Sub $500 micro atx am3 GAMING build

I have a micro atx case, power supply, dvd drive, and hard drive.
I need a micro atx am 3 motherboard (preferably crossfire capable)
I need 4 gigs of ddr3(maybe2) ram
I need amd phenom II x3 unless there is better value somewhere else ?

Here is what I have picked out so far.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813136068

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150441

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649

I really have no idea what the best value/performance would be for the ram i would like to keep the price of the ram under 101 dollars unless there is significant performance to be gained.


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ~ 1 month
BUDGET RANGE: ~$500 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming gaming gaming . . .

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: moniter keyboard mouse, hard drive, dvd drive, power supply.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Cheap and legit newegg.

PARTS PREFERENCES: ATI and AMD

OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

Thanks alot

I recommend you pick up this G.SKILL DDR3 1600 4GB (2x2GB) memory.

I don't know DFI but I do know gigabyte, here is a mb with the same chipset costing 100$ after discounts and mirs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128384

Interesting, i will have to look into this

I have windows7, vista, and xp
and im not sure on the power supply, i just know its a thermaltake ~500 watter
I would look up the exacts on the power supply, but it at my home 2 hours away

Hey, make sure to check your PSU because you don't want a crappy PSU to ruin your whole I'd say expensive system?

Also, that RAM you suggested is not as GOOD as mine because mines 1600mhz 7-7-7-24 (2 dollars more ) and yours 1333mhz 7-7-7-20 (1.7 VOLTAGE, it exceeds the 1.65V limit = SO BIG NO)

Great to hear you have the O.S, or else the budget will not work
If you figured your PSU is crappy, I suggest you getting a new one.
You'll need 2 x 6pins connectors for running the 4870 I suggested.

the mb I've suggested isn't ddr3, where is one that costs 95$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128399 same brand

Yes, I know that already. The x16 x4 may take a performance hit with the 4850s(that's if he'll crossfire in the future, but one 4850 he'll be fine). But my i5 build is GREAT for the price, and kills all amd cpus.

Here is a comparison on the i5 and x3... http://anandtech.com/bench/default [...] =83&p2=109
Here is a comparison on the i5 and x4... http://anandtech.com/bench/default [...] =88&p2=109

The i5 is pretty much head in all gaming benchmarks... The X4 955 is closer than the X3 720... I still think for your budget and usage, the X3 720 will server your needs just fine!

Thermaltake makes okay powersupplies. I would trust one of them over a Raidmax or even Cooler Master, so I think you'll be safe. It is okay to use the adapters. It is just better if you have the required PCI-e power connectors already on your PSU.

Ok thats good to know , and thanks for that link , i didnt realize that anandtech provided such awsome data

This is my build as of now , can anyone make it any cheaper with reducing the performance, for example at 1680 x 1050 would a single 4870 be enough , or maybe 2 4850's ?

This is my build right now
Please list improvements keeping in mind GAMES>everything else

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128399
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150441 x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231279
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649

total
$558.96

If you can wait... I would buy this card for $10 more... XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video ... - Retail

Yes... dual 4870's will be a waste at your resolution. You are better off with this option....

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX - Retail
XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

a single 4870 will be able to run any game with all setting maxed including AA and the like at 1680 x 1050 ?

Here is a chart for Left4Dead at 1680x1050 max settings... http://www.tomshardware.com/charts [...] ,1454.html

You are getting over 80 FPS, which is good. I cannot say all games but a lot of games you'll be good to go

I'd go with the single 4870, then get another one down the road to Xfire them. I have the Asus 1GB model, and it works great: plays every game on highest everything at 1400X900 resolution. For the price it's the way to go, and should be up to par in the future via crossfire.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121291

one 5850 will give you DECENT gameplay at 1900x1200.

Lead 4 Dead is not a good example because it's less demanding than most other games like Far Cry 2, World in conflict..etc

That makes me feel dumb lol, i thought i had checked that. Ok so it pretty much has to be the DFI board.
Now the tricky part is deciding between an AM3 solution with more graphics and less cpu
or a i5 solution with more cpu and less graphics

Im thinking that the AM3 socket would have more choices to upgrade in the future, which would be good, but the i5 socket might as well too.
I can't really decide which one to get, but i think lowering my budget too ~400 (closer to the amount i actually want to spend) and adding in my slight bias for amd (all my desktops have been amd) i will probably go with this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813136068
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103649
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231279

total $ 328.98
video card ~ $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102824
Grand total $428.97

This way down the road i have a cheap upgrade option of adding another 4850 which i will probably do
and at the same time my (core --> motherboard and ram) should last for quite some time allowing me to upgrade the cpu and video cards at a latter date possibly.

Any other suggestions?

This is the hard part, i cant decide if it is worth it to go the extra 50 , i probably will though lol

I am pretty much doing the exact same thing as you Except Im starting from scratch.

Here is the build for my portable gaming system...

I just purchased today:

ASUS EAH5850/G/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI ... - Retail(they have it in stock!)

APEX TX-381-C Black Steel Micro ATX Tower Computer Case - Retail (Case with great feedback)

DFI LP JR 790GX-M3H5 AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail(I went with this board because it can support 2 PCI-E cards 8x/8x...the difference from a 16x/16x crossover is very minimal and it uses DDR3)

GELID Solutions FN-SX09-15 92mm Case Fan - Retail

GELID Solutions FN-TX12-15 120mm Case Fan with Superior Temperature Control - Retail

Im going to pre build this part to find out what kind of CPU cooler will fit properly, probably buy it from a local store so I can visually see it fit.
Next week Im going to finish it out by purchasing:

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail(This is a great PSU that can support 2 of the newer crossfireX cards.. enough Amps and Watts)

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail(Buy this! You can unlock the 2 other cores to make it a x4 very easily!)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - OEM

i-rocks RF-6572-BK Piano Black 2.4 GHz RF Wireless Slim Keyboard/Mouse Combo w/ Travel Pouch - Retail

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model GH22NP20 - OEM


I have been researching this for a few weeks and after doing allot of thinking(weighing my options of going cheaper on certain items) have come to this as being my final revision. I do not plan on overclocking the system other than unlocking the other 2 cores from the Phenom X2 so it shouldn't run hot. If necessary I will buy a third fan to place on the side. Later next year, im going to buy another 5850 and crossfire it and maybe bump up the memory to 8gb.

I want everything max at my resolution
but its ok if i dont get that off my initial purchase (Which is why im thinking about getting a single 4850 for now and then another one down the road when they are even cheaper, unless they wont get cheaper?

link me to it after, so i could help you out.

How about this ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] _-20146868

its on sale today at newegg for 5 dollars under the price if you have the code

How do you figure out how fast the ram actually is.
you have to account for the speed and the cas latency right

is there some type of equation to figure out if cas 9 2000 speed ddr3 is faster than cas 7 1600 speed ddr3 or vice versa?

Good question
We need to know !

That's what a specific mobo is rated max at (officially), obviously you can go higher. By the way, there's motherboards officially supporting at around 2000. So you did read wrong.
Anything higher than 1600mhz is a waste because latencies get higher and the performance will be very similar.

You have me confussed here. The voltage is over who's recommend voltage? The OP is building an AM3 build, not an Intel Core i5/i7 or i7 build, which requires 1.65v or less. An AM3 build will be fine with 1.8v, unless I'm totally missing something here, which I could be