$700 Build: Home vs. ibuypower

[NKB]

Looking to build a gaming/everyday computer on a budget. Ibuypower is giving me a run for my money. The build below does not necessarily have to use the parts I used. Looking for most bang/buck here. As you can see I crept over budget.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week. BUDGET RANGE: ~$700

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (WoW, Borderlands, Dragon Age, Steam games in general), general use

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: (e.g.: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS) Keyboard, mouse, speakers.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: High as possible, currently displaying on a 19' LCD. Possible monitor upgrade in the near future.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I have found a similar build on ibuypower.com for slightly cheaper. I wanted to build my own computer for the sake of learning and saying I did it myself. But ibuypower seems to offer the same build cheaper, with a better looking case.

So far I have found:

Combo:
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.303821
$250.98

SAPPHIRE 100269HDMI Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102852
$184.99

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017
$74.99
note: says core i7 compatible. I don't think this excludes me from using it on an AMD machine.

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231189
$94.99

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
$54.99

Rosewill R5717-P SL 120mm Fan Pre-Installed on the Top and 80mm Slim Fan Cooling HDD,ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147057
$34.99

LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136144
$29.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116752&cm_re=windows_7_system-_-32-116-752-_-Product
$104.99

Total: $830.91

This is the ibuypower build.
http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Configurators.aspx?mid=392
$805.00

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[MadAdmiral]

Your build is better. The ibuypower only has 2 GB of RAM, you have 4. It has a nVidia GPU, and ATI is so much better. That's pretty much where I stopped looking.

Some improvements to your build...

First, you want a SATA burner, not an IDE one. It will be a couple bucks more expensive, but you must do this.

Second, here's some faster RAM for a couple bucks more: G.Skill Eco DDR3 1333 CAS Latency 7. These sticks are low voltage, which will save you money in the long-run, and are faster than what you've picked out, so the extra few bucks are worth it.

Third, you need the 64-bit Windows pack, or else you won't be using a half GB of that RAM (and won't be able to add more later).

Fourth, you don't really need a modular PSU. A regular one would save a few bucks, but that's a good unit.

You could also spring for a little extra to buy an Antec 300 Illusion, which is both an awesome case and looks pretty good.

EDIT: Fixed the link to point to what I was talking about...

 

[hunter315]

STOP! Your build wont work! You have the 940 with an AM3 motherboard, the 940 is an AM2+ processor which means that it is physically incompatible with the AM3 socket. $20 more gets you a combo that works
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.303822

Aside from that your link to the ibuypower one did not hold all of the configuration changes you had made to it, it lists it with a GT220 which isnt even comparable to the 4890.

You definitely want a sata optical drive, sata cables are much nicer to work with, there is also no reason to stick with a 32 bit OS now, it will just limit you. The Modxstream is fairly nice for the price, i see no reason to swap it out, it will easily power a single 4890.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Didn't even think to look at the mobo/CPU compatibility. I just assumed it worked.

Hunter's suggestion is a great combo.

 

[NKB]

Good catch Hunter! I actually had the combo you picked in mind and must have posted the wrong one.

Good suggestion also about the OS and memory.

My original intent was to say around 650, but even from the get go I was over budget. I toyed with the idea of using the Athlon II x4 630 deal they have on newegg and save about 50 dollars. Is the Phenom II x4 955 significantly better than the Athlon II x4 630?

 

[sheath]

Heres the link to the ram MadAdmiral was talking about, something went wrong with his.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231318