Tweaks to this sub $600 build?

[samuraijack69]

Right now I'm looking at the following build, trying to stay under $600 with shipping as much as I can. Total on these is $540.94.

CASE: NZXT Guardian 921
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146050

PS: Rosewill RG530-2 530W 80Plus Bronze Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182160

VID: Sapphire Radeon 4830
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102803

HD: Seagate 500GB SATA

RAM: A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188

CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 710

MB: Gigabyte MA770-UD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

I really like the layout of the MA770, but although it is AM3 compatible with a bios update, I don't know if they are shipping with the update in place now. I vastly prefer a full ATX board to a mATX where possible.

SJ

 

[aevm]

I'd replace the PSU with a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 610W, it's only $10 more after rebate. Not so much because you'd need more power (49A instead of 41A), but because it's more reliable.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

I remember reading somewhere that Newegg will update the BIOS for you on request. I have no idea if it's true. (I'm in Canada and they won't ship outside the USA.) Ask them.

 

[samuraijack69]

Thanks.. I'll have to look into that..

 

[Abyssalx]

Gaming?

 

[samuraijack69]

Low level gaming.. I play LOTRO and I'll want to play Diablo III.. I dont play anything that I really feel the need to OC for.. Sure it would be nice to crank LOTRO up to max settings now and then, but I dont need to have it on full time..

 

[Abyssalx]

Okay, then nevermind.
The X3 is good but a Dual core can be better for gaming, like you could get the 7750, for $60+ cheaper, and with that money get a 4870 instead.

But anyway, everything seems good. Maybe a PC P&C or Antec PSU. Otherwise all looks good

 

[aevm]

Diablo 3 prefers ATI cards because it uses Havok.

Whether the HD 4830 is fast enough, we'll see. Blizzard promised to "make it work well on mainstream graphics cards", but "work well" and "mainstream card" are ambiguous terms, and the mainstream card of 2010 (when Diablo 3 will be out) may be much faster than today's HD 4870X2 or GTX 295. At worst, get a $200 card in 2010, then you should match Blizzard's recommendation. Personally I have an 8800GTX, which is quite comparable with the HD 4830 in speed, and I intend to get that $200 ATI card next year. Diablo 2 is my favorite game, so Diablo 3 is important for me too

 

[Helloworld_98]

Yeah 7750 would be good idea for saving money and then get a better gfx card like 4850 and mobo and also a better psu. Then get a 720 BE or 925 when you have enough money.

Also what resolution monitor are you using because if you are using anything above 1680x1050 then get the 1gb version of the 4850.

 

[bmuell]

Diablo 3 prefers ATI cards because it uses Havok.

Whether the HD 4830 is fast enough, we'll see. Blizzard promised to "make it work well on mainstream graphics cards", but "work well" and "mainstream card" are ambiguous terms, and the mainstream card of 2010 (when Diablo 3 will be out) may be much faster than today's HD 4870X2 or GTX 295. At worst, get a $200 card in 2010, then you should match Blizzard's recommendation. Personally I have an 8800GTX, which is quite comparable with the HD 4830 in speed, and I intend to get that $200 ATI card next year. Diablo 2 is my favorite game, so Diablo 3 is important for me too

Is D3 really not coming out until 2010? I thought D3 and SC2 were in the final stages...

 

[aevm]

Well, I'm expecting D3 in 2010. There are rumors about September 2009, but nothing official.

Besides, even official dates may slip, that's the software business. It's one of the hardest fields to do project management in. I know because I'm struggling with it myself. Mind you, my project is smaller than D3, and still I can't predict when I'll be done with any accuracy

Blizzard in particular prefers to delay a product and test it and fix it properly, rather than rushing out a piece of junk (like Hellgate developers did).

 

[samuraijack69]

What MB would you recommend then for the 7750?

 

[samuraijack69]

Well, I'm expecting D3 in 2010. There are rumors about September 2009, but nothing official.

Besides, even official dates may slip, that's the software business. It's one of the hardest fields to do project management in. I know because I'm struggling with it myself. Mind you, my project is smaller than D3, and still I can't predict when I'll be done with any accuracy

Blizzard in particular prefers to delay a product and test it and fix it properly, rather than rushing out a piece of junk (like Hellgate developers did).

I'm am SOO waiting for the beta.. I have 3 friends who work for Blizzard and at least one of them is working on D3.. so far I don't think I have achieved the proper level of begging and cookie sacrifices necessary..

 

[samuraijack69]

Yeah 7750 would be good idea for saving money and then get a better gfx card like 4850 and mobo and also a better psu. Then get a 720 BE or 925 when you have enough money.

Also what resolution monitor are you using because if you are using anything above 1680x1050 then get the 1gb version of the 4850.

I'm only running at 1280 x 1024 on my 19" Viewsonic.. I should be able to get by with 512Mb I think...

