BleepingComputer.com: computer build

I'll be starting school soon and wanting a good computer for that and gaming. I'll be studying web design and multimedia so I know I'll need a fast computer, plus the games I play. Trying to get some help/info on everything is compatible and good enough for gaming and multimedia, and what else you think I should get with the set up. There is no real budget, but trying to keep each piece of hardware under $300. What can ya help me with here?


Graphics Card -SAPPHIRE 100312-1GSR Radeon HD 6950
MotherBoard - ASUS Crosshair IV Formula AM3 AMD 890FX
Processor - AMD Phenom II x6 1100T 3.3ghz
Hard drive - Western Digital 1tb 7,200rpm
Sound Card - ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1
Ram - CORSAIR XMS 4GB (maybe x2 and make it 8gb)
OS - Windows 7 premium
Case - Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-US-BA-WOPSU
Power Supply - Corsair Enthustiast series CMPSU--650TX 650w
Card Reader - AFT XM-35U

This post has been edited by tom5191: 07 February 2011 - 05:01 PM

If your wanting some higher performance, why not go with some good Patriot, Corsair, or OCZ memory? I dont know about micron, but a lot of their memory Ive seen doesnt come with heat spreaders, and in a performance machine those are a must in my mind.

the_patriot11, on 06 February 2011 - 11:21 PM, said:

updated memory with corsair 4gb memory. Thanks for the info about micron

Solid build for the tasks you mentioned.

Ya it looks good, and I really dont know to much about micro other then I dont see heatspreaders on most of their stuff and that is one thing I prefer. :D

This post has been edited by the_patriot11: 07 February 2011 - 12:31 AM

The memory Micron memory is used on my dad's Lenovo laptop which is working fine, the temp goes up to 51C when loaded.

what's a good dvd drive? Looking at this Asus DVD drive. And also need a SD card reader. Found this nMEDIAPC reader with 2.0 card, usb and audio ports. are these good or are there something better I should be looking for?

lol I tend to go with the cheapest available, course ive also been burned by these, but theyre also cheap to replace. That ASUS, quality wise should work-far better then most of the ones I buy. Though I have to ask, why are you going IDE? Why not SATA?

This post has been edited by the_patriot11: 07 February 2011 - 01:21 AM

the_patriot11, on 07 February 2011 - 01:18 AM, said:

I figured for $17 it was the cheap kind. I am going SATA; the IDE and SATA were right next to each other and same price I just linked one. I didn't even pay attention to the fact I picked the IDE one lol

lol I wondered if that was the case. It should work, DVD drives really are a dime a dozen these days, though ASUS makes quality everything else I dont see why theyed skimp on their optical drives.

the_patriot11, on 07 February 2011 - 01:18 AM, said:

Lol i like that photo. Also Asus makes nice DVD drive but unfortunately New Egg does not sell Pioneer DVD drive which they durable like my IDE drive which is still running strongly after 6 years of use.

If you still havent bought anything theres good news for youe plans. Your CPU the AMD Phenom 1100T's price just dropped from 265 to 239 in price. Now if you have time and extra money in your budget you may want to look into the bulldozer.......but the CPU you plan on using is great......especially for its price.

I would also suggest going with an AMD chipset motherboard since nForce motherboards are few and far between with AM3 CPU's. Also, consider an AMD GPU as there are several that are more powerful, and sometimes as or less expensive, than the one you have chosen. The Bulldozer line of CPU's are planned to be unveiled during CeBIT this year in early March.

Motherboard: MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 - If you are not planning on using Crossfire, this is a good board. If you are planning on using Crossfire the ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX is the flagship model and one of the best you can get. A middle-of-the-road choice would be the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX in that it doesn't have the same bandwidth on PCI-E X16 as the 890FX models, but more than the 870's. Like all AMD 8 series motherboards, this allows for USB 3.0 and SATA 6. $99

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100312-1GSR Radeon HD 6950 1GB - This card is faster than GTX 560 ti for about the same price. The GTX 560 ti is positioned somewhere between the Radeon 6870 and the 6950. Regardless, either card will work well in your system. However, you may want to consider upgrading to a full-ATX case if you are planning on using Crossfire or SLI due to thermal and space issues. $259 (Before $20 mail-in rebate)

I concur with DJB here, in fact I personally own the ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX motherboard, and am very very impressed with it-even with crossfire.

tom5191, on 06 February 2011 - 11:14 PM, said:

updated with new parts you guys recommended. wasn't really planning on running crossfire, but looking at the costs to do and it and to skip out on it, might as well get go for it.
Are there any other recommendations you guys have as far as making a fast gaming/multimedia computer?