[Solved] $550 bulid suggestion

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Around next month sometime

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: web surfing, school work (ms word and such), gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, monitor, speakers, mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: good brands, corsair, ocz, g.skill, gigabyte, asus, coolermaster, all that good stuff

OVERCLOCKING: Probably not, maybe in the future

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: If possible maybe in the future.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024 probably

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] r=10601172

I've put this build together already and I was just wondering if you guys had any comments or suggestions on it. I'm also a little skeptical on the mobo. Is ECS a reliable brand? My other possibility for the mobo was the GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P.

Seriously, $550 is the absolute max, maybe a few dollars over like what I have. Thanks.

I'm still waiting for competent technical reviews on some of those low-end OCZ PSUs, but of the two, I'd choose the one Gkay listed because it is 80+ certified. Aside from being more efficient, that also means it was tested for that efficiency at 100% load, and obviously didn't croak like a Chokemax.
Other changes I'd make...I haven't seen that particular one, but every other <$50 Coolermaster case I ever bought had [minor] quality issues, like untapped screw holes, and very weak tool-free mounting. I gave up on them and switched to the even cheaper Rosewill cases. None of those have had quality problems.
Given your stated uses (e.g. gaming being #3, not #1), and that your resolution is only 1280x1024, I think you'd be a little happier trading some GPU power for a stronger CPU. Drop the former down to a HD4670, and raise the latter to a 550BE. In my own tests (which admittedly have not involved the latest demanding shooters), a 4670 has proven sufficient even at 1680x1050. Read the article at http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2364.html for more information and benchmarks.

Another option would be to drop the graphics card entirely, and get a 790GX mobo instead. At your resolution, the integrated HD3300 is capable of playing some games, and the savings would let you get a much nicer CPU, the 720BE. You can always add a discrete GPU later, particularly when/if you get a new monitor. Hmmm, Christmas is less than 4 months away now...

The Rosewill RP550-2 is NOT a decent power supply. The little red voltage switch is a dead giveaway that it is an older, inefficient design. It has too much of its amperage on +5V, instead of +12V where it is needed by a modern PC, and it is rated at 25C. Since the inside of a PC is more likely to be closer to 35C-40C, its already weak +12V needs to be de-rated further. Although it is worth noting that the RP500-2 passed the testing at jonnyguru.com, there's no telling how similar these units really are.