Also, by the time I'm ready to upgrade again I think the 720 BE or 925 will be outdated.. I could probably spend the extra $$$ now on he 720, it isnt that much more expensive.. I'm still running on my AMD 3200+ with 1GB and an ATI 850XT AGP right now, so that should tell you how often I upgrade my system.. *chuckle* Although I've been needing an upgrade for a while.. money just hasnt been available...

 

[aevm]

What MB would you recommend then for the 7750?

That 7750 CPU is enormous bang for the buck, good idea. Here's a decent board for it:

ASUS M3A78 Pro AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131325

 

[samuraijack69]

So it looks like instead of the 710, I'd go for this combo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.160250

Or for $20 get the 7750 and this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

 

[Nik_I]

ditch that psu. i'd suggest this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012

it's a better brand, and it's very quiet. I've had no problems with it and my system pretty similar to yours, mine even uses more power. so you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[aevm]

So it looks like instead of the 710, I'd go for this combo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.160250

Or for $20 get the 7750 and this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102810

The HD 4870 512MB is about 20% faster than the HD 4850 512MB. I hope that helps you decide between those two options. I guess it depends on how demanding your favorite games are.

 

[boulard83]

i agree, better PSU. rosewill arnt delivering clean power and often fail at the rated power they are supposed to deliver ....

Corsair is one off the best. OCZ and PC P&C are really good too. Seasonic is nice too (lots of PSU have seasonic parts ...)

If you save few box on a X" CPU, take this monn=ey on a 4870 512. nice card !

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 50$
this ram is REALLY better ... a-data is value ram.

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W 99.99$ (69.94$ after MIR)
nice PSU for not that much.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz 63.50$
the money you save here is enough for the rest and a 4850 or 4870 !

 

[batuchka]

Phenom 2 tricores can be unlocked to quads:
http://forums.vr-zone.com/news-around-the-web/396089-phenom-ii-x3-unlockable-x4-wtf-5.html

Suggested config:
$507.93
$18.76 shipping
$30 MIR
$496.69

Since u have a $600 budget up the GPU to a HD4870 512 maybe?

 

[samuraijack69]

If I bought the X3, I dont know that I would set it for Quad use.. I havent seen enough to show its stable and available on all X3's, and I dont overclock anyhow so squeezing the other core out would seem like overkill if a dual core is all I really need.

I wouldn't want a mATX board and standard mATX case though.. I can drop the HD to 250, but it seemed like taking it up to 500GB was only another $10 or $15..

 

[samuraijack69]

The HD 4870 512MB is about 20% faster than the HD 4850 512MB. I hope that helps you decide between those two options. I guess it depends on how demanding your favorite games are.

The only thing that really makes me pause about going from the 4670 to the 4870 is I liked the fact the 4670 has a low power and space requirement which helped to keep the PSU smaller.. it makes logical sense though to grab as much GPU as I can so the system remains relevant for longer until I need to upgrade the GPU again..

I'll toss all the suggestions together and see where it puts me.. maybe I'll have enough left to get a fun keyboard..

 

[Helloworld_98]

if you spent the extra for a crossfire board then you could get 2 4830's since they scale very well, are equal to or better than a GTX 280 and are about the same price as a 4870.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm i think your gaming needs are modest and reading back for 19" 1280 x 1024 a HD4670 would do but a HD4830 would be better Well for the unlocking of tri core to quad: yes they have run tests and even OC all 4 cores
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?p=3359778

Combo's "said" to work".

CPU: 0904CPMW
MoBo: Asrock AOD790GX/128MB
--> Success

CPU: 0904EPMW
MoBo: Biostar 790GX XE
--> Success

CPU: 0904BPMW
MoBo: Biostar TA790GX 128M
--> Success

CPU: 0904CPMW
MoBo: Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H
--> Success

CPU: 0904CPCW
MoBo: Biostar TA790A GX2
--> Success

CPU: 0904EPMW
MoBo: Asus M3A78-T
--> Failure

CPU: 0904CPMW
MoBo: Asus M3A78-T
--> Failure

CPU: 0904CPCW
MoBo: Jetway HA07
--> Failure

 

[samuraijack69]

So looking at MBs, apparently I didnt pull the trigger fast enough and the Gigabyte I was looking at went out of stock, so I'm looking at these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157139

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138113

Looking to keep the MB under $100 my last 3 boards have been Asus or MSI, but the ASUS have had some odd problems and I've soured on them somewhat..

 

[samuraijack69]

I think I nailed the final list down... (now that all my combo deals expired over the weekend )


OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply -

ASRock A780GXE/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G ATX AMD Motherboard

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

NZXT Guardian 921 CS-NT-GD921-B Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK

AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor Model AD775ZWCGHBOX

SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:100245L