First Computer in 7 Years

[pcarroll0813]

Hey guys,

As the title suggests, I'm pretty out of date when it comes to knowledge of current technologies. This will also be the first comp I've built, so I want to run things by you guys first. Please forgive me if I've made any truly boneheaded errors.

My goal is to build a mid-level gaming system with a soft budget of $1000. Right now I don't have any specific gaming goals, since it's been so long since I've had a usable computer, but I'd like to have some room to upgrade graphics card and/or RAM when I need to.

Here's my build:

Things I've already bought/have on hand, so can't be changed:
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=cooler_master_932-_-11-119-160-_-Product
Monitor: Some LG 22" I got for $160, can't find the exact model so I can't link it.
Mouse: Some Logitech Mouse, ~2 years old, I'll upgrade it if it starts not working out for me

Things I haven't bought yet, so up for negotiation:
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03674&cm_re=amd_x4_955-_-19-103-674-_-Product
Mobo: ASUS M4A79XTD EVO ASUS M4A79XTD EVO
Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=sapphire_vapor-x-_-14-102-868-_-Product
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=corsair_ddr3_4gb-_-20-145-260-_-Product
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 750GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148445
CD/DVD Drive: Sony Black SATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118031
CD/DVD Burner: Sony Optiarc 24x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...032&cm_re=sony_optiarc-_-27-118-032-_-Product
Power Supply: OCZ StealthXStream http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010
Keyboard: i-rocks RF-6520 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...04016&cm_re=i-rocks_rf-_-23-204-016-_-Product
Speakers: Altec Lansing VS2521 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836113021

Total price: ~$1100

I have a couple of specific questions:

1) Can the Asus mobo handle a second HD 5770 if I buy one later?
2) Can the power supply adequately power a second HD5770 if I get it? (to me, this seems like a simple question of wattage, but I've seen some posts asking for advice about whether a certain power supply is adequate so now I'm not certain)

In addition, I'm open to more general feedback, including recommended substitutions of X for Y if it'd be a better deal.

Thanks everyone,
Pat

 

[Silvune]

1) Yes.
2) Yes, a good 600W PSU should be able to do two 5770s, and that OCZ is a good one.

You can probably get some cheaper RAM than that/RAM with better timings. Don't worry about going down to 1333mhz RAM unless you are planning to overclock. The Phenom II X4 955 comes with some good combos with RAM. If I was you I'd do a thorough investigation into what combos you can get, as you could save yourself a decent amount of money by doing so.
Is there some reason that you have two DVD drives? If you don't keep the Optiarc, and lose the other one. If you keep both of them, then I think you would need to get another SATA cable, as I don't think that motherboard comes with more than 2 SATA cables.

 

[zach538467]

1) Yes, it has 2 x8 lanes which is sufficient for two 5770's.
2) The 600w Modstream is fine. However if your purchase date is soon the 700w is on sale for 79.99 with a $25 MIR. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019

If it were I, as I am non-biased and only want the most bang for my buck, I would go with an i7 build. Here is one from Tecmo34's sticky at the top of this forum:

Tecmo34 says:
Gamer: $1,102.89

* CPU: Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I5750 - Retail
* MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
* RAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO - Retail
* HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail
* HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
* PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
* GPU: XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
* DVD: SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM
* Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
* Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

This build will allow you to play games at mid. to max. settings at a monitor resolution of 1900x1200

If you go to his thread it has links to all of it. Nothing against the 955 though. It's a great CPU

*Edit* And to get the same performance of your build graphically, I would sub in the 700w modstream for the tx750. I have the tx750, and its fantastic, but the modstream is a great deal. And you already have your case, so sub in two 5770's for the 5850. Thats what I'd do

 

[pcarroll0813]

Best answer selected by pcarroll0813.