First AMD Budget Build

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: One to Two Weeks

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Watching movies, surfing internet, very light gaming

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

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg please

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD/ATI

OVERCLOCKING: no

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440 x 900

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: First time AMD build, in fact first time budget build, for a customer with a budget of 350-400


Parts so far:

AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103678

Foxconn M61PMV AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813186155

Patriot Extreme Performance Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model PGS24G6400ELK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220396

Rosewill R230-P-BK Black 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147075

SAPPHIRE 100253DDR3L Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102838

COOLER MASTER RS-460-PSAR-J3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817171046

SAMSUNG HD502HI 500GB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152137

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151188


Thanks in advance from a long time reader, first time poster

Thanks very much, I think that thats about all the help I needed

Here's my current bottom-dollar AMD build. There are plenty of places for improvement, if only small ones, but you have a very tight budget.

Rosewill R102-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:R102-P-BK
Item #:N82E16811147111
I've never had any trouble with any of the cheap Rosewill cases I've bought. I used this specific one for a build my wife took to her brother in El Salvador, and it made the trip no problem.

$29.99 -$5.00 Instant $24.99

BIOSTAR TA790GX XE AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:TA790GX XE
Item #:N82E16813138140
Could be improved by going AM3, but that would mean using more expensive DDR3 RAM. The onboard GPU is actually good enough for some games, and you can always add a GPU later if needed.

$94.99 -$5.00 Instant $89.99

Antec earthwatts EA380 380W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:EA380
Item #:N82E16817371005
Solid, quiet, reliable 80+ PSU. Can handle that GPU upgrade to a 4770 or 4830. Get the Earthwatts 500 if you think you'll want a more powerful GPU.

$59.99 -$10.00 Instant $49.99

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX250OCGQBOX - Retail
Model #:ADX250OCGQBOX
Item #:N82E16819103681
Cheap. In this build, this is the first thing I'd improve if the budget permits, either to a 550BE or to a 720BE.

$94.00 -$15.00 Instant $79.00

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996557 - Retail
Model #:996557
Item #:N82E16820146692
Mushkin makes quality RAM, and has been my first choice for a few years now. You can get DDR2-1066 for a little more, but the performance difference won't be that great.

$52.99 $52.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD3200AAKS
Item #:N82E16822136074
The Black drives are a little faster, but also another $15.

$54.99 -$5.00 Instant $49.99

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
Model #:SH-S223L
Item #:N82E16827151188
Eh. Not much to say about an optical drive.

$28.99 $28.99

Subtotal: $375.94
==================================
Yes, it can be improved, but like I said, I'm keeping it within your budget.

That's a worthwhile $9 for a stronger CPU, as long as the weaker IGP (HD3200 vs. HD3300) isn't a big deal; of course you can always add a GPU later.

AMD 780g and up are really good at video...

The combos come and go quickly sometimes

Either of these

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz +BIOSTAR TA790GXE AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX Micro ATX $149
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.230131

or the more powerful

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz + BIOSTAR TA790GXE 790GX Micro ATX $175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.230130

This article
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2324.html
compares the two processors

Both combos use the same m-ATX mb . Its an AM2 board and uses DDR2 ram . The m-atx board has less expansion slots but Ive never had a computer where I got any where near filling the pci slots of an atx board anyway so a couple of year back I decided m-atx was a better choice [for me].
The board fits in an ATX case btw , but theres a bit of extra room left over at the bottom of the case

This combo
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz +ASRock M3A780GXH/128M AM3 AMD 780G HDMI ATX $143
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.229024

is a full atx board and its all AM3 which means 1/ that you have to use DDR3 memory [ ~ $75 for 4 gig]
and 2/ it may give you more options to upgrade the processor in the future
You'd be giving up a fraction in speed on the 3.0 Regor to gain possible future benefits If you go this way then
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231200

is very good ram for the price