First PC build

[Pencil]

Hi, For the first time in my life I will be putting together my first PC. Advice, comments and suggestions and changes are appreciated. I have a budget of $800USD to spend right now.



Case - Newegg.com - NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

HDD - Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Motherboard - Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

GPU - Newegg.com - HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity

PSU - Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

RAM - Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL

CPU - Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

[David M]

What is the purpose of your computer? Which applications will you be running? A computer is nothing more than a box for running software.

[Pencil]

Originally Posted by David M What is the purpose of your computer? Which applications will you be running? A computer is nothing more than a box for running software.

The most demanding thing I will be doing is gaming.

[David M]

Going down your list.....

Case - Newegg.com - NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Personal preference. Most all cases work if they fit the ATX specifications.

HDD - Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Consider a WD Black instead. They are more reliable and faster. Get a Black with 64 megs of cache.

Motherboard - Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
Consider an Asus board instead. Gigabyte isn't bad but Asus has a better track record. I have no suggestions for an AMD board.

GPU - Newegg.com - HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity
Nice brand but for modern games it is going to be on the slow side. I would recommend nothing less than a 5830 or a 460 for gaming. HIS and Diamond are the best brands.

PSU - Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
Good power supply. You can get away with the 650 watt version and save a little money.

RAM - Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL
The Ripjaw series are temperamental. I would go with the same specs and amount but Corsair

CPU - Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX
No opinion. AMD and Intel are both good brands.

You need to choose an OS and an optical drive.

[Pencil]

Originally Posted by David M Going down your list..... Case - Newegg.com - NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Personal preference. Most all cases work if they fit the ATX specifications. HDD - Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive Consider a WD Black instead. They are more reliable and faster. Get a Black with 64 megs of cache. Motherboard - Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard Consider an Asus board instead. Gigabyte isn't bad but Asus has a better track record. I have no suggestions for an AMD board. GPU - Newegg.com - HIS H577FK1GD Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card w/ Eyefinity Nice brand but for modern games it is going to be on the slow side. I would recommend nothing less than a 5830 or a 460 for gaming. HIS and Diamond are the best brands. PSU - Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply Good power supply. You can get away with the 650 watt version and save a little money. RAM - Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL The Ripjaw series are temperamental. I would go with the same specs and amount but Corsair CPU - Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX No opinion. AMD and Intel are both good brands. You need to choose an OS and an optical drive.

I already have Windows 7 OS and an Optical Drive.

RAM - CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

What if I crossfired 2 5770s, would gaming still be slow?

[David M]

Now your talking with the RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145251

Originally Posted by Pencil What if I Crossfired 2 5770s, would gaming still be slow?

It's hard to say right off the bat. What I would do is go to Tom's Hardware and look up the 2 x 5770 ratings (two 5770 cards in Crossfire).

It may be acceptably fast compared to a faster single card. Try to find benchmarks that are the same as your applications because the multiplying effect of Crossfire varies dramatically depending on which applications we are talking about. As a gross generalization, the greater your monitor resolution, the greater the Crossfire multiplying effect as well as the effect of which application.

Also Google for independent reviews that benchmark that particular card in Crossfire for different applications and screen resolutions.

[glc]

HIS and Diamond are the best brands.

Don't forget Asus!

Tom's just put up the November "best gaming cards for the money" article.

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: November 2010 : November Updates

2 5770's in Crossfire is no longer on the list. It was last month, I believe. The new 6850 and 6870 cards are both tied for best in their price range with the GTX460 1gb and GTX470. For a decent gaming machine, I wouldn't recommend anything less than a 6850 or a GTX460 1gb.

There are no SLI or Crossfire winners until you get up real close to the $400 price point. Also remember that there is an additional expense of a stronger power supply to handle 2 cards, and possibly some cooling issues that have to be addressed.

[Pencil]

Originally Posted by David M Now your talking with the RAM Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9A G It's hard to say right off the bat. What I would do is go to Tom's Hardware and look up the 2 x 5770 ratings (two 5770 cards in Crossfire). It may be acceptably fast compared to a faster single card. Try to find benchmarks that are the same as your applications because the multiplying effect of Crossfire varies dramatically depending on which applications we are talking about. As a gross generalization, the greater your monitor resolution, the greater the Crossfire multiplying effect as well as the effect of which application. Also Google for independent reviews that benchmark that particular card in Crossfire for different applications and screen resolutions.

I have checked in many different benchmarks and the CF 5770 reviews and people say that it is better than a 5850 and just as good as a single 5870, but others say otherwise and just get a single 5870. I don't know what to do. Also, what about the 6870? I know it performs a bit under the 5870 and cost $100USD less.