So here is a list of parts I've settled on for my new build. I'm gonna try to not make this a "is this a good PC?" noob post. I'm going to go into detail for each part and exactly what i want to accomplish. This PC will be used primarily for gaming and game design. I'll also be doing photo editing and video editing. I don't plan on using eyefinity for gaming, but I am going to be using dual monitors for work. Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990XA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...rue&Keywords=(keywords)&Page=1#scrollFullInfo There's not much i can say about the motherboard. I just hope this is fast enough that it wont bottleneck my cpu, gpu, ram, or other parts. CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDZ980FBGMBOX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103934 I decided to go with AMD because it's cheaper and "more bang for your buck". I'm not worried about it running hot because I will be getting a case with good airflow and a good cpu fan/heatsink. Quadcore is good enough for me since im going to be mostly gaming and not doing a ton of multitasking. BTW, AM3 is compatible with AM3+, right? GPU: XFX HD695XZDDC Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150527 I was going to go with the 6870, but this one was only $50 more. I don't know if the 6950 is worth $50 more than the 6870? But like i said, I want to use dual displays, but not for gaming. And i want to be able to run the latest games and full quality 1080p 45+fps (at least). I also like the dual fans. I'm not too worried about the sound level because i'll probably mostly be playing with headphones, and i'd rather keep everything cool as possible to extend the life of my PC. RAM/Memory: (2X) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model F3-16000CL9D-4GBRM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231419 Since RAM isn't all that expensive, I thought i'd get the best possible RAM. I'm going to be going with 4 sticks of 2GB because I don't really plan on upgrading or needing more than 8GB. I want to go with 4 sticks to increase the access speed of the ram. That would make it so im using 960 pins as apposed to just 480 pins with two sticks. HDD/Storage; Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792 I wanted to get an SSD boot drive, but that was out of my price range. So to keep things simple and cheap, I'm just going to get a good, very large HDD. I just hope 7200rpm isn't going to slow everything down. I'm open to ideas on the best way i can do storage. I want speed, but i also want at least 2TB of storage, maybe more. Power Supply: KINGWIN Lazer Gold Series LZG-700 700W ATX 12V v2.2 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121077 Modular, 80plus gold, blue LED fan. I'm pretty sure it has enough power (according to newegg's power calculator). DVD burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 It's a DVD burner. What is there to say? Maybe I'll add a blue-ray burner in addition later on. Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Gaming Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097 I might change my mind on the case later on, but who cares, it's a case. How can i find out if there will be enough room for the side panel fan and the CPU heatsink/fan? CPU heatsink/fan: ZALMAN CNPS9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223 I wanna get this one mainly because it looks cool and has blue LEDs. Can you guys guess that I'm going with a blue LED theme here? Like i said, will this fit in the case with the side panel fan installed? Accessories: Probably another blue LED fan, a USB hub for the front of the case, and a bunch of cheap blue LED lights. I want to keep this whole build under $1200 USD. Thats not including mouse, keyboard, monitor, headset, and software. Also, I think I'm going to start with the motherboard's integrated sound card and later if i feel i need to, upgrade to a full sound card. So my question is, is this PC good enough? Where is there room for improvement? What could i downgrade to same money and still get good performance? Did i pick out parts that will all sync properly together? And does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks in advanced.
