Is this $600 budget gaming rig ready to go?

[yiplong]

Please take a look and leave comments. I will probably buy them later today. This computer will be used mainly for gaming, Microsoft office, internet, etc. I play mainly strategy games like Total War, Civ4, Age of Empires, etc.

- Phenom II X3 720 OEM- $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103652&cm_re=x3_720-_-19-103-652-_-Product
This chip goes for $10 more than the Athlon X4 620. I figure I will have a easier time OCing this thing than the 620.

- Gigabyte GA-MA770T - $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392&Tpk=Gigabyte%20GA-MA770T
Hopefully this can unlock the 4th core on the X3 720, but even if that doesn’t happen, it should hold up okay when I overclock it.

- MSI Radeon 5750 - $125 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127460&Tpk=msi%205750
My monitor is only 1680x1050, I run WinXP and have 4gb system memory which is already at the max for XP, so the 1gb and DX11 support on this chip is probably a bit of a waste. However with the rebate factored in, this chip only cost as much as 9800GTX or the older 4850.

- GSkill Ripjaws 2x2gb DDR3 1600 - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&Tpk=g.skill%20ripjaws
Running WinXP right now, 2gb is probably enough. 4gb of RAM is probably a waste. With the 1gb video card, the system can use at most 3gb.

- OCZ StealXStream 700W - $54 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019&cm_re=ocz_power_supply_700w-_-17-341-019-_-Product
This PSU is likely an overkill for this build, but at this price it is quite a deal. A decent 500W PSU will probably cost about the same.

- Antec Two Hundred - $30 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129070&cm_re=antec_two_hundred-_-11-129-070-_-Product
The Antec Two Hundred is a seriously ugly case, I really prefer the look of the Three Hundred, but at roughly half the cost, I can easily forgive the look.
This case comes with a 120mm and a 140mm case fan. One is install on top of the case, the other in the back just behind CPU. Are these fans adequate? Do I need intake fans up front?

- WD Caviar Blue 500GB SATA - $56
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073&Tpk=WD%20Caviar%20Blue%20500GB%20SATA
I decided that the Caviar Blue drives are the best balance between speed and performance. Ideally the Black drives would give the best performance, but I am afraid it may be too noisy (and kind of expensive too).

- Xigmatek HDT-S1283 - $30 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003&cm_re=Xigmatek_HDT-S1283-_-35-233-003-_-Product
It seems like this HSF is gigantic. Hopefully it will fit in the Two Hundred.

With the s/h added in and minus rebates, this build will cost $599.13. My budget is $600.

 

[Raidur]

Looks good to me, if you can afford it the 5770 (512MB will work as well) is worth the extra money (unless your budget is serious strict).

Yeah you won't be using the full 1GB (it might still give you an extra couple FPS) like you said but the DX11 should still come to use (performance optimizations and some visuals).

With that PSU I'd also look into a future crossfire plan, you'd have to upgrade your mobo however, but I guess that would put you over budget

Maybe you could drop the OCZ for an Antec NEO ECO 400w (or a 500 for $15 or so more) for $40 free s/h (great deal) then upgrade your GPU. That's what I'd do but I guess the OCZ would give you better capacitor aging room.

Up to you, the 5770 only draws 108w under load and under 10A on the 12V.

 

[gkay09]

^ That is a good config...
Here are some options/ combos to reduce the price even further...
PSU + Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.319753

CASE - Even this NZXT is a good case with nice interiors...would cost $10 less than that 200...But just make sure you add 1 120MM fan to that case at the rear...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146059

HDD - Definetly this one is slightly faster and would be quiet too as it has a single platter design...
Seagate 7200.12
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395
Free HDD Dock
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.311005
The Samsung F3 would have been better but is out of stock...

 

[yiplong]

Good catch on the combo deal, you've just saved me $20. Many thanks.

I will take a further look at the case, it certainly looks a lot better than the Antec Two Hundred.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Definitely get the 5770. It's only a marginally more expensive card, but it's a lot better.

I would also get a Coolermaster Hyper 212 CPU cooler. It's $30 without a rebate. It's also one of the best.