Is this build compatible?

[bmxer28520]

I was thinking about putting together a new computer. This would be the first time and I'm not sure if what i picked out is compatible and the best for gaming. here are the parts I was thinking any suggestions on different parts are welcome. thanks. Case- Antec DF-85 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Motherboard- ASUS Crosshair V Formula AM3 AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Gaming Motherboard with 3-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support and UEFI BIOS

Video Card- XFX HD-697A-CNFC Radeon HD 6970 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

RAM- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9Q-16GBRL

CPU- AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 3.6GHz Socket AM3 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8150FRGUBOX

Optical Drive- ASUS Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS

Hard Drive- Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Power Supply- Thermaltake Toughpower Grand TPG-1050M 1050W ATX 12V v2.3 & SSI EPS 12V v2.92 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been moved from the section Video Games to section Systems by Mousemonkey

 

[digitalzom-b]

Yes. It is compatible. But there are some things we will want to know.

A) Do you plan on overclocking? -- If so, you'll want a custom cooler.
B) Do you plan on doing Crossfire? -- If not, 1050W is very overkill.
C) Do you need a Full Tower? -- You may not be aware of how large a full tower actually is!
D) Have you considered a SSD for you Operating System? -- You seem to have a large budget, a SSD could make its way into your budget by dropping the PSU to 850w (if you plan to crossfire those cards) or less if not, and also reducing the case and RAM to 8GB (16gb is a bit overkill for gaming currently).

Also, for the CPU, might want to consider Intel for gaming as it seems to have taken the lead still, especially if you don't plan on overclocking. i5-2500k or i7 (most argue the i7vi5 isn't worth the extra 100 dollars for gaming.
e.g. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072 CPU w/
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265 as mobo.

Also, I would go with DDR3 1600, something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315 if you really want 16gb, or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314 for 8gb.

Definitely check this out for gaming benchmarks though:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4955/the-bulldozer-review-amd-fx8150-tested/8

AMD will still win in some aspects, but lose in others:

 

[bmxer28520]

First off thanks for the reply and here is my answers A-D

A) and B) overclocking and crossfire - not at this time because I don't know enough about them, such as how to do it. but wanted to keep future options open.

C) I most likely don't need a full case. I will look around at some mid cases again, I only picked it because it was the most most appealing to me and I never knew they were much bigger.

D) I have not considered a SSD for my Operating System till now. When you say that do you mean a SSD for the OS specifically and a Hard drive for everything else? and as for the 16GB of RAM i have a laptop with 8GB of RAM and wanted to feel like I'm buying something that's more upgraded and the price wasn't much more from 8 to 16.

My main goal is to have a computer that can do whatever I need it for and more. Games is the biggest part and the basics like watching movies and surfing the web

and its hard to pick the type a CPU seems like every other site I go to says one is better and the next site says the other is better.

 

[digitalzom-b]

To be honest, i5-2500k is easy to overclock, much better stock, and a solid choice. Bulldozer is too raw to be used to its full potential, and the CPU architecture probably won't bloom until it's next iteration.

A) If you don't plan on doing crossfire, definitely drop down the power supply to something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139023
This will run that card fine, but will not be suitable for crossfire, and to be honest, I always find a single card solution better because crossfire/sli can result in "stuttering" and instability, especially for an inexperienced user and may be more of a headache.

If you want more headroom for wattage for a future upgrade maybe:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139031

For case, something like this will suit you nicely:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197
I have it, I love it; quiet, great cooler, lots of room, and behind the mobo cabling room.

As for OS SSD, something like 60gb would be recommended for OS only (not the minimum, but what I'd recommend). However, it's nice to direct some games on there, so 90gb or 120gb is also a good choice (make sure it's sata 3). Something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442
or smaller.

The speed at which programs load and your system starts up is amazing. ~10 second windows loading and instant log-in and access to programs you put on the drive. The setup can be complicated though, as once you're into windows, you want to direct away default download/pictures/document locations to save space for the things you want to be fast. Also, there's some setting up to make sure it runs properly, but it's easily explained here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911.html

Best thing: dropping down the PSU and case means you can afford the SSD without spending anything extra!
Also, make sure if you go with an SSD, you have your BIOS sata mode set to AHCI prior to the install, and don't hook up the storage 2TB drive until AFTER you have installed the OS.

 

[bmxer28520]

Okay I'm rethinking some stuff now to bring the cost down a bit. Do you know if these two card have much difference http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150517 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150530

 

[azeem40]

The 6970 is a better gpu.

 

[bmxer28520]

Yes, but is it worth getting it over the other?

 

[Cla55clown]

For case, something like this will suit you nicely:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197
I have it, I love it; quiet, great cooler, lots of room, and behind the mobo cabling room.

Best thing: dropping down the PSU and case means you can afford the SSD without spending anything extra!
Also, make sure if you go with an SSD, you have your BIOS sata mode set to AHCI prior to the install, and don't hook up the storage 2TB drive until AFTER you have installed the OS.

digitalzom, appreciate all the helpful, expert info. I have a few easy questions. With the cases that have the LEDs behind the fans, can those be turned off easily if the lighted colors become distracting? What kinds of peripherals plug into a eSATA port on the front of the case...like a external hard drive? Finally, how is the process in bold performed or can you point me to a how-to on changing your BIOS sata mode.