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New budget PC - not sure about hardware compatibility

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Hi, I've been thinking about selling my laptop and building my one desktop.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next 1-2 Months, unless it’s best to wait.

BUDGET RANGE: US$400-500

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Watching HD Movies, Gaming, E-mail, etc

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I have 2 SATA HDD's lying around, one is 1TB (WD green) and the other is a 2'5 160GB WD 7200rpm

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com

PARTS PREFERENCES: I thought AMD CPU would be the best choice because I could buy a motherboard with a new socket and maybe upgrade in a few years

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, I’m not sure but it’s very probable

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe in the future, not a must right now

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Haven’t bought one yet but it’s definitely going to be with a resolution higher than 1680*1050, maybe a dual-screen layout in the near future.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I don’t want it to be too loud, but it doesn’t have to be as silent as a HTPC

Here's a list of hardware I had sort of thought about:

Qty. Product Description Unit Price Total Price
1 OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W Power Supply compatible with core i7 $59.99 $59.99
1 OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory $68.99 $68.99
1 AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor $119.99 $119.99
1 GIGABYTE Radeon HD 4670 GV-R467ZL-1GI Video Card - Retail $74.99 $74.99
1 Antec Two Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $49.95 $49.95
1 LG DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS50 - OEM $18.99 $18.99
1 GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $79.99 $79.99


TOTAL $472.89

Is all the hardware compatible? do you recommend any changes? Anything missing?

I though about an upgrade on the motherboard to one of the 790 chipsets but I'm not sure if I'll see a big gain.

I also thought about the core i5 coming out soon, but I'm not sure if they will change anything in this price range.

Thanks

More about : budget hardware compatibility

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@shortstuff, the OP said he has a WD Green 1TB and a 2.5" 160gb both laying around, he sounds set to me.

+1 for gkay, i agree with getting a nicer GPU, not only will it serve you better now it'll also allow for even more gains once you go xfire down the road. the same is true of your memory, that mobo is capable of better memory, i'd recommend using it - or at least getting 8gb instead of 4gb.

if you plan to OC very much and especially if you're going to get another video card for xfire, you may want to consider a bigger PSU, corsair tx650 or tx750 are a little more expensive but worth it if it prevents needing a replacement in a year
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The only changes the i5 might bring in your price range are lower prices on some of your parts. But nothing dramatic.

With a future screen resolution ABOVE 1680x1050 the 4670 GPU will struggle with most modern games if you use anything above med-low graphic settings.

I'll look into the 4850, the RAM, and PSU...need more money though.

In what can I be cheap on to save money this moment and maybe in the future buy the ATI 4850, the 8GB RAM, and 650 PSU?
Should I not buy the 4670 and use the integrated graphics for now and when I have enough money buy the 4850?

What do you guys say about the 790 chipsets, like the 790GX, Vs. the 785G chipset; is't worth the money to upgrade?

You'll want a 64-bit OS. If you don't already have it, it will cut into the components quite a bit. However, it is quite as necessary as the hardware! Chipset probably isn't that important among the 780, 785, and 790 (regardless of the suffixed letters). They're all pretty fast. It would come into play if you intend to do extreme RAID setups using the board's built-in controller.

sfonnegra said:
I'll look into the 4850, the RAM, and PSU...need more money though.

In what can I be cheap on to save money this moment and maybe in the future buy the ATI 4850, the 8GB RAM, and 650 PSU?
Should I not buy the 4670 and use the integrated graphics for now and when I have enough money buy the 4850?

What do you guys say about the 790 chipsets, like the 790GX, Vs. the 785G chipset; is't worth the money to upgrade?


If your gaming needs are not immediate, i like the idea of a functional rig on IGP whilst awaiting some nice juicy incoming cards :bounce: 

If your gaming needs are not immediate, I'd still get a dedicated video card, just not one that costs $100 or more, go with something in the $40-$75 range, huge upgrade from IGP but cheap enough you won't mind replacing quickly
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