Comments on my $700 build

gwhmoss

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Dec 26, 2009
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So, I've been PC Gaming on an old Compaq for years now, and have finally gotten enough money together to build something much nicer :D If all goes well, I'll be purchasing parts in slightly under two weeks. $700 is already a stretch for me, so it can be treated as a limit, If something that pushes it slightly over would provide much more performance/future-readiness I'll be sure to consider it though. This article was very helpful in choosing parts, I can definitely recommend it. But, I thought I'd get some other opinions on the build, so, fire away!



http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=12612252

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333G (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1333GB2G8-AG - Retail

LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model ADX435WFGIBOX - Retail

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

Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply - Retail

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

OKGEAR 18" SATA II Cable Model GC18ARM12 - Retail

XIGMATEK XSF-F1251 120mm Case Fan - Retail
 
Solution
Looks like a good build to me i just did a similar one only with the phenom II x3, it looks like the case/power supply combo you picked is out of stock here is another combo with the same case http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304791 and it is also an antec power supply you just need a power cord for it.

This ram is the same price as the ram you chose but has free shipping and lower voltage. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

And if you know a college student you can pick up windows 7 for 30bucks.

newbuilder_92

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Dec 15, 2009
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Looks like a good build to me i just did a similar one only with the phenom II x3, it looks like the case/power supply combo you picked is out of stock here is another combo with the same case http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304791 and it is also an antec power supply you just need a power cord for it.

This ram is the same price as the ram you chose but has free shipping and lower voltage. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231275

And if you know a college student you can pick up windows 7 for 30bucks.
 
Solution

gwhmoss

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Dec 26, 2009
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Thanks! I used the combo deal you linked, but went up to a 520W PS. I also used the ram. For a power cord - do you mean like this? That also makes me think, are all the other cords and other little bits I need going to be included?

As far as the $30 win 7 deal, is it likely/possible that MS will notice that a student has purchased and passed on, instead of used the deal?
 

liquidsnake718

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Decent build I guess you dont like intel chips? clock for clock you should have gotten a e8400 even though its only two cores it is still fasterstock at 3.0ghz and easily overclockable to 4.0 ghz. I would have either gone for a lga 1156board or a sli capable lga775..... Your mb is perhaps better than a lga775 though so you got a good buy there for your budget.
 

gwhmoss

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I don't have anything against intel chips, it's just that in my price range, AMD chips are better. See, the Athlon II X3 cost $80 less than the E8400, but still has comparable performance. You mentioned SLI though, I was wondering about that/Crossfire. How important is that likely to become? Looking around on newegg, a crossfire compatible AM3 mobo is about $50 more than the 770 I'm looking at.
 

amantonas

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Sep 7, 2009
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I think that's a very good build, and to answer your question, most of all the components you bought will come with all the important cables. At least, whenever I buy a motherboard, it comes with at least one SATA cable, an IDE cable, and other things that are related.
 

newbuilder_92

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Dec 15, 2009
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Yea that power cord is exactly what I meant. The 520 is the one i got as well, they just don't come with a power cord because its part of antecs new "green" line so they want you to recycle your old one.
 

gwhmoss

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Ah, I think I'll be able to use the cord from my current computer then.

Also, the main difference between the Athlon II X3 and the Phenom II X3 is the Athlon's lack of an L3 cache, correct?
 

newbuilder_92

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Yes the L3 cache is the only difference. I purchased mine 2 weeks ago and there was a really good combo for the phenom II x3 with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128398 for 190 and a 15 dollar mail in rebate.

As far as the win 7 for students deal you just need a student with a .edu email address to get you the deal, otherwise you just download the iso file or for like 10 bucks more have microsoft send you the disk, I ordered it on my old computer and installed on my new computer, as long as you use a valid student email address you should have no problem.