The $929 AMD AM3 DDR3 build, please check if it all fits

[Chronobodi]

I'm new to this website, but anyway, getting down to business...

i'm on a budget of $1000 (like everyone else, i assume...)


Now, the question is, can you guys be so nice as to give me a better suggestion or changes to my build?

If what you suggest will be cheaper, i'll consider it.

Also, i'm going AM3 and DDR3 since it's the best way to future-proof your system, obviously, even if they aren't that much of a gain over current AM2+ and DDR2 builds.

Also, is it really worth the extra $50 for the Black Edition Phenom II X3 720?

i'm expecting my system to handle Crysis quite well on high/very high settings.

Thanks for your input


Edit:
****, i forgot to include the Newegg stuff:

case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119104

Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231179

combo: -$20
GFX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136144

OS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

combo: - $20
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Combo deal of Mobo and CPU: -$20
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378
oh, and i already have an LCD TV and i plan to do 720p resolution anyway, and i already got mouse and keyboard.

 

[Helloworld_98]

Helps if you list the parts.

 

[Chronobodi]

about the GTX 260, is there that much difference between VGA and DVI, since i got an LCD TV that does only VGA.

 

[jcknouse]

Edit:
****, i forgot to include the Newegg stuff:
case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119104
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231179
Combo deal of GFX card and DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.160592
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
Combo deal of PSU and HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.162999
Combo deal of Mobo and CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.162220

Good case.

If you're tight on budget, consider the Corsair memory that has a MIR...saves you $18 there:
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

Cool deal on the GFX + DVD combo.

If you'd rather have Windows XP Pro x64, go Pricewatch it. There's a company selling the NFR copies of OEM for $80 or so.

then for $10 more, get this combo for the PSU and HDD to get caviar black drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.163000

If you're lookin to overclock, maybe look at this combo to get the black edition processor. Just $41 more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.162223

BTW...does *any* gaming rig known to man handle Crysis very well on very high settings? 1900x1200 or higher?

Don't forget the HSF...ok? about +$50 there. KB and Mouse and monitor? already have those?

Parts you list look good tho, to me. Of course, i'm no expert. :lol: good luck!

 

[Chronobodi]

about that corsair ram,
is it worth 5 extra dollars for a better ram? i dunno which is better, my G.Skill or your Corsair? The customer reviews help sometimes, but NOT always. Can someone fill me in on that? about mail in rebates, i think they're a sham, why don't they add the cuts directly into the price?

oh, about 1900x1200 resolution... Why bother, i think 720p resolution looks pretty hi-def to me, that would be 1280x720, no?
besides, it allows my gfx card to perform better anyway, and my LCD TV can't do 1080p anyway.

 

[Chronobodi]

jcknouse:

i'm not that great on abbreviations, what's HSF again?

is it REALLY worth the extra 41 bucks for the BE 720 processor? just how much of an increase in performance will i get?

 

[jcknouse]

jcknouse:

i'm not that great on abbreviations, what's HSF again?

is it REALLY worth the extra 41 bucks for the BE 720 processor? just how much of an increase in performance will i get?

HSF = HeatSink & Fan...it's what keeps your processor cool.

Is the $41 worth it? I think it depends on your needs.

the 720 has a slightly higher clockspeed than the 710 (2.8 vs. 2.6 respectively, I believe)

Plus the 720 is a "Black Edition", which in the past has meant that the clock multiplier is unlocked. I believe this is still the case, which theoretically (all CPUs differ somewhat as to how well they'll overclock) means it will overclock better.

Toms has a great article by Bert Toepelt (and Frank Voelkel?) about the Phenom II:
AMD Phenom II X4: 45nm Benchmarked : The Phenom II And AMD's Dragon Platform

For me, I would get the chip I could overclock better. If you're not too worried about OCing for more speed, then just stick with your original choice and save the $41.

I am not sure what kinda HSFs are available for AM3 yet. But, I imagine they will probably range from $35 to $70 like the AM2+ ones.

This one is supposedly good (i've never used it, but heard good things about Xigmatek), and it's $39.99+s/h:

XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

So $40+shipping for a CPU cooler (HSF) is a must. You must have a CPU cooler though.

I hope this helped, and if anyone sees anything incorrect please let me know. I don't get to read as much as I used to about hardware.

 

[Chronobodi]

hmm... doesn't the CPU come with one already? Sure, it may not be good as the HSF you mentioned, but then again it isn't meant to be OCed, so it'll be fine.

 

[Guest]

i'd get the xigmatek listed above and probably a little better case. i have the antec 900, and i wouldn't settle for less but it's twice the price of the one your looking at. also, the faster ram is overkill...

