New Gaming Desktop Build *Newbie*

[mpamerbio]

Hello,

I am a total newbie when it comes to comps but I'm trying to change that by building and learning about comps.

After checking out newegg I was thinking about making the following build for the purpose of general office (have XP) and gaming (WoW and the like). I'm not looking for killer graphics, just no lag and reasonable resolution.

Hard Drive: SAMSUNG 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $109.00
Motherboard: JetWay HA04-Extreme AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD $198 (combo with CPU)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core ADV60000DOBOX
RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel $114 ($40 rebate makes it $74)
Power Supply: XCLIO GREATPOWER X14S4P4 650W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC $170 (Combo wih Tower)
Tower: XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case - \

Total $503.00
Tax $36.47
Total $539.47

After rebate (-40) and Discover cash back offer (-$100): $399.53

I will be keeping my 6 year old dell monitor, Nvidea G-force graphics card (3 years old). Unfortunately I don't have the specs on those at the moment

Am I missing any parts to complete this? Will my choices not be compatible? I checked the ram- same sockets/DDR 1066 as motherboard. Checked user reviews (read 30-40 per item) and made sure highly rated.

Thanks for your help! I appreciate any comments or suggestions!

PS. Did I miss the heat sink or does it come with the CPU/motherboard? I just learned about those and I am not yet sure where to find out.

 

[megamanx00]

The memory controller on the 6000+ is only for up to DDR2 800, and because your core speed will be 3.1 GHz it will use a divider of 8 which will give you a speed of 387.5 (775 DDR). Thus, getting the RAM speed to 533 (DDR 1066) with that memory divider you would need to overclock your CPU to an impossible core speed of 4.264 GHz. You need a Phenom CPU to utilize 1066 RAM, so if you don't plan to upgrade to a phenom any time soon your wasting your money and should get some decent DDR2 800 instead. Even if you plan to overclock DDR2 1000 should be more than enough and will be significantly cheaper. Most good DDR2 1000 RAM can be overclocked to DDR2 1066 without too much trouble.

 

[megamanx00]

Oh yeah, I should mention that if you aren't going to overclock the Windsore core Athlon 6000+ @ 3.0GHz is faster than the Brisbane version at 3.1GHz. If you are going to overclock then you may want to look into a combo with the 5400+ Black Edition CPU.

 

[photonboy]

A few points:
1) I assume you are aware your severely limited by your older graphics card. An HD4850 would VASTLY improve your gaming. Even many 3-year-old games need a modern card to max out their graphics.

2) Windows XP. Unless you bought it as a FULL version it's an OEM version. OEM versions, either purchased separately or as part of a full system can't be transferred to another computer. The Operating System is generally tied to the motherboard. If that's the case you'll want to get a copy of OEM Vista 64-bit.

3) Your parts overall are pretty good. Go ahead and build it if it suits your needs. You can always throw in a better card later. The video card you picked should handle a Crossfire 2x HD4850 configuration (roughly).

 

[mpamerbio]

I've read your reply- but I have no idea how to overclock (may eventually) and don't know how a 3.1 causes a divider by 8...

Let me start simpler- where can I go (website) to get a good idea of what the CPU does and how I can learn to decide for myself what a good setup is? Same goes for motherboard.

I was thinking that a motherboard that allowed 8 gig of ram had the best upgradability potential.

 

[mpamerbio]

Thanks Photon!

Perhaps you can elaborate on the previous poster- is the CPU/motherboard choice not a good one?

I was hoping to meet the following criteria:
upgradable to 8 gig of ram
socket setup that won't be "phased out" anytime soon (this is AM2+ sockets right?)
Lots of options/slots so when I actually finish learning about how to build/customize a computer I won't hit my head and wish I had one more PCI slot or SATA slot.

Just learned the PCI, SATA and sockets stuff, so pardon me if I misused the terms.



Thanks!

 

[mpamerbio]

How about this one?

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000022%204027%204803&Description=phenom%20cpu&name=Discount%20Item

It is upgradable to 16g of ram, DX10 gaming, and it's a phenom like the first responder suggested.

