Got a new one for my friend [500 - 550 euro] - opinions

[zoog85]

Hi all,

I'm helping my friend on upgrading his computer. He just needs a new one, and want to play some games. He's not an avid gamer, or overclocker, so he doesn't need crossfire or the best of the best. The budget is also quite small (about 550 euro), but I managed to build something. Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

(I'm reusing his case, keyboard/mouse, monitor, dvd-drive):

AMD Phenom II x4 955 BE 3.2Ghz
135 euro

XFX HD4870 1GB
125 euro

MSI 770-C45
53 euro

Chieftec APS-500S (500watt)
63 euro

Kingston ValueRAM 4 GB DDR3-1333
85 euro

Seagate ST3500418AS 500gb (16 cache / 7200rpm)
43 euro


Total: 504 euro

 

[p55ibexpeak]

Let me guess. You're a AMD overclocker? That cpu is overkill for casual gaming. Dumb it down to Athlon II X2/X3. Get a better GPU like HD 5770.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Agree with p55ibexpeak. The 955 is overkill for pretty much everything except hardcore gamers on a strict budget.

You should swith that Seagate for a Samsung Spinpoint F3. I don't know Europe's prices, but over here in the States, they're typically the same, and the F3 is all around better.

What's the CAS Latency on that RAM? It's a string of numbers, the first three are the most important. You should get some that's 7-7-7 (lower is better).

If he's running Windows 7, you might want to look into the newer ATI 5xxx series GPUs. Specifically, the 5770. This is a good card, and pretty fairly priced.

 

[zoog85]

Thanks for the feedback, I will look into it

 

[gkay09]

^ Actually the HD 4870 is more powerful than the HD 5770...The 5770 is actually a DirectX 11 card so that might be a reason to switch to that...But in terms of raw power HD 4870 is the better one...
And also like others have said, he wouldn't need 955...I would rather suggest the Phenom II X3 720 over the Athlons for gaming as in some cases, the additional L3 cache helps...

As you friend will not be overclocking, even those RAM sets would do...

And the main concern here is the PSU...I would rather spend more cash and get a better one...
Antec EA 500 would be a very good option...