 

[Chronobodi]

well, it's DDR3 1333, can one suggest an suitable replacement of DDR3 1066?

edit: just checked newegg, there ain't any good DDR3 1066 rams to replace mine, there just isn't any in the 4GB (2GB x 2) section.

 

[Chronobodi]

oh, about my Mobo...
It doesn't have onboard video, and if i put together the thing, will the GFX card work at bootup?

 

[Chronobodi]

gah, so many questions, but anyone answering? besides those two above me, that is.

 

[magruder13]

The graphics card will boot and work when you first isntall it, except with outdrivers you will have EXTREME graphic lag, personally i install all the drivers that come on the disk then once i got a stable system i download the new ones for optimal preformance.

If you dont wanna go through all that, download all of the drivers you need, build the system, install OS, and use a USB flash drive to upload all the drivers and install them.

And it was alot to read all this, your lucky im bored in my college night class... =D

 

[magruder13]

O and one more thing, 1333MHz ram is still really really new, if you want something that will last a long time, wait like 4 months for all the top companies to get stable hardware out, its all still new, and it will be alot cheaper then.

Personally i go decent hardware for the time, then trade in for upgrades when they are cheaper. Like i bought a 8800GTX for $300, 6 months later i returned it for instore credit (tigerdirect) and bought a 9800GTX for $260.

 

[Chronobodi]

ok... so i install the drivers off the disk, THEN install the latest drivers from nvidia...

and is 1066Mhz safer in the long run than 1333Mhz longevity-wise?

 

[Transmaniacon]

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=12479508

I think this is a solid build, if you can get the black edition processor, seeing as your building a computer to last a while, you should get the CPU that can be overclocked well, you might not want to do it now, but down the road you can pick up a HSF and you have a brand new competitive CPU.

 

[Chronobodi]

yea, since the AM3 Phenom x4 isn't out yet, so the 710 is kind of a holdout for me.

 

[kg4icg]

better not get xp pro 64, you'll be pulling your hair out for weeks, try to find drivers for it which don't exist, and you can't use vista 64 drivers for it.

 

[jcknouse]

ChronoBodi,

Yes, the CPU comes with a stock fan (if you buy the Retail version...OEM comes with just the CPU only). I didn't know if you would OC it or not, so I told you about the Xigmatek in case you were going to

There is a PhenomII x4 out: 810 2.6GHz. However, it is not a "BE" or Black Edition with an unlocked multiplier. It costs $26 more than the 720 as well.
AMD Phenom II X4 810 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Processor Model HDX810WFGIBOX - Retail

I think if you are not going to overclock and do not plan to utilize any software where 4 cores would be best, you should get the 710. Just make sure you get a good motherboard so that upgrading the CPU later will be possible.

good luck

 

[jcknouse]

better not get xp pro 64, you'll be pulling your hair out for weeks, try to find drivers for it which don't exist, and you can't use vista 64 drivers for it.

You have had problems getting drivers for XP Pro x64??

I haven't. I have it running on 2 systems. nVidia Forceware works great on it, and I've used 4 different inkjets and 2 different laser printers with no issues.

I've had a harder time finding Vista drivers, to be honest. I can find Linux drivers easier :lol:

 

[Chronobodi]

yea, i'll rather get vista x64, since i want to play games with the fullest range of eyecandy anyway, and maybe i'll consider the 810, but when the price drops a little, to around $150ish.

 

[Chronobodi]

oh, and i changed my ram to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

what's the difference anyway between the two? there isn't much from what i can tell, besides being $15 off, so now my build's price is $911.

Pretty damn good, when you consider Alienware will make you pay $400 more for the same setup, and even on Cyberpower.com, it's still $100 over, and with DDR2 ram.

 

[jcknouse]

oh, and i changed my ram to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

what's the difference anyway between the two? there isn't much from what i can tell, besides being $15 off, so now my build's price is $911.

Pretty damn good, when you consider Alienware will make you pay $400 more for the same setup, and even on Cyberpower.com, it's still $100 over, and with DDR2 ram.

The original pair you chose are categorized as "high performance or gaming memory"...the second set is not.

 

[Chronobodi]

oh i see.... Just how much of a hit do i get in performance if i chose the cheap ram?

 

[Chronobodi]

ok ok, i need anyone's consensus...
which gaming ram should i get
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231179
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231189

they're both G.skill, and difference seems to be that one is 10600, while the other is 10666... tell me which one i should get.

please note that these ram will be going on this Giga mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378