 

[kurtyboh]

The cpu/mobo choice is fine what he's saying is you should look at ram similar to this musckin ddr2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731 because you will be paying extra for higher quality ram that your processor will be unable to use unless running at speeds of over ghz. The higher the ram speed the lower the chance that will be your bottleneck, however you typically want everything at or near the same speed unless you plan on making large upgrades in the future and are using something to get you by, otherwise you are paying more for no gain. Yes your cpu should come with a stock cooler, which will be fine at stock speeds and sometimes up to a %10 oc, but I would highly recommend getting a quality cooler when you oc. Stock coolers are designed for stock temps, cheap coolers are designed to be replacements not upgrades... so if you plan to oc, when you do get a nice cpu cooler and then do it, you'll reach higher stable speeds and at a cooler temp. Pci slots are becoming less and less neded, the pci-e for vid cards are very important. Most mobo's these days are coming with pretty decent sound as well as many input options, so you probably wont hit the cieling with pci cards. As for sata, most mobo's have 6-8 sata ports so you could have 2 dvd's as well as 4 hd's thats quite a few, however youre running pata off the bat with dvd so you would have even more to play with. I would say order a sata one in the future if you can spare teh 25 bucks the pata cable is wide and hinders airflow, not to a great degree but its noticeable. One last thought online you will most likely find the users manual for the mobo. reading through that will tell you what it is compatible with. Some types of ram do not work in all mobo's you want to make sure your ram is supported typically you'd check any processor as well, but its a mobo cpu combo so you should be perfect but may need a bios update. Good luck!

 

[dirtmountain]

Some things about your original build. The 1TB Hard Drive is $110, you can get a quality Western Digital 640GB for $70. That's a $40 savings..... unless you really need that big of a hard drive.
Jetway has a pretty poor reputation as far as motherboard manufacturers go, cheap capacitors, usually you'd only use them for a real budget build, at least i would. DDR2 1066 RAM is really not useful for you, especially as a first time builder, go with DDR2 800 1.8v RAM that runs at JEDEC standards, you'll have fewer concerns and it's cheaper.
Xclio is not a power supply that i've ever seen anyone recommend, ever, you're always better off getting a quality power supply by Corsair, PC Power and Cooling, Antec, Seasonic, Silverstone, OCZ, etc. it'll be more stable, last longer and is worth the extra cost (if any)
If you're playing WoW Wotlk, and you want decent graphics to play at high settings you'll probably have to upgrade a 3 year old graphic card. Depending on your resolution you'd probably want to go with a 3870, 9600GT or higher.

 

[dirtmountain]

Sample Intel build at your budget.

CPU - E7300 2.66GHZ $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115132

Motherboard - Asus P5Q SE P45 Combo deal with the E7300 $97 and a $15 rebate and -$20 in the combo deal. Both for $182 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131347

RAM - Mushkin 2x2 GB DDR2 800 1.8v $38 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

Graphic card - 9600GT $75 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127382

Case - Antec 300 $55 with free shipping. Good cooling, mid tower case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Power supply - Antec 500w $35 with combo deal with the case, also free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103940

Hard drive - Western Digital 640GB SATA $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

DVD burner - LG SATA $22
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

$550 after shipping, $55 in rebates. I think this would perform better for your uses, but can still be tweaked if anything is left out.

 

[kurtyboh]

I left the hdd alone because he said it was general office comp as well... as far as the psu the xclio one while not a great brand, your machine will barely use %40 of its power-if that? So wasn't worried there, not push items usually they'll last however the combo dirtmountain is showing above has a very nice reliable psu and the case is extremely popular.

 

[mpamerbio]

Thanks for the feedback! What about the build below?

My main goal is to:
1) have a comp that handles newer games easily (don't need good graphics)
2) Have a comp that I can upgrade in 2-4 years without changing too many parts
3) Have a comp that will last for 2-4 years.

ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard 188.00
AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail CPU 170.00
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM HD 99.00
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel ... - Retail Memory 45.00 -30
XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case Case 109.00
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail Power Supply 119.00 -20
Total: $730, $680 after rebates