Under $600 Gaming Rig

Looking at Newegg I have made a configuration that costs CDN $562 ($666 after S&H, taxes, etc.) I wish for opinions on what should be changed, if anything. I will be gaming on a HD TV at 1360x768, so a top of the line video card is not necessary.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next week or so. BUDGET RANGE: CDN $500-$600

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, internet, media.

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

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca, ncix.com, tigerdirect.ca

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD for CPU, and ATI for GPU

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, once I feel safe with the idea. SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1360x768

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Will consider overclocking if the result is more money in my pocket. Feel free to downgrade parts considering this is a budget build, it can always cost a little less than the budget. Ex. smaller hard drive, etc. Also, feel free to upgrade parts if it will result in noticable difference for little price difference.

Parts I have assembled so far.
Processor: Phenom II X2 545 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6819103694

Motherboard: MSI 770-C45 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6813130228

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512 MB http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6814102824

RAM: OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB DDR3 1600 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820227320

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6822136317

Case/Power Supply: Logisys CS305BK w/ 480W PS http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6811148046

CD/DVD RW: Sony Optiarc http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6827118030

Accessories (Fans, etc.): Wireless Adapter http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6833340009 Case Fans http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6835150053

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I would switch the HDD for this one:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] oint%201TB

the PSU to this one:
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016

the case to this one:
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042

and also consider upgrading to this CPU:
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by jbakerlent on 08-30-2009 at 08:58:18 AM

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Reply to jbakerlent

Is the 720 unlockable?

Message quoted 2 times

Reply to FallenSniper

yea i have one great cpu worth it extra few bucks now
green hd are slow get a 7200 rpm drive

Reply to marco324

FallenSniper wrote :

Is the 720 unlockable?

The short answer is yes...
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2273.html

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Reply to jbakerlent

FallenSniper wrote :

Is the 720 unlockable?

While Biostars and Asrocks have the BIOS (and other brands/models of mobos) to do so the stepping/batch of the 720 is also another variable

Message edited by batuchka on 08-30-2009 at 10:01:40 AM

Reply to batuchka

jbakerlent, he's in Canada, so those US Newegg prices won't help.
The Logisys case/PSU is only good if you intend to immediately remove the PSU and heave it as far away from a PC as possible (or at least into the nearest latrine with the other poop).
HardwareSecrets just did a review of the low-end OCZ 400W PSU, and it passed with excellent remarks. It is a Channel-Well built unit. It looks to be as good as the Earthwatts at the low end.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to jtt283

jbakerlent wrote :

I would switch the HDD for this one:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] oint%201TB

the PSU to this one:
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341016

the case to this one:
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042

and also consider upgrading to this CPU:
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649

Thank you for the suggestions, and everyone else for the help, but with those parts added it costs $880 which blows the point of this build. Thanks for the recommendations, but I would appreciate others that fit my price range better thanks.

Reply to Nictendo

jtt283 wrote :

jbakerlent, he's in Canada, so those US Newegg prices won't help.

Not sure what you mean by prices... I just thought I'd give him the names of a few good parts to look at... Sorry I didn't take the time to look them up again on the .ca version :??:

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Reply to jbakerlent

To reduce price just stick with the 545, and drop down to a 4830 which will be fine at that resolution. Also, just a small thing, are you aware that the 300 comes with case fans?

Message quoted 1 times

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Reply to jbakerlent

jbakerlent wrote :

To reduce price just stick with the 545, and drop down to a 4830 which will be fine at that resolution. Also, just a small thing, are you aware that the 300 comes with case fans?

I was not, thanks, but the fans are fairly inexpensive, yet efficient, only costing around $2 each.
I have changed the case to your recommended, took a power supply in the same series, removed some extra bits, changed to a smaller hard drive, to lower the cost further. Currently I have these parts in the build, anything else I should change/add?
Case: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6811129042
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6822148395
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6813130228
Video Card: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6814102822
Power Supply: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6817341012
RAM: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820227320
Processor: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6819103694
CD/DVD RW Drive: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6827118030
$601.42 Before taxes and shipping
$702.75 After taxes and shipping

Edit I was looking at SSDs I can get a 16GB SSD for $59. Would it be worth it to have it for my most played games?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820609431

Message edited by Nictendo on 08-30-2009 at 10:10:41 PM

Reply to Nictendo

Looks like a great build! Not much room to cut back. To clarify the 300 uses 120mm and 140mm fans not 80mm...

