Would like to ask the advice of a computer guru on here if what I have in my newegg shopping cart is:

A. Everything I need to build a computer

B: Is everything compatible?

C: Will it be a decent gaming computer?

And here is the list of things I have... drum roll please...

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

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

x2 HIS H575FN1GD Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

DIAMOND XtremeSound XS71 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ...

x2 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM

GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor BX80605I5750

x2 APEVIA CF12SL-UBL 120mm Blue LED Case Fan


Please note things that I have a x2 in front of items I am planning on getting 2 of. I would really appreciate some solid advice and knowledge on this. Thanks!

 

Looks good, but a pair of 5770's would be a bit better. The pair outperform a single 5870 in most scenarios, and are still pretty cheap.

Sound cards really aren't needed unless you plan on editing music or something. On board audio chips have evolved to be damn near as good as standalone sound cards.

The motherboard only supports a single PCI 2.0 slot, so no Crossfire on it.

This one is still a Gigabyte, but can run a Crossfire setup
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128409

Are you planning on using the OEM CPU cooler and fan?

Even though Intel's are the best performing right now, AMD is still the best price/performance ratio. Motherboards are cheaper and CPU's are cheaper.

 

Thanks for the info, as for the AMD thing... My mother has worked at Intel for the last 27 years, I live and die by their products. Plus, if I wanted to upgrade to an i7, she could get me one for free next year.

The mother board I have listed says that it has 2x PCI slots... here is the link... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128425

The page says that it supports Crossfire. Unless I am missing something???

 

Price / Performance ratio does not justify Intel chips... Yes, Intel has superior tech, but I don't see the point of spending 2, 3, 5 hundred more, when a cheap, yet sufficient AMD chip will more than do the job. Even a low end AMD dual / quad will be more than enough for high res gaming. If you are doing alot of video editing or extremely CPU intensive tasks, then maybe its worth the extra cash for an Intel.

Major drawback that I have seen for Intel is heat. They are notorious for running hot. I have seen i5's run as hot as 72C under full load. My AMD Phenom has never topped 47C under full load. If you intend on water cooling or getting a high quality heatsink, then this will not be an issue, but if you are going to plug in the factory heat sink, be prepared to deal with heat.

 

I would get a better cpu fan/heatsink. Something like the the Arctic Freezer Pro 7. That way if you upgrade the CPU you will still have excellent cooling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

I do a lot of video editing, which will work CPUs a lot. With this mine doesn't even break a sweat and I have the 2.93ghz I7. And that is with it running at the slowest fan speed.

X2 on drop the sound card, it is not needed.

Also if you are going to run 2 video cards, I would bump the power supply to 850 watts. You might want to look at the Corsair 850HX. The modular power supplies are nice as you do not have all those extra leads laying around in the case. Just use what you need.

PS - the original MB you picked, as stated above, does not handle crossfire. It may have 2 PCI-E slots, but the second only runs at X4. It needs to be at least X8. Also if it can handle crossfire it will also include a connection for between the 2 video cards.

Also, that is a large case with a bottom power supply mount. Make sure the power supply you get is going to have leads that are long enough for everything. I have run into problems before where leads barely make the distance in cases not even that large.

 

OP, do you have the prices of each item? I know someone in the market to build a computer and that sounds like an excellent setup

 

X2

The power supply you picked should be more than enough to run what you want plus some, People get hung up on the Wattage of a power supply when really a good quality 500w supply will actually run more than a mid or low quality 850w. You should have more than enough cooling even with the stock heatsink, your case has 5 120mm fans and one 200mm fan, the only reason you would need more cooling is if you were going to seriously overclock your processor.



On the whole AMD VS Intel thing, if you don't mind paying for it Intel is the best out there. Personally I never run AMD anything, for the same reason that I bought a Ford, and that is I don't mind paying a little extra for the best equipment out there. I would rather wait an extra month to save up the cash difference between the two chips and have the best than save a few bucks and have the second best.

 

I am buying an Intel chip. I like them like i like Ford, end of discussion. Raptor, at lunch today, I will try to get you priced for this, as it stands right now with shipping to alaska, it will be just over 1500.

I changed out the psu to a corsair 850, and the motherboard recommended above. I think that should do it then. Hopefully all goes wel and nothing has to be RMA'ed.

I appreciate all the info guys, thanks a lot.

 

If you look at the requirements for crossfire/sli use many show a minimum of 750 or 850 depending upon the graphics card. At home, I am using an 850 as even though I have a single graphics card, I am also running 2 blu-ray burners, 5 hard drives, 3 220mm fans and a 120mm fan, not including the cpu fan. 750 can do it, but the 850 doesn't work near as hard. No way I would try a 500 in what I have.

As far as the Intel heat problem, that was with the Pentium D. AMD also has or had a heat problem. With Intel chips, if they overheat they will slow down with no damage. With AMD, they will burn up the chip and the MB. Have seen pics of that.

 

I agree that there are cases that would require a bigger power supply, but the supply he listed is sli rated, and the cards are not super big, I think 750 will do him just fine.

 

I agree it might be okay now, but who wants to buy another PS down the road just because I upgrade one or two things. That has burnt me a time or two. Live and learn.

 

Valid point, if he is going to upgrade the graphics cards to something big, and or run more than 4 or 5 hdd, then ya he would likely need to upgrade the PS. I have no idea if he plans on doing that or not, I just know he asked if that would work for the current computer, or after he upgrades to an I7 in a year.

 

I don't know about you, but I always seem to upgrade. One thing or another.

PS, I checked the ATI/AMD site. Minimum for 2 ATI 5750s is 600 watts. For the 5950, 850 watts. So even if he gets the best they have right now, at 850 he is still good. At least until he starts adding other things like me.

 

I am constantly adding something new to my system, or just upgrading it a piece at a time. I found out a few years ago that its easier to afford upgrading when you do it one piece at a time. I end up doing a ton of research in order to make sure the part I am upgrading will be compatible with future upgrades.

I thought the 5750's were pretty good on power, I didn't actually look up the spec's but its good to know.

 

They're good on power and heat, but struggle with some of the newer games. 5770's are only a little bit more depending on where you look and they can play all current games with no problems.