[Build] Less features & Price but same performance?

[Pocket]

I've been doing some thinking, And realized I'm probably not going to need/use most of the features that come with The original motherboard I planned on buying. I talked to a friend and he suggested This motherboard, However I'm pretty much oblivious to what the difference between the two actually is, except for the fact that some guy was complaining it didn't work with C3 stepping CPU's (which is the same kind of CPU I'll be buying), and if there is a more sensible route to take.

I was originally going to post this in the motherboards forum, but I've figured Another opinion / revisitation of the entire build wouldn't hurt.

Here's what I plan on buying:
PSU - CORSAIR 750TX
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955BE
RAM - OCZ AMD Black Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600
MOBO - MSI AM3 790FX
GPU - I have an 8600 GTS That I am happy with for now, It will hold me over until I can afford a more powerful card. (I will probably overclock it once in the new system, temperature willing).
Monitor - ASUS 21.5" HD 1080p LCD Monitor I'm not sure if this is worth it, a lot of good, bad and scary reviews.

The Mobo and Monitor are the main items I feel could be swapped out for something more sensable. The motherboard probably has features I'll never use, and the Monitor has some scary reviews which leads me to believe I could probably find a better one, and I'm not sure if my 8600GTS will be able to run any games on a 1080p monitor.

The PSU was originally a 650TX, but I figured I'm going to be upgrading off this for a while, so I might as well get a 750 for 20$ more.

I plan on buying a dx11 card, probably a 5850 (Depending on the cost once I can afford one), or I might even look into crossfiring two lower end 5000 series if its worth it. I will most likely overclock the 955BE, and the RAM, not sure if this affects anything I should be taking into consideration when buying parts for this build.

Things I'll be using this computer for:
-Photoshop
-Project Reality(BF2 Mod)
-Programming(I would very much like to shorten compile times).
-Hopefully some new things I've always wanted to try out that my current computer won't allow me to do (Map editing/building, Video editing).

If I can lower the price tag by knocking off some features I won't use(As long as its not at the cost of performance), then I'll do that. Otherwise I have a feeling I'll regret it.

Any suggestions or warnings for parts that lower the price by knocking off features, but still maintain the same performance? (According to the above information)

Thanks.

Edit:
-Yes I will be getting a new computer case (For those of you who got to see my current abomination).
-Since this is a price saving type of thread, I didn't feel the budget was needed, but If you do have some suggestions or think I won't be happy with the performance I'm getting, I'd like to keep the budget below 850-880$.
-Keep all the parts from newegg.ca. I have a discount there after a fighting on the phone for an hour, and I'm Canadian.

 

[Drenlin]

You could probably keep the 650W and still be ok for crossfire. Unless you're running high end nvidia cards, it'll be difficult to even top 600W. (Two 5870's along with your CPU and the rest of the system would be lucky to hit 575W)

The difference in the two motherboards is that the 790FX one has a much better chipset. Both of them support x16/x16 crossfire, which is good, but the FX is definitely the better of the two.

The monitor should be fine...Asus is a good manufacturer. Don't skimp on the monitor if you're planning on gaming.

 

[daisymtc]

Mobo - Difference in chipset. 790FX and 790X. They run crossfire with different speed.
Since you are running 8600 GTS, you won't be crossfire. If you plan to run crossfire, 790FX is the way to go. And I think GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA-UD5 is a better buy over MSI 790FX-GD70
BTW, the 790X should support C3 Stepping, it may need BIOS flash.

PSU - 650W is fine. Unless you want to get 5970/ GTX480.

BTW, some ppl comment OCZ DDR3 RAM not good.

 

[Drenlin]

^ Actually, that 790X board is x16/x16. IIRC that capability was the whole reason the 790x was designed...I wonder why more manufacturers don't use it?

OCZ does have some quality issues, but that's usually with the "gold" line.

 

[Pocket]

So I've decided to go back to the 650TX, and stick with everything else aside from the motherboard, so now I'm curious if I should go with the GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA over the MSI 790FX-GD70. I couldn't tell if your suggestion was just personal brand preference or if Gigabyte is generally regarded as a better manufacturer.

Thanks.

 

[Drenlin]

Gigabyte typically makes better motherboards than MSI, yes.

 

[Pocket]

Thank you very much, that answered all my questions and put my doubtful mind at ease.

 

[Gabe63]

The only issue with the 650TX is it only has 2 PCI power plugs. So you can CF 2 X 5770 but not 2 5850. The 750TX has 4 so it can handle 2 cards that need 2 plugs in case this is important. If you can get 1 5850 you should be fine for most games.