Need help with first time build

[Guest]

I currently have a dell e520 that has an Intel 6320@1.86 processor, 3 gigs of ram, and a 4670 vidoe card. The only game I play is WoW but ever since the expansion came out my performance is less then I would like so I've been thinking about building my own system. I would love to keep the price <$400.

I'm thinking I can keep the monitor I already have but everything else will have to be new.

What I've came up with so far is:

Processor and Case - $108 combo deal
AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor Model AD775ZWCGHBOX
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.181836

Power Supply - $30 with promo code
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040209&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040209-_-PowerSupplies-_-L5C-_-17139008

OS - $80 with promo code
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL040209&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL040209-_-Software-_-L0A-_-32116488

Ram - $37
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231207

Graphics Card - $100
EVGA 512-P3-N973-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435

Motherboard - $75
GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

Optical Drive - $25
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152


I would love to get any advice on better selection of components and/or how to reduce my total cost some more.
Also would I see a noticable difference in performance over my current system?

 

[xthekidx]

The difference in your current system would not be that much...will you be reusing any of the parts out of the dell? That could save you some money...and you might be able to xfire two 4670's.

 

[aevm]

Very good build for that budget.

You could get a HD 4830 for $80, and with a free game, instead of the $100 9800GT.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127420
The speed is about the same.

 

[aevm]

There's a $75 version too, but without games.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102822

 

[aevm]

The difference in your current system would not be that much...will you be reusing any of the parts out of the dell? That could save you some money...and you might be able to xfire two 4670's.

He'd need a Crossfire board too. Also, a single HD 4830 (with 640 stream processors) is probably better than two HD 4670 in Crossfire (with 2*320 processors) because Crossfire is not a 100% efficient mechanism. I like the HD 4670 idea only if the OP intends to have 3 or 4 monitors.

 

[xthekidx]

He'd need a Crossfire board too. Also, a single HD 4830 (with 640 stream processors) is probably better than two HD 4670 in Crossfire (with 2*320 processors) because Crossfire is not a 100% efficient mechanism. I like the HD 4670 idea only if the OP intends to have 3 or 4 monitors.

yeah your right now that I think about it...it might shave a couple bucks off the price in the end, but not worth disabling the other PC for.

 

[Outlander_04]

In this price range an Intel based system is a better choice IMO.

A e5200 processor
mb based on G31 or P43 chipsets
The 4830 is hard to beat in terms of value .

But either way you wont make the $400 budget . The version of windows on the Dell will not install on the new computer and you will have to buy a new oem copy

 

[xthekidx]

I agree, I think I would do this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.181198
and overclock ~3.2 which is doable on stock cooling.

 

[aevm]

Ouch, that's $100 right there for Windows Vista HP 64-bit...

Yeah, the E5200 can do wonders if the OP gets a HDT-S1283 cooler and overclocks it.

 

[xthekidx]

Or maybe this if you are really pinching pennies...less OC ability and expansion options though
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.181196

 

[xthekidx]

Here is a pretty decent cheap case with free shipping (which saves like $15-20)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147124

 

[Guest]

First of all, thank you to all who have responded so far.

My biggest concern is if this build will be a big enough upgrade to justify the cost. My gaming is pretty much limited to WoW , which I know isn't nearly as intensive as other games, but my current system is struggling with it as far as frame rates go. I actually just bought the 4670 recentlly and was expecting a bigger improvement over my 8600gt then I ended up getting.

Is the intel 5200 that big of an upgrade over the amd 7750? The amd/antec case combo seemed like a good deal and was the reason I had listed it.

Also I'm a little nervous about the power supply I listed. The price is great but it is only 400watts but from some of the reviews I've read people seem to say it will handle more then most other 400 watt power supplies.

 

[dirtmountain]

You might look into just upgrading the processor in your Dell to any E6xxx Conroe series processor, your motherboard should be compatible with other Conroe processors. New power supply (depending on what you have now) and a new graphic card.

http://www.smksuperstore.com/products/viewproduct.ashx?ID=29868&ref=b0010971708fdb60891d00dc605151cc

Check with Dell before upgrading the processor to make sure it's compatible and whether or not a BIOS update is need.

*EDIT* i do know that the Dell e520 came equipped with an E6700 as an option. So an E6600 or an E6700 should be no problem.
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=E6700BOX
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=E6600

 

[geofelt]

What is the source of the sluggish performance? I can think of three possibilities in order of likelyhood:

1) VGA card. This is the defining component for most games.
The 4670 is a fine card, but not much of a jump over the 8800GT.
The proposed 9800GT is a similar sized jump. To get a good improvement, you have to jump a couple of levels. To something like the 4850 or GTX250.
Those cards require a 6 pin pci-e connector which your dell might not have.

2) cpu. Most games are not very cpu bound, but there are some exceptions. Can you turn on the task manager, and note how much cpu you are using? If it is high, like 75% when you get sluggisn, then perhaps a cpu change is in order.

3) Ram. If you have only 2gb on your system, going to 4gb may be all you need.
Here is a study on 2gb vs. 4gb:
http://www.corsairmemory.com/_appnotes/AN804_Gaming_Performance_Analysis.pdf

 

[Guest]

From what alot of people are saying the intel 5200 seems to be a better choice then the 7750. What are some good quality motherboards that stay within my price range? Let me also say I've never overclocked a system let alone built my own so that might factor into some peoples recommendations.

 

[xthekidx]

This board OC's quite well and is on the cheaper end of the spectrum:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128380

can be bought in a combo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.181198