Edit: I would say no on the SSD.

Message edited by jbakerlent on 08-30-2009 at 10:12:15 PM

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Reply to jbakerlent

Save a bit of money ($6) and go with the:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] msung%20f3

Quick Tip: NCIX & Tigerdirect have price matching features so you can take advantage over with thanks to the site Price Canada but NCIX/TD must have that item you are price matching. Plus depending on where you live you may be able to pick up your products from NCIX or Tigerdirect so you save more on shipping. Happy hunting!
http://www.pricecanada.com/c.php/D [...] onents-14/

Message edited by Rokez on 08-31-2009 at 12:24:21 AM

Reply to Rokez

Others can correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the 545 have a locked multiplier? Would the 550 not be a better choice? In the US it's only $10 more - not sure what the difference is in Canada.

You could make up the cost difference by trying to find the Antec 300 with free shipping. Just a thought.

Reply to rakoth

Yes the 545 has a locked multiplier. Only Black Edition processors from AMD have unlocked multipliers. The difference here in Canada between the 545 and 550 is roughly $22 at Newegg.

@OP: If you want the easier AMD PII 550 to overclock you can use this combo to combine the 550 and your RAM. (only saves $10)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Combo [...] mbo.238435

Message edited by Rokez on 08-31-2009 at 02:59:22 AM

Reply to Rokez

Could also consider the Athlon II X2 250 (unless you plan on trying to unlock all 4 cores of the 550). It is only a little slower (5% or so) in some apps, but could save you a little money if prices are creeping too high.

Reply to EXT64

That PSU hasn't been reviewed yet, and isn't 80+ certified. This one is a little smaller, but has been reviewed favorably at www.hardwaresecrets.com, and it IS 80+: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6817341020 It will have no trouble with a 4830, or even a 4850.

Message edited by jtt283 on 08-31-2009 at 04:32:15 AM

Reply to jtt283

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. Can anyone think of a good reason not to get the Athlon II X2 250? Price wise it may be worth it to use it. Also, is it very easy to unlock the cores on the 550, and if it is, what is the success rate? Thanks for the recommendation Rokez but the RAM is DDR2, and it's at a lower clock speed.

Reply to Nictendo

No reason, unless your budget permits the 550.

Reply to jtt283

If you're in Canada, I suggest going for www.directcanada.com for your pricing instead of newegg ( canada now?!?! really didn't even know ).

It's the same compagny as NCIX but it's a little cheaper, not by much, but so far, all I check it's always cheaper on directcanada.

I just checked newegg.ca against directcanada, and DC is cheaper for all 10 thing I looked up and I'm lazy to check more parts to see if it's all like that.

There is also free shipping for DC as of +300$ and less than 100lbs order, which all or most computer build fill into. And as so far, everytime I checked on newegg, never ended up with free shipping whatsoever ( on the US one ).

I'm in Quebec, and DC is in BC, so only the federal tax of 5% and 1.5% of shipping insurance is added to the price, so it's pretty damn cheap.

So far I bought 5 times with them, had a DOA patriot memory once, sended them back and got the refund pretty easy, even if I had opened the box ( which I said I didn't anyway ). So check that site too.

PS: I did not check if your build was cheaper on DC or not, cause with threads, people tend to list a lot of pieces and now I don't know what pieces you'll get, so check for yourself on both place when you have your build completed.

Reply to kilorth

Newegg lists the OCZ RAM as deactivated.
Any recommendations for alternatives?

Reply to metO72a

Huh, guess they just deactivated it. Must have ran out. For a 4GB kit of the same speed ram the cheapest would be this http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820231193 which seems fairly high rated. Could also go for cheaper RAM at a lower speed http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820148262 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820134718

Reply to Nictendo

Reply to Nictendo

Anyone else use direct canada? Seems decent. But I have never heard of it before.

