Need some input on new gaming build

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DonNagual

Posts: 2,385   +5
Hard Drives
Western Digital Caviar Blue SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 3.5IN Hard
$72.99 Cdn

Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
$117.69 Cdn

Processor (CPU)
Intel Core i7 930 Quad Core Processor LGA1366 2.8GHZ 8MB L3 Cache 130W 45NM Retail Box
$319.01 Cdn

DVD Writer
LG GH22NS50 Black 22X SATA DVD Writer OEM
$29.99 Cdn

Motherboard
ASUS P6T X58 ATX LGA1366 DDR3 3PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI CrossFire SLI SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard
$246.71 Cdn

DDR3 Memory (RAM)
Corsair XMS3 TR3X6G1600C8 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 8-8-8-24 Core i7 Memory Kit
$234.99 Cdn

Video Cards
Radeon HD 5870 850MHZ 1GB GDDR5 4.8GHZ PCI-E 2XDVI HDMI Display Port
$418.00 Cdn

Computer Case
Coolermaster Cosmos Full Tower ATX Case 5X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB Firewire Audio eSATA
$200.64 Cdn

Power Supply
Seasonic SS-600ET 600W EPS12V 24PIN ATX Power Supply PFC 80PLUS Bronze 6PIN 8PIN PCI-E 120MM Fan OEM
$99.99 Cdn

All being purchased from: http://www.ncix.com/

Machine will be used primarily for gaming.

Biggest question is the graphics card. I'm willing to spend the cash to get the best, but just don't want to be paying extra for something that is not worth it. Is the GTX 480 worth looking at? I prefer to go for one graphics card instead of crossfire/sli.

Thanks in advance guys. As always you're the best!
 
If you're looking at the best possible single card solution, price no bar, then the Radeon HD 5970 is the one I would choose.

Else the GTX 480 is definitely worth considering. It does provide better performance, albeit at a higher price point, than the HD 5870. You'll be paying a 20% premium for approximately a 15 - 20% performance boost.

As for cons, the GTX 480 is slightly inefficient having high power consumption and temperatures.
 
I'd echo Mailpup's suggestion regarding a degree of futureproofing (as much as you can do in tech) with regards the USB3 /SATA 6Gb connectivity, but would personally go with the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R ($224. The board seems to have excellent performance and overclocking ability.
The HD 5870 is plenty for most gaming scenario's -You haven't stated a monitor/resolution so I'll assume you'll be playing at 1920x1080.
One area of possible debate would arise from what kind of gaming (or what studios) you intend to utilize, whether you are a Day-One game purchaser, and if you plan on updating the graphics cards regularly.
A good percentage of games released are under nVidia's TWIMTBP banner, which affords nVidia cards a good playability at game release (go figure). For a variety of reasons this is not always the case with ATI drivers. The nVidia cards also offer better tessellation performance (if available in-game) if that is of any importance -most games already released show very minimal tessellation effects.
The HD 5870 is a mature product, while of course the GTX 480 is an unknown quantity to a degree, and of course more expensive. Both cards to a degree are overkill for 1080p gaming.
Viable aternatives would be the GTX 470 ($370, lifetime warranty?, or Crossfired HD 5770 ($310) if Crossfire isn't too off-putting.
The latest (and probably one of the best) card comparisons was published this week by HT4U
and includes a searchable head-to-head analysis (example GTX 480 and HD 5870 and HD 5770CF and HD 5870). The article is in German but the graphs are self explanatory and include virtually every enthusiast card set-up that is easily attainable.
If you plan on upgrading the card/s once ATI's refresh (Southern Islands) or nVidia's equivalent hit the streets then I would suggest , as I do for the customers I build for, check the second-hand resale value of the previous generations cards. Here in New Zealand, nVidia cards are affected less by depreciation than ATI cards for example. This may not be the case in Canada (or locally if not using eBay etc.) given ATI's Canadian heritage. For resale/upgrade value I also suggest getting a tier-one AIB (card manufacturer) with the longest warranty possible.

Your build as it stands looks good, and moreover looks sensible. Good performance/price points across the board.
Good luck with the build.
 
better mb imo asus has gone down hill grab this
and this PSU also i would look at maybe the gtx 470 since with drivers it will be around the same speed as the 5870 and use less power than the gtx 480. also look at this water cooler HSF to cool down your 930
you might want to change the HDD to this just for a little more speed.
as for the case thats up to you but i really like these case1 case2
 
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