Compatability/Suggestions for Improvement: First time builder

[hoppenburger]

Building my first rig ever, and I think I've got all the parts figured out.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the month

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Photoshop, etc.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Speakers, Keyboard, Mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg is the only one I've checked, but if I get better deals elsewhere...

OVERCLOCKING: Yes, as much as I can with air

CROSSFIRE: In the future, possibly

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Thinking about this one, but not sure....
ASUS VH222H Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen 16:9 Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor Built in Speakers 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR20000:1) w/ SPDIF out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236053

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I plan on shopping locally for the case, PSU, and maybe the monitor too. How big of a PSU should I get for this, and how big of a monitor will it support easily?


DVD: Pioneer 20X CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-217DBK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129038

Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

 

[batuchka]

Hmm 24" is doable and for PSU perhaps Corsair 650TX?

 

[hoppenburger]

No compatibility issues, then? And is this a good setup?

 

[dravis12]

I just purchased that ASUS monitor, and it is beautiful. Cant speak for it's longevity because I've only owned it for a week, but no problems so far. I have not tried the HDMI. I thought moving from a 16:10 to a 16:9 ratio would seem weird but i adjusted quickly. HD movies look gorgeous. I recommend it.

The rest of the parts look solid. Only thing i noticed is that the RAM doesn't explicitly state it is supported on AMD platforms. A little digging and I read that some people have trouble getting it "up to speed". It is likely that when you first power on your system it will run at 800 MHz @ 1.8V and you will have to turn up the voltage/speed in the BIOS.
If you are looking to save a little money then get some DDR2 800 RAM and just overclock it. Most brands guarantee some amount of OCing, for example OCZ platinum series is guaranteed to run at 2.2V. But thats up to you.

One thing I recommend doing, especially if you plan on overclocking, is to get a good CPU cooler. My pick: the zalman 9700/9500

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

This one fits AMD and Intel processors and is generally accepted as one of the best CPU coolers in its class.

My last recommendation is to not skimp on a power supply. Spend >$100 at least and get a good brand. More than once I've seen one of my friends get the "value" brand PSU and have it fry their system 2 weeks later.

To answer your question "is this a good setup?", I would say definitely. Though I am not an AMD man myself, that processor has a great rep. Your graphics card should be able to handle just about anything, and with 1GB of ram you will really be able to crank up the AA.