New Noob Build

[warpedone]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP

BUDGET RANGE: $600-$700

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing, watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, Speakers, Sound Card, Wifi card

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com though could go elsewhere

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe - have to learn how

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe - ditto

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440x900

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Prefer function over form

I'm coming in over budget - trying to be current with AM3 and DX11 - could knock this down and save some cash but don't know enough about things to know how much of a performance hit I would take.

Please feel free to flame me or make any other suggestions? Also, please let me know if I need any coolage, or if anything's incompatible - Thanks!

CPU - AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail $99

MOBO - GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $70 after MIR

GPU - SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail $165

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH - Retail $100

PSU - Diablotek PHD Series PHD650 650W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply - Retail $60

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $55

Case - COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $50 with free shipping

DVD - HP Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA 24X Multiformat DVD Writer - Retail $32

OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM $105

Brings me to $760ish (with shipping) - comments and suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

 

[MadAdmiral]

Only thing I can see to save you a bit is to drop to an HD 5750. It will save $20-30.

DO NOT GET THAT PSU!!! Here's a good list of PSUs by quality That PSU is the lowest quality. Stick to the major brands (Corsair, OCZ, Antec to name a few). It will cost you a little bit more, but you do not want to get a crappy PSU.

The only thing I can recommend to lower the price and keep everything you want would be to look for combos. You should also check out the stickied thread "Recommend Builds by Usage" in the General Homebuilt section. Look at the $500 build and tack on the 5750.

EDIT: Added link.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The build looks pretty good. The only thing that must go is that POS PSU. You do NOT want to save money on the PSU. A cheap PSU will cause all sorts of problems ranging from system instability to fried components. Here's a much better PSU:

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail $69.99 - $25 MIR

This CPU would be a way to save $22 if you absolutely have to.

AMD Athlon II X3 425 2.7GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Retail $76.99

You're resolution is pretty low. Another way to save some money would be to get this combo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.297959 $234.98 (64-bit Windows 7 HP + Sapphire 5750 1GB combo)

 

[warpedone]

Dig the input - that's what I love about this place.

Is 550W big enough? I was looking at that very OCZ originally (particularly at that price) but worried that it wouldn't be big enough.

As for the res - I'm not 100% sure that that 's the native res of the monitor - I asked my 15 yo son and that's the answer I got.

If I do downgrade to the X3 425 and 5750, am I losing much vs. the X4 620 and 5770 for that $58? Worth it in the long run?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The 550W OCZ PSU is plenty big. The ATI 5xxx series use very little power. You could even power that system with a quality 450W PSU, but the 550W PSU is a good option. You wouldn't notice much of a difference between the X3 and X4 for your intended use.

Just check the 5750 vs 5770 benchmarks for the games you will be playing and the native resolution of your monitor to see if the 5750 will work for you.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3658

 

[nekko]

Get this PSU and yes 550W is enough.
I have this PSU and have a 955 build running windows 7 home prem. with a 5770 (no sli) and its perfect, a dvd burner, blu rap player, and a samsung F3 no problems at all.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004&Tpk=corsair

*And I would get a 5770 over a 5750, for like $15 more thats all.
*And I would go with one of these DVD drives..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106334
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335

 

[MadAdmiral]

Either PSU mentioned above would be good. I'd get the OCZ mainly because it's cheaper.

I also agree with X3 suggestion. It may not be attractive, but it eases the strain on the budget.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

*And I would go with one of these DVD drives..
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106328
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335

The first drive mentioned is an IDE drive. You do NOT want an IDE DVD burner in a new build. I've had great luck with Samsung DVD burners.

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - OEM $31.99

 

[nekko]

I did NOT mean to post that drive!!! Sorry!

That samsung is also a very good drive, my brother owns that one.

In my op I like lite-on and samsung

 

[warpedone]

*And I would get a 5770 over a 5750, for like $15 more thats all.
*And I would go with one of these DVD drives...

Going with the X3 and Samsung drive.

What about with a $35 difference? It's $20 already and if I bundle the 5750 with Windows 7 that knocks off another $15. I know I'm splitting hairs here but that's a few beers anyway.

The boys been suffering with a Celeron Processor, 1 GB of RAM and onboard graphics so, whatever we come up with, it'll be like night and day.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[nekko]

I would just buy the combo I mean your saving even tho your spending more and it will be well worth it..