$350 build

[dismas]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: today

BUDGET RANGE: $US 350

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: work, gaming, surfing the Internet,

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: none really

OVERCLOCKING: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: very quiet if possible

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Items purchased:

Combo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.213493 includes:

AMD Athlon X2 7550 Kuma 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core Processor - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103628

ECS BLACK SERIES A780GM-A AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135075

CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5C - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145241

Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

Other stuff:

Rosewill R103A Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with 350W 20+4 pin connector Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147010

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

POWERCOLOR 4650 1GB Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131138

Items under consideration:

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125

MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150007

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This is my first time building a PC. I'm looking for something cheap that can play games from around 2005 decently. I have a few questions though. What CPU heatsink+fan should I get? I'm considering the Freezer 64 Pro. Is it powerful enough for this build? Also, is the 350 W PSU that comes with the case sufficient? How many case fans do I need? Which ones should I get? Apparently 120 mm fans are too big for this case. Thanks for reading.

 

[hunter315]

No on the rosewill, rosewill power supplies vary greatly and for one that cheap, well it should make a pretty boom. You wont need extra case fans unless you are going to do some overclocking, nor do you need the extra cooler.

I would suggest this case and power supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147111

That graphics card isnt going to handle that resolution well at high detail settings but it will do alright if you reduce the quality a bit.

 

[dismas]

Hi, thanks for the reply. Sorry if this is a noob question, but will my regular ATX mobo fit in that microATX case? Also what do you mean by the extra cooler? 1680x1050 is just the max resolution of my monitor (old CRT lol), I can definitely scale it down if the situation arises.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

No, a full-size ATX motherboard will not fit in a micro-ATX case.

 

[hunter315]

You have an artic cooling CPU cooler under consideration. The processor you selected has a heat sink included so you dont need that extra CPU cooler or the 80mm masscool fan.

Didnt realize the case was a microatx case, i thought i had selected a standard atx mid tower.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147075
that case will fit the board.

 

[dismas]

Oh, I thought the CPU required its own heatsink+fan.

 

[dirtmountain]

You might check out this GPU a 9600GSO for $55 or $35 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121319

go with the 400w Corsair power supply and a ATX Rosewill case. $30 free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147075

This CPU includes a heatsink and fan $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103678

 

[hunter315]

It does, they are included in the same box as the processor.

 

[dismas]

Ah, when the processor says "Thermal Design Power 95W" I guess that means heatsink? And "Cooling device not included" refers to the fan I suppose? Sorry I'm not too good at reading the specs.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

[dirtmountain]

The x7550 does NOT come with a heatsink and fan, it's OEM. The x7850 DOES come with a heatsink and fan

 

[dismas]

Thanks for clarifying. In the case I stick with the x7550 (for the combo deal), would the Freezer 64 Pro be good enough for cooling?

 

[hunter315]

Crap im illiterate tonight sorry. The freezer should be good enough if you arent overclocking.

 

[dismas]

No problem. Since I don't plan to overclock, does it matter if I get the cheapest CPU HSF I can find? Also, do I need a case fan if my case doesn't come with one?

 

[dirtmountain]

Pretty much any heatsink and fan will be fine if you're not overclocking. Your case should have at least 1 fan in it to keep air moving. Most cases come with an included fan, the Rosewills do.

 

[Onus]

I buy cheap Rosewill cases for all my budget builds. They come with one 120mm fan in the rear, and have a place to mount another one in the front. They have all been wide enough for 92mm coolers; probably bigger ones.
Hunter315 spoke first, but anyone here would suggest that [older] Rosewill PSUs are garbage. That's a good deal on the Corsair 400W PSU.
You did say 2005 games, so a 4650 may be enough. The 9600GSO dirtmountain linked would be stronger though.
You've listed "Work" as the most important system usage, so I think you'd benefit a lot more from a stronger CPU; but it looks like you already have that? At worst, you have some definite upgrade possibilities all around, if any aspect of this machine's performance seems low to you.