Reply to Nictendo

The only note about the Athlon II is that for whatever reason, it only supports running up to DDR3 1066 officially. I have seen others running higher and although I do not, I see the settings are avaliable. Again, idon't know why this is, and personally I think 1066 is probably plenty for a system like this, but just thought I should mention it to provide you with all of the info. I'm sorry that I don't know for sure the implications of that 1066 max support. It may be meaningless (hopefully someone else will chime in if they know for sure).

Also, the X2 550 unlocking requires luck (get a good chip) and a MB with the correct BIOS (which AMD is forcing them to remove ASAP).

Message edited by EXT64 on 08-31-2009 at 09:48:01 PM

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

Nice solid build you have there. Sorry I can't help you make an informed decision on DirectCanada but from my research I know that they are one of the major computer part retailers in Canada just not as big/well known as NCIX or Newegg.

Also sorry for misleading you towards DDR2 RAM, I just saw the image and could have sworn there was a combo with your OCZ DDR3 RAM but I guess that was removed when the RAM was deactivated. Your G.Skill RAM is a good alternative given the prices of RAM.

Reply to Rokez

As mentioned by EXT64 apparently the Athlon II has a memory speed limit? Anyone else heard of this? Which brings me to another question. At this point, I have two ways I can see going. I can get the Kingston RAM + Athlon II since it is lower speed http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820134718 and http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6819103681 or I can get the higher speed G.Skill RAM and the Phenom II http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820231193 and http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6819103680
The difference in price is $45.51. Do you guys think that the performance increase will be worth the increase in price?

Reply to Nictendo

Just a quick note, you can use a Ram that is meant to run at higher speed (like I am using OCZ DDR3 1600) but it just may or may not run at that faster speed.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

EXT64 wrote :

Just a quick note, you can use a Ram that is meant to run at higher speed (like I am using OCZ DDR3 1600) but it just may or may not run at that faster speed.

Alrighty. What do you figure though, think that the Phenom II would work better in this build? Also, would you recommend getting the higher speed RAM irreguardless of the processor?

Reply to Nictendo

Yes the Callisto larger cache makes it a better gaming chip vs Regor

Reply to batuchka

Well, the difference is not huge and some can be attributed to the PII's higher clockspeed, but the difference is there. I did a little searching, and I found a review that ran the 550 and 250 side by side, and both ran DDR3 1333 and scored nearly identical in ram tests, so I don't know why AMD didn't list DDR3 1333 as supported.

Anyway, to answer your question, it is personal preference. Obviuosly I faced the same question and chose the 250, however the 550 is an excellent deal too. I guess the answer is, if you don't mind the extra $45 (really $15-20 for same ram) then get the 550 and know you got the best you could for the money. In gaming, I saw it got between 0 and 5 FPS faster, depending on game and resolution.

The conclusion I saw (which I think is a little exaggerated) was 10% faster for PII and a better gamer. So there you go, 10% more performace for a $15 more chip isn't bad. So, for your case, the PII is probably the better choice.

Here's the site, by the way. Not the best, but the first I found:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/athl [...] e-review/1

Message edited by EXT64 on 09-01-2009 at 01:12:03 PM

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

What I was thinking too is should I get lucky I could get a Phenom II that could have it's extra cores unlocked. With the Phenom I have that option, whereas the Athlon doesn't as it is based on a dual core. Basically to me it seems to be that the difference in price could quite easily be made up if I can unlock the two extra cores, and have a cheap quad core.

Reply to Nictendo

Yep, that used to be quite common, though by now they might have enough true defectives (or not). The harder part is getting the BIOS for your board that can unlock the cores, since obviously AMD wasn't too happy with this whole unlocking frenzy (though in reality, it probably helped sales by getting people to buy just for the fun of unlocking the cores, but whatever). I remember for my board (Gigabyte) people said it was the F2c, which has since been removed. You'll have to do some searching to see which (if any) unlock cores on your board.

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

Good news! It appears as though my motherboard is on a confirmed list of ones that can unlock cores http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/ [...] guide.html using a bios from here http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=228417

Reply to Nictendo

Nice. Grab that BIOS now so it can't run away on you, and good luck!

