jake1321

Distinguished
Jan 4, 2010
3
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18,510
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next two weeks BUDGET RANGE: Around $800 after rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Internet, Movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: No real preference but I've been looking mainly on Newegg.com, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US

PARTS PREFERENCES: Given my budget I thought an AMD CPU would make the most sense.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No -- I'm not currently planning to OC now, but I'd like to leave it open as an option for the future.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

My Current Build:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor -- 165.99

HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -- 54.99

PSU and Case Combo: OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply and COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -- 99.97 -after rebates

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card -- 164.99

MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard -- 69.99 After rebate

Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH -- 99.99

Optical: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 24X DVD-R SATA Black 24X DVD Writer LightScribe Support -- 31.99

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders -- 104.99

Total: 792.90

This is my first build so I'm a little worried about compatibility of the parts. Any input would be helpful.
I've also got a few specific questions:

1) Should I get a 3rd party CPU fan? I'm not planning on OCing yet, and I'm hoping to get away with the included fan.

2) I found this Combo for Win 7 and a slightly different Radeon 5770. This 5770 is more expensive but with the combo it turns out to be the same price. Is the difference between the two cards significant enough that I should use the combo instead of buying the two separately?

Let me know if you see any problems with my current build or ways in which it could be improved without exceeding the budget by too much.

Thanks
 
Solution
I don't see a need to get a 3rd party CPU fan, as the stock is good even for moderate overclocks, and if you aren't even going to be doing it for awhile I don't think it's worth losing this current build to get one into the budget.
There's no reason to get the more expensive GPU that I can see. If the picture on newegg is accurate then the 100283-2L has an 'egg' cooler on it which is supposed to be better at keeping the GPU temperature down than the pictured cooler on the 100283L.
As your motherboard only has 1 PCI-E slot a 700W is overkill, but the combo that it comes with looks very attractive. So it would be good to get a motherboard into the build that has 2 PCI-E slots so that you can crossfire later. But if you're determined not...
I don't see a need to get a 3rd party CPU fan, as the stock is good even for moderate overclocks, and if you aren't even going to be doing it for awhile I don't think it's worth losing this current build to get one into the budget.
There's no reason to get the more expensive GPU that I can see. If the picture on newegg is accurate then the 100283-2L has an 'egg' cooler on it which is supposed to be better at keeping the GPU temperature down than the pictured cooler on the 100283L.
As your motherboard only has 1 PCI-E slot a 700W is overkill, but the combo that it comes with looks very attractive. So it would be good to get a motherboard into the build that has 2 PCI-E slots so that you can crossfire later. But if you're determined not to crossfire then the build is perfect.
 
Solution

jake1321

Distinguished
Jan 4, 2010
3
0
18,510
Thanks for your help.

Although I'm not currently planning to crossfire, I certainly would like to get a Motherboard that could support it. Trouble is I'm having a tough time finding one that fits into my budget and seems to have decent quality. Any suggestions?

One option I've found is

MSI 790X-G45 AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

but I'm not really thrilled about it, and it means squeezing more out of my budget.

Anyway, any suggestions would be welcome.
 
This one is $5 cheaper: ASRock M3A785GXH/128M AM3 $95 and supports your RAM speed out of the box.
The best way to bring the build back into budget is to look for more combo deals.
For instance, I make your CPU + RAM = $266 so you could get any of these:
CPU & RAM Combo 1: 955 & OCZ Gold 4GB DDR3 1333 CAS9 Vol1.65V $245
CPU & RAM Combo 2: 955 & OCZ Obsidian 4GB DDR3 1600 CAS9 Vol1.65V $250
CPU & RAM Combo 3: 955 & OCZ Platinum 4GB DDR3 1333 CAS7 Vol1.65V $260
CPU & RAM Combo 4: 955 & OCZ Gold 4GB DDR3 1600 CAS8 Vol1.65V $260
If it was me, I'd get the cheapest one out of those and see if I could set the timings on the latency to around 8.