New Build! First Solo Build!!!

[jojoenglish85]

Damn I honestly didnt think I would be this anxieous to complete my build. This is my first solo build. With this build I was very tempted to buy everything that was "new" on the market but stated think that its not always the best way to go, to achieve a certain goal. I want to play FPS and other awesome games that are in our near future. Below are the parts that I have on my parts list, (*) by the parts I have already purchased and are in my possesion.

- (*)AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz ...

- (*)GIGABYTE GA-990XA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990X SATA ...

- (*)Sentey Arvina Extreme Division Tower Case GS6400

- ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

- GIGABYTE GV-R695OC-1GD Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video(2X)

- G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR

- Thermaltake CLP0554 80mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

-750WAT PSU (Not sure which brand yet)

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I am very excited about this build and im just hoping when it is all set up that it will boot up. As far as drivers go, do you think i should use the cd software that comes with everything first then go to the main websites and download additional ones that may be required? My only other concern is that i won't have both video cards before battlefield 3 comes out, along with my two new monitors i plan on getting. My main reasons for switching wholely to PC is because im very tired of being out dated with consoles, even though they still look nice, it is old technology until the new versions come out ever 5-7 years. So ill stay up to date with my PC and play what I want at the highest settings possible. Also, if you have suggestions for any parts or something different i should try, let me know.

 

[abekl]

Sounds like it'll be a great system. I don't see any problems. I especially like the cooler you selected. As for the drievrs, why no just prepare a usb stick or cd with all the current drivers so you'll have them ready to go the first time you fire up the system after windows is installed.

 

[yo_yo2400]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

It's cheaper and I dont like the design of that cooler no matter how cool it looks unless you picked it for a specific reason like side panel then id go with the 212 its amazing. As for drivers the cpu should be recognized by windows. The video cards just use the disk it will ask you to update.

 

[jojoenglish85]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

It's cheaper and I dont like the design of that cooler no matter how cool it looks unless you picked it for a specific reason like side panel then id go with the 212 its amazing. As for drivers the cpu should be recognized by windows. The video cards just use the disk it will ask you to update.

Damn not that real pretty to look at, but it looks like it will do the job for sure. I have learned a lesson or two about spending the most money for something doesn't necessarily make it better lol. Thanks for the link.

 

[yo_yo2400]

Ooh and now that neweggs totally unblocked, was at school ill link you a PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182072 if your doing 2 cards. I like rosewill and it has a 3 year warranty.
You COULD get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044
I would actually reccomend it because their rock solid. Even so you would have to use 2 molex to pcie if its two cards. Id just do 1 molex on each. Good luck on your build!

Oh yeah I looked at that cooler too its cool looking. It probably cools well BUT your not doing a side window. 212 is just great cooling though and its nice and cheap!

 

[koogco]

Fancy looking coolers are usually more fancy than cooling.
Even so they should still beat any stock cooler, so if you want to show of with a side window its great. For overclocking not so much.

This looks like a pretty good build with upgrade path for both CPU and GPU. Make sure to get a good PSU: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
that link gives a good idea what is known and experienced about various brands.
750 watts should be plenty but not too much over the top for two cards (you don't want to be using less than 20% of your PSU too much of the time, since they have low efficiency below 20%)

 

[jojoenglish85]

~Update~

Just recieved my case, processor, and mobo

 

[Petrofsky]

For just a little more money you could have a 2GB card. If you want to get the most out of high-end games like Crysis, you want as much (many) graphics card(s) as you can afford. When I set out to do my gaming build, I thought I would get an upper-end card, so I got an 8800, which I immediately upgraded to a 280 when I saw how lame it was. That was almost good enough for a while, but the 2-chip 295 is better. I didn't realize at first how much difference a better card makes. I wish I had another one in SLI.

As for the cooler, if you're not overclocking, the stock cooler will do. But the aftermarket ones look so good they're worth it just for that. I love my Zalman rhapsody in copper and blue. Get the one you love the best just looking at it. They will all cool plenty good for stock speeds. If you want to get scientific about it, look at the FrostyTech site. Your Thermaltake is there, and scroll down for noise and temp comparison charts, so you can feel good about buying the one you think looks the best. It's good if it's quiet, though, too.