.49

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail -- $119.99

TOTAL (before tax and shipping): $1,028.44

[flanzig1]

I would suggest Asus for motherboard, the MSIs tend more towards the tweaker and some members have had problems with some models.
For the ram would go with Corsair XMS model and they are probably cheaper.
The rest looks good.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by George87 Hey guys, not only am I new to these forums, Im also new to PC building. I've tinkered with computers my entire life and know what most components are and what they do. However, just know I've decided to build my own PC (so I can get something with a bit more power, have something easily upgradeable, and not killing the bank). Im trying to keep budget of close to $1000, but would love to play some high quality games. Here is what I've come up with thus far (through newegg). Please comment on the quality of the build (keeping the budget in mind) and let me know if there is anything that I may be missing. AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail -- $215.00 MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail -- $169.99 CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D - Retail -- $159.00 XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail -- $149.99 Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM -- $74.99 Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM -- $31.99 Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail -- $107.49 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail -- $119.99 TOTAL (before tax and shipping): $1,028.44

I just sent back 3 of those MSI boards to MSI, they all failed one after the other, I have only had them for less than a month. Only reason you would want a motherboard like that if you were planing on using 4 video cards.
Here is a great motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131377
XFX is about the worst graphics cards on the market. I recommend you get an Asus or a Diamond both have great RMA and direct US customer support.

[George87]

Originally Posted by Khalil I just sent back 3 of those MSI boards to MSI, they all failed one after the other, I have only had them for less than a month. Only reason you would want a motherboard like that if you were planing on using 4 video cards. Here is a great motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131377 XFX is about the worst graphics cards on the market. I recommend you get an Asus or a Diamond both have great RMA and direct US customer support.

Would that motherboard work with the Phenom II X4 955? It has a LGA 775 socket, not an AM3. I was thinking of possibly going with this: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail . It's a bit more money, but I would be actually saving money by going with this memory (CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9 - Retail) as per flanzig1's recommendation.

I'll take your word on the XFX (as you probably know better than I do). I was just going by the reviews. But if the extra 10 dollars is worth it I'll definitely go with that.

In the future, I plan to buy another one and run them both with CrossfireX, will the PSU be enough?

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by George87 Would that motherboard work with the Phenom II X4 955? It has a LGA 775 socket, not an AM3. I was thinking of possibly going with this: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail . It's a bit more money, but I would be actually saving money by going with this memory (CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9 - Retail) as per flanzig1's recommendation. I'll take your word on the XFX (as you probably know better than I do). I was just going by the reviews. But if the extra 10 dollars is worth it I'll definitely go with that. In the future, I plan to buy another one and run them both with CrossfireX, will the PSU be enough?

I am sorry wrong link for the motherboard the one you linked is the one I was thinking.

[George87]

I have a couple more questions.

Can anybody tell me the pro/cons of running two of these cards via crossfire? I was thinking of possibly doing it in the future.

Also, with the power supply I listed above, will that be enough? Or am I better off going with the 850 Watt version?

Im also wondering if it would be wiser to go with the Antec 1200 full case as opposed to the 900 mid. Will I have enough room with the vid cards as is? I've heard people complaining of a tight fit.

Finally, I know some people have suggested running two harddrives (one for OS and software / one for data). How much of an improvement will you see doing this AND is it really worth it?

Thanks for any potential help.

[Khalil]

The 2 cards will allow you to crank up the quality to maximum on all games and not lag. The Corsair 750W is more than enough for those 2 black knights.