Tax Return Build - Advice/Help Thx!

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Phippsp

New Member
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
ASUS M5A97 EVO AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR
AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4100WMGUSBX
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

I have cd/dvd drives already on hand and a PSU older one but I think will still work OCZ GXS 600.

Budget is around $700 I can go a bit higher if really necessary.
Looking for future security so easily upgradable and still good after a couple of years.
Gaming/Graphic Design/Web/Photo Editing - Main Usage
Game examples - Eve Online - Shogun II Total War
Please no Intel CPU suggestions. AMD fan.
I like ASUS mobos never had a problem with them before like Gigabyte and MSI but I am open to suggestions.

The GPU is where I really would like some suggestions if any in my choice. I do not plan on running Crossfire any time soon maybe just use it as a upgrade point in the future.
Also the memory confuses me as well the mobo seems to handle higher types of memory but on newegg.com it showed a lot of people buying the type shown above.

Thanks ahead for any suggestions and/or helpful information you can supply I really want to make this build happen! I will be around all day so I should be able to reply quickly.
 
Thanks! I keep forgetting about neweggs Combo deals! I've been surfing the combo deals and my shopping cart is starting to look a lot nicer! But I have a little set back I'd like to find more information about...

I am currently looking at the ASUS M5A99X and the M5A970 motherboards. Almost all the reviews say something about needing to flash the BIOS before it is able to use a AM3+ CPU which I am looking at getting the AMD AM3+ FX-4100.

I am just wondering will I be able to flash the BIOS without a CPU currently on the board? Will the AM3+ that is not recognized get me far enough to flash the BIOS?

I have never flashed a bios before but I feel tech savvy enough to follow a guide and do so. But I just want to try and get as much information on this as I can before I decide to make a purchase.

Thanks!
 
It should be flashed already, since the FX has been out quite a while. That was mostly for people who bought an AM3+ board before the CPUs came out. And should expect it to since it comes in a combo.
 
Awesome! I was sort of thinking that as well but wanted to make sure.

I just noticed the GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 is the same price as the ASUS M5A99X. Plus both have a bundle option with the AMD FX-4100 CPU. The big side I see to the UD3 is the dual x16 for SLI/Crossfire which is something I would actually look forward to at this price. Reason before I was not looking at SLI or CF was the price required for the board specially the dual x16 and didn't want dual x8.

Got any suggestions if you were to decide between these boards?
M5A99X or the GX-990FXA-UD3...
 
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I'm pretty sure they'll be flashed, don't quote me on that!

The gigabyte all the way. Asuses are known to have DOA issues. (Well, all mobos do, but a lot bigger percentage than most.)
 
Alright this is what I got as of now!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.826365
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.817146
Windows 7 - 64bit
SATA CD/DVD Burner
Like posted above I have a ocz gsx 600 psu

All I need to do now is figure out my case and to find a HDD. With the prices going on at the moment finding a good HDD to make this setup work in my budget range is cutting it pretty close. I've also looked into SSD which I wish I could get into as well but its new territory and I am only seeing 60gb and below possible in my price range and not great reviews on those ones.

So this is my updated list I think it is getting closer to looking good to bad my tax return will not come into play with the discount on the Sapphire GPU unless I decide to just buy it tomorrow ahead of time.

So with all this said what do you all think thus far?
 
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