Hi again everyone

the time has come for me to upgrade my gaming rig

i would like it to be fairly quiet when not under load, and not noticeably loud when it is.

The components i am thinking of using are:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 955 Black Edition
Motherboard: Asus M4A88TD-M Evo
RAM: Patriot G2 8GB (4GB x2) DDR3 1600mHz
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212+ with the stock fan replaced by a Nexus D12SL-12 Real Silent Case Fan
GPU: Asus EAH6870 DirectCu
Case Fans: 2x Nexus D12SL-12,one at the back and one at the front. All fans (including the CPU fan) will be linked to a fan controller, so speed control is possible
PSU: Seasonic SS-400ES

The case i still need to finalise, but it will most likely be a custom made, MDF based design.

i will probably NOT overclock the CPU, as most reviews managed playable frame rates without doing so

So, apart from the case, does the system seem ok to you guys? i know the CPU is a heat producing monster, but i am kinda on a budget with regards to this upgrade (Hence the Coolermaster CPU cooler)

The main sites i will be getting parts from are http://www.sybaritic.co.za and a local company http://www.computersonly.co.za

In other words, an affordable gaming rig that can play most games on maxed out settings or almost maxed out settings that is relatively quiet

Any suggestions are much encouraged and appreciated

Thanks

I can only chime in that I have a similar system and games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim run fine with the parts (Athlon 2 X4 640, HD5850). Was going for Bulldozer but the reviews had me turn to an Athlon 2. I avoided the Phenom 2 because of the extra heat with very little general benefit from the bigger cache. I also saved a few bucks by going with ASRock instead of ASUS, and in the regular size ATX segment I got better features for less although I did like my ASUS Llano motherboard. A few bucks less on the motherboard and a Thermalright HR-02 Macho cooler to go with that Phenom perhaps? Not overclocking I've been able to lower the core voltage by about 0.075V which helps a little. Something similar ought to be possible with the Phenom.

Perspective also matters of course, I built this thinking I'd be likely to replace the CPU+mobo already next year.

I hear they've stopped manufacturing these CPU's, so you might want to purchase soon.

If AMD is your cup of tea, I'd suggest getting an AM3+ motherboard. This way you have a CPU upgrade path. AM3 is at end of life.

Note that the lowest Sandy Bridge Quad core (i5-2400) can outperform the Phenom II x4 965BE using 60W less power. Downside is spending ~$60-80 more for the cpu and mobo.

thanks for the tips unfortunately, that Thermalright cooler is not available from either of those stores, and the Athlon II x4 640 is basically the same price as the Phenom.

Also, the AM3+ boards i can get are more than double the price of the Asus board i'm thinking of getting.

so, i guess i'll stick with the setup i put up i'm not planning on upgrading too soon though

now for the case...

Thanks