Ready to build my first gaming PC

[Milkdud]

I want to build a gaming PC that will run BF3 on high as well as other games in the future. Here's a link for what I have chosen so far:
System Build - PCPartPicker

I already have 2 HDDs and an optical drive. I chose a 750w PSU because I plan to Crossfire at some point. Since I'm not sure what to look for in a motherboard, I wasn't sure if this one would be sufficient or not. I also wanted to know if there's any reason to get 8GB of RAM instead of 4. I'd like to be in the $800 range, and any suggestions would be great.

[David M]

Look here for Khalil's guide to the best computer hardware brands.

[glc]

That's not a suitable motherboard for Crossfire, the second slot only runs at x4.

Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

[Milkdud]

Great, thanks for the advice. I made the changes you suggested System Build - PCPartPicker.

I'm not very tech savvy, so I have a few dumb questions just to make sure I do this right. I'm just curious what you mean when you say the Gigabyte mobo won't work for crossfire because the second slot is 4x. I was also looking at Khalil's guide, and he seems to like Biostar motherboards. Since the Asus board is more expensive than the one I originally chose, would this Biostar board negatively affect performance.

Also, do you think its worth it to plan for crossfire, and could you suggest what mobo I should get if I don't plan to crossfire? I know I would downgrade to a 650w PSU. I just want to weigh my options before I pull the trigger.

Again, thanks a lot for the advice and sorry about the noob questions.

[David M]

Why not the Revolution at 2 x 16 lanes? Is it because it is not a Z68 chipset?

[glc]

Out of the budget range, David.

The Asus is more expensive for a reason - Biostar boards are okay but they are not top quality.

There are only so many PCI-E lanes to go around on P67 and Z68 boards. All the boards will run the primary slot at 16x, but what happens when you add a 2nd card varies depending on the board. The cheaper ones generally will keep the primary slot at 16x and run the 2nd slot at 4x. The better boards will run them both at 8x. The real high end boards (such as the Revolution) can run them both at x16 because they have an addon NF200 controller.

When you Crossfire, 8x/8x is preferable to 16x/4x.

I personally don't think Crossfire is worth it, it overly complicates things. A 6950 is a very strong card by itself. Board and PSU for a single card:

Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z68-V LE LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

[Milkdud]

Sounds good, thanks a lot for clarifying everything.