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

Wow I just noticed that the difference between the Sapphire Radeon HD 4830 and 4850 is literally a dollar right now. They must have bumped up the price on the 4830. So I guess I should go for the 4850 huh?

Reply to Nictendo

Yea!

Reply to Transmaniacon

Sure. The OCZ PSU should be able to handle it, although you won't have a lot of headroom.

Reply to jtt283

Just wondering guys, on the stock cooler how much do you think I could safely overclock the Phenom II X2 550?

Reply to Nictendo

I'm not certain, but probably not much (especially not much voltage increases). That said, you certainly can try setting the CPU fan at max and carefully OCing, constantly checking load temps as you go. If you are serious about a long term modest OC, you really should get a good cooler (unless the stock is better than I am expecting).

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

Newegg sold out of my RAM again, guess I am going to have to use this now http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6820148262

Reply to Nictendo

Yeah, its been weird. They seem to have trouble keeping some Ram and a lot of DVD burners in stock. It's not like them, maybe they are cutting back a little to save money.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

EXT64 wrote :

Yeah, its been weird. They seem to have trouble keeping some Ram and a lot of DVD burners in stock. It's not like them, maybe they are cutting back a little to save money.

At this point I am changing the RAM in the configuration, so what do you figure now? Should I invest in a CPU cooler and overclock the Phenom, or cut back to the Athlon and don't overclock? The difference is $60 between Phenom and CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6835185125 or Athlon and stock cooler. With the things currently in the shopping cart the Phenom/Cooler would cost $676.91 and the Athlon would cost $616.91.

Reply to Nictendo

That's a pretty nice cooler. it can keep my PII 940 cool (which currently is around 95-120W, depending on settings) so you should be able to OC okay.

As for your question, I don't know. I really wish I could do ram tests for you now (to confirm if the memory controllers are any different between the two) but as this is my primary schoolwork comp, I really can't do that.

Regardless, lets look at this in price vs perf. Cost goes up about 10%, and performace goes up about 5-10%. However, a reasonable OC could easily net more, so on that front the PII looks good. Then comes in the fact that OCing can be fun (or a real headache, but probably more fun). And finally, with the PII you know you got the best performance you could and won't be second guessing it.

I think for your goals, the PII is the best choice. For me, performance was secondary to power consumption, so the AII was better. Also, for whatever reason, I didn't like the idea of having a chip with disabled cores. No good reason for that feeling, but I felt that way, so when I saw a true dual core, I was set on it at once.

Edit: and also if you want another weird reason, I wanted an even GHz and the 3.0GHz AII also matches my PII.

Message edited by EXT64 on 09-03-2009 at 11:44:31 PM

------------------------------ New Build (Under Contruction): Intel Core i5 750 > Gigabyte GA-P55-UD4P > 2x2GB GSkill 1600MHz CL7 1.65V > Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB > Antec 300 Illusion > Asus 4850 512MB w/AM Cooler > Corsair 650HX > Hyper 212 Plus > See other Builds in Member Config
Reply to EXT64

Well it depends, you can go with a aftermarket heatsink now but if you are on a really tight budget I suggest go with the Phenom II and buy an aftermarket cooler later.

PS. Better heatsink for $7 more but if you get the $15 rebate its $8 cheaper. Plus it also includes some good thermal paste (TX-2).
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] 6835207004

Edit:But I would suggest sticking with the PII either way because it is so easy to overclock with.
Plus the Arctic cooler is louder than the one I suggested and Sunbeam can perform better at a lower noise level. (These temps do not represent the temps for your CPU)
Sunbeam (low): 17.8C @ 35.6 dBA
Arctic Freezer Pro: 23.2C @ 50.9 dBA
http://www.frostytech.com/articlev [...] 271&page=4

Message edited by Rokez on 09-04-2009 at 05:03:10 AM

Reply to Rokez

Reply to popise221

directcanada is good, i've used 2 times for yate loons but now their gone , ncix has no shops, it's online retailer like newegg and tigerdirect has good locations for buying parts if your near toronto ( where i am )

Reply to ubernoobie

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