Gaming Build, $650-$750

[VeiledMuffin]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within the next two weeks or so
BUDGET RANGE: Around $650-$750
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST IMPORTANT TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Multitasking, Software Development, Internet Browsing
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, Software, OS, Video Card, Aftermarket coolers
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I usually go with Newegg, but I'd be fine with whatever is cheaper
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US
PARTS PREFERRED: No preference
OVERCLOCKING: I don't know a whole lot about overclocking, but maybe sometime down the road
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Nope
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1650x1050
COMMENTS: This is my first time building a computer. The computer I use now is almost 4 years old, and I figure its time for me to build a system. I'm pretty sure all of the parts I chose work together, but I'm not 100% sure. I'm mainly looking for a system to run all my computer games on the highest settings with no problem. I'd also be using this computer for development and graphics design.

PARTS I HAVE SELECTED:

CASE - COOLER MASTER Storm Scout SGC-2000-KKN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail -$89.99 ($9.99 Shipping)

PSU - SILVERSTONE OP650 650W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail - $139.99 ($50.00 Mail-In Rebate)

MOBO - GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail - $79.99 ($7.56 Shipping, $10.00 Mail-In Rebate)

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 - Retail - $165.99 (Free Shipping)

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail - $93.99 (Free Shipping)

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - $99.99 (Free Shipping)

Optical Drive - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe LightScribe Support - OEM - $30.99 ($6.98 Shipping)

Total Cost after Rebates/Shipping: $665.46

Any help would be appreciated, Thanks!

 

[shubham1401]

Which gfx card are you planning to use?
Buy PSU according to that.You might not need a PSU that big(Even a 400w may power your system provided you mentin your gfx card).


You can save some money on the case also.

This is one more HD that you might consider:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=f3%201tb

 

[VeiledMuffin]

I'm planning on using this: ASUS EAH4850 512MB.

 

[shubham1401]

Have you already bought the card?
For that card your PSU is overkill.
You don't need a PSU that big.

And you can save some money on case too.

 

[deadlockedworld]

PSU: Corsair 450vx -- excellent quality, quiet, energy efficient.

 

[zealious]

go am3 athlon x2 its kicking ass in my build and its like 1/3 price. no l3 but 1mb per core of l2
and fast speed

just my 2 cents. im very happy with it for a budget beast.

or phenom dual core.. i mean if u compare the dual core to quad ur talking marginal performance yet way marginal price increase..


if u get the latest ur going to pay the greatest

 

[zealious]

oh and i got my eah 1gb for a steal at 95 bucks on new egg.. I think they have 1gb 4850's for less than that 512

better yet go 5770

 

[zealious]

multi poster here. sorry.. but why black edition i mean are u planning on oc'ing?

In this day of green im for under clocking and saving power.. go antec true 400 and spend less on ur processor but more on ur video card...

I know these days things are more processor driven but ... what ev.
def go 5 series on ur radeon. I havent seen any benchmarks of the 5's vs the high 4s but ur looking at similar pipelines but able to handle dx11

ok this time i actualy eddited..

so I just built a system am3 based and im very happy with it.. my regrets were not going with a radeon 5770+ and not getting a ssd for my system hard drive..

I dont care what people say.. I have a net book and a fast ssd can make the biggest dif in a system.

Get a 30ish gig ssd is my rec.. And I HIGHLY recomend runcore. then just get a cheap sata hd as ur storage device.. set all ur temp folders and cache folders on the ssd.

what os are u going to be running?

 

[zealious]

man thats a sweet case. I got a cooler master too. I love it. its probly my favorite part.. they are worth every cent.

That case looks like it should hold the black box in a cobra hellicopter or something

 

[Onus]

Ok. Since multitasking is #2 on your list, I agree that a quadcore is the way to go. Since gaming is #1, you may want to keep the L3 cache, but if budget becomes a concern, you can get an Athlon II X4 Propus.
At your stated resolution, I don't think there's any need to replace your video card. You can always do that in a year or two if necessary.. As a rule, a quality 500W-550W PSU can run any single GPU. Silverstone has some quality PSUs, but I'm not sure that's one of them, seeing as it is not 80+ certified. The PSU is not the place to be cheap, but you can save money with a 500W Antec Earthwatts or Corsair VX-550. If you'd like a little more headroom and a step up in quality, get an 80+ bronze 550W Antec Truepower New: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371020 for $70 after MIR and $10 promo code. Crossfire is not an option on the mobo you selected, so you won't need anything bigger.
Get a 500GB Samsung Spinpoint F3 for better performance. If you need additional data storage, you can always add another drive.
Personally, every one of the half dozen DIFFERENT Coolermaster cases I ever bought (even my RC690) had minor quality issues. I just got tired of it. Cases are such a personal item, but over $50 I'd probably go for Antec now, or maybe try NZXT. At the bottom end, I've had only good results from cheap Rosewill cases.

 

[nojah]

I just finished building a system with the same mobo and ram you are looking at. I also got the 955be, but got the mbox rather than the ibox with the c3 stepping as its only $10 more, (and I got a nice combo deal on it with my gpu). Anyway, I have no complaints about any of those three items, they all work perfect and I have had no issues what so ever up to this point, so I would highly recommed them to anyone looking to build on a tight budget. I will agree with the other posters though, anything above 550w psu is overkill for your system, (though later on down the road that may not be a bad thing when it's time to upgrade again). I am running a 4890 in my system and my 550w is well more than enough to get the job done. Just my 2 cents. Good luck.

 

[VeiledMuffin]

Best answer selected by VeiledMuffin.