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Please comment on this budget gaming rig

Forum Homebuilt Systems : General Homebuilt - Please comment on this budget gaming rig

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yiplong   10-22-2009 at 06:20:18 PM

I am putting together a gaming rig on budget for my nephew. Here is what I plan to put together:

- Windows XP home
- Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition
- Gigabyte GA-MA785, AMD 785G
- Radeon 4870 512mb
- 2x1gb DDR3 (prefer 4gb, but XP 32bit cannot use it all)

My main concern is really with the 2gb of RAM, not sure if it will be a bottleneck in games, as the CPU and GPU are fairly strong for the money.
Please feel free to make suggestions and comments.

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WR2   10-22-2009 at 06:26:50 PM

2GB of RAM with XP should be good. It's like 3GB with Vista.
Good CPU/MB/GPU combination.

I can't think of any good reason not to use 4GB of RAM except price. XP should be able to use a bit over 3GB and price difference 2GB->4GB is quite small. A Win7 upgrade? Could happen some day.

Reply to WR2
yiplong   10-22-2009 at 10:36:17 PM

How good is the stock fan on PII X3 720? If I plan to do some moderate overclocking, it is going to hold up?

For this system, would a 400W PSU be sufficient?

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to yiplong
shortstuff_mt   10-22-2009 at 10:43:09 PM

Which 400W PSU? I sure wouldn't try to power a 4870 with a 400W PSU. You should be looking for a quality 500W - 550W PSU for that system.

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WR2   10-22-2009 at 11:15:10 PM

yiplong wrote :

How good is the stock fan on PII X3 720? If I plan to do some moderate overclocking, it is going to hold up?

It's not too bad. But my definition of moderate OC'ing calls for something a bit more robust.
What case will you be using? How many & what size fans does it have?
OCZ Vendetta 92mm CPU Cooler $20 a/r


Reply to WR2
yiplong   10-23-2009 at 02:38:28 AM

I am thinking about getting the Antec 300:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129042
It certainly appears to be a solid case for $60, comes with 2 case fans.

As for PSU, I am not sure whether I should get this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153023
or this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153052
The first one is only 430W while the second one is 500W. I used some wattage calculator online, and it suggests that my proposed system only needs 300W

Reply to yiplong
WR2   10-23-2009 at 04:28:29 AM

The 300 is a good choice, plenty of room for the 4870 and the rest of those parts.

The PSUs you've listed so far have just a single PCI-e power connector for the video card and 4870 wants 2. You could cobble together the 2nd power lead with the molex to PCI-e adapters that come in the accessory pack of most 4870s. Or you can go with a PSU that has 2 PCI-e connectors for a cleaner look inside the case.
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W PSU $40 after rebate Be sure to check the shipping cost on the PSU to your location. You can sometimes a PSU with free shipping that works out to be a better deal.

Reply to WR2
shortstuff_mt   10-23-2009 at 06:42:22 PM

Do not get either of those Thermaltake PSU's. They're both low quality PSU's with no active PFC, low efficiency, and not enough power output or connections to properly power a 4870. +1 to the OCZ ModXStream 500W PSU WR2 linked above. You do NOT want to try and save a buck on the PSU.

Reply to shortstuff_mt
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