Multitasking, gaming, music and net surfing

[silvergo]

well the topic states what i will attempt to do all at one on a computer mostly just music and net surfing but i cant help love great graphics in games. And yea i just want your inputs since im really new to building/computer parts. THX

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Mid Sept. ~ End of Sept. BUDGET RANGE: US$750-850 no more than 900ish with tax+shipping

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Home, gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies, gaming, music. multitasking app.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, speakers, OS.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: I think im headed towards AMD, with a 19-21 inch monitor depending on price and performance

OVERCLOCKING: No,scared =p Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: maybe in the future but highly doubt it.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900~1920x1200 anything between that doesnt really matter to me

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I have some things i picked out and would everyones feedback on them, any feedback like why i should change what i have for the other thx ^^.

Heres what i built on Newegg



CASE: NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Open Window $59.99
MOBO GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $84.99

Graphics Card XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB $149.99 or should i get the XFX HD 4850 for 119.99 not free shipping =p?

PSU RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2 $49.99
CPU AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W 169.99 or the 955 for 199.99?
RAM Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $67.99 (cheapest ones =p)
Hard drive Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" 56.99
Monitor LG W1952TQ-TF Black 19" 2ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 149.99 free shipping =P
Optical DriveSony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model $29.99
Im feeling im missing something important? do i really need thermal compound o.0 THX for looking/helping.

 

[gkay09]

^ Hi...
There are few components that can be improved on...Mainly the PSU...

Change the PSU to something better(Not bigger)...like this one...
OCZ Mod 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016
It is a 500W modular PSU that is 80+ certified and is of far better quality than the Radimax

2. HDD - The 500GB are older ones...Get the 640GB ones...they are faster, bigger and better...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

3. Monitor -> $10 more gets you bigger and higher resolution monitor...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145
or
A Full HD 1080p
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009157

4. Graphics card - The HD 4870 1GB would serve you longer...

5. CASE - Though its more of a personal choice, the Antec 300 would be better option for its better airflow...

6. X4 955 without doubt...By the time you buy, its price is sure to come down and if you plan to overclock, it is a better option as it has unlocked multiplier and the stock heatsink is better than other stock HSF...

And before you pull the plug, do post again to get the current options then...

 

[silvergo]

Thx for Reply!!
hrmmm i might switch the cases, dunno yet since im into side windows with LED lights =p but big thanks for the heads up on the psu and hdd. o yea on the monitors im leaning towards the 1080 full hd but read some bad reviews and the first one seems nice but the gray finish wasnt appealing. which one would be better for gaming or should i stick with my old one?

Thx and ill post again once i get a couple paychecks lol

edit: o yea bout the GPu, i dont really play the games everyone does, like crysis or any of the high end ones, the highest game would be Aion for me and i just wanna play on the highest settings on that one, and was wondering if i should just get the 4850 since i dont game much and probably not on 1900X1200 res. THX again.

 

[tiggity]

Maybe to save extra $$$ go with a Phenom II X3 720. It is a Black Edition and can be OC'd higher than the 945 CPU. Also if you are lucky, can unlock the 4th core.

 

[silvergo]

hey tiggity, yea i heard about unlocking the fourth core on X3 versions but it was highly unlikely, i only saw a few people on the forums who were able to do it, and i also kinda dont wanna OC, since i would probably have to get a new heat sink right? (maybe the stock one is good enough iono). Yea im not so up there in tech stuff so OCing is a no no for me. But yea i think i might just go with the 955. Thx!

 

[silvergo]

Hey Gkay09, well ima go with the antec 300, cant stop staring at it and Thx for the nice find. im mostlikely going with all your suggestions but is just a lil scared about the 500w psu, will it blow up on me any chance lol? thx. Also im thinking of getting the cheaper 4850 1gb since i might be buying another in 5-6 months cuz of the new dx11. o yea should i just get a crappy vid card now and wait for one in october ? thx

 

[silvergo]

Hey again, well im kinda thinking should i really go ddr3? or go ddr2 since im not planning to upgrade for a while, but im just thinking this because i kinda want to crossfire in the future. would it really be smart of me to want to crossfire even though im just using it for gaming ? thx

 

[obsidian86]

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-269162_13_0.html

 

[silvergo]

ty skimmed through it with good readings on building pc's. ps. i cant believe tecmo 5!! yr old daughter has a killer pc =p