About to purchase

[tim333]

I am building a gaming PC for approx 1000$. I am planning on ordering tonight, or tommorow morning. I am in the US and I don't plan to do any overclocking (maybe a tiny bit in the future).

Here is my current build approx 960$:

Newegg.com - XION Onyx XON-303 Black/Blue Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Newegg.com - ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Newegg.com - XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

Newegg.com - Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Newegg.com - OCZ 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Newegg.com - Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

and cheap CD drive.

I have a couple of questions. I plan on ordering tonight if possible, and I want to check for any glaring errors: Incompatibilities, No fits, Heat Problems, or stupid decsions.

1) Will my Double wide Graphics Card hit the South Bridge on the Motherboard?

2) Will the 650 PSU be sufficient? I may consider a second of the same Graphics card in crossfire later on down the line.

3) Will I need any extra cables?

Any suggestions or recommendations?

Thank You.

[anthonee1230]

650W will be enough plus gives you a bit of room for upgrade.

No it will not hit the Southbridge, I have a 4870 and when I was using the stock cooler it had no problems with my P5Q Pro.

[Soultribunal]

Well, I'm not a Fan of XION cases, but that doesn't mean anything really other than personal preferance. I have no idea what the cooling is like on that one.
In my honest Opinion, I'd pay for a CM690 or the likes for better options.

Enough Cables should come with your Motherboard to hook everything up.
Video Card is solid, XFX is a good company to buy from, MB/CPU Combo looks good (I'm assuming you are using the stock Intel Fan for this?).

The only other thing I would think to change is getting a WD640 Blue/Black edition HD as opposed to Seagate. I am sure you will find a lot of people feel the same.

Good Luck!

ST

[punk_zappa]

I agree with ST, find a better case, perhaps a real case like a HAF. I used to have a XION case though it wasn't too bad of a case, cable management is poor and your temps will be a tad high.

So from here;
http://i40.tinypic.com/2rxej42.jpg

to here;
http://i44.tinypic.com/2w24yf9.jpg

[geokilla]

Looks good to me. Just to let you know, Newegg America has a ASUS 4870 for $130AR. And try to find some cheaper but good RAM. That OCZ 4GB RAM kit seems a bit expensive.

Are you Canadian or American? Reason I ask is that Newegg.com and Newegg.ca prices are very different, as is product availability.

[Realityshift]

I agree with Geo that ram is very pricey for what you get, and I hate OCZ ram to start with. Also I second the vote for a CM-690 over a xion case, much much better quality and air flow, theres no need to spend an extra $70 on a haf I dont think you would need it. Make sure you check pricecanada or other price compare sites and try price matching at NCIX to get the lowest prices possible.

[Dwayne]

OP is in the States according to his post guys, I am not sure how well it would work ordering from Canada... it would be interesting to find out from someone who has tried it, or at least looked into it.

Cases are so much taste that it really is up to the purchaser. I would make sure that a good site (like this one or some others that I go to) has at least done a review so you can get a good look at some other pictures and some reviewer opinions on fit, finish and build experience, not to mention any cooling benchmarks.

If you can fit it in the budget and after market HS and Fan for the CPU is a great investment, even if you don't try the overclock (but you've gotta try it!) Like the OCZ Vendetta 2 is not too expensive and gives great results. Many to chose from, again, read reviews and decide what you like! I trust HWC and other site reviewers to give me some insight into the products and how they work and I hardly make a purchase without at least reading them.

[Realityshift]

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

The CM 690 is only $10 more on the same site and the difference between the cases will be night and day when it comes to quality and easy of use, but it is up to the OP in the end. If your not going to overclock at all then I wouldnt worry about a new heatsink as the one that comes with that CPU should be just fine for a 45nm quad, im sure you could overclock a bit even with the stock cooler.

[TimTheEnchanter]

I agree for the CM 690 and about changing the seagate HDD to a western digital. Don't they have a better warranty now?

[Realityshift]

WD blacks come with a 5 year warranty, not sure about the blues I thought it was a 3 year but I may be wrong. Blacks are effectively 2x faster then a seagate and rival the older raptor hard drives for performance while being fairly quiet.