Need your input on my first build

[vanbroeK]

Well I have about finialised the build I would buy but because it's my first I don't completely know for sure if everything goes etc. I am in Australia btw so the prices are a bit higher then what you could get from newegg. I shop at umart.com.au just so you know.

My Build (minus the speakers, monitor, OS, keyboard and mouse)

AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8Ghz AM3 95W $140
Asus M4A77TD-Pro AM3 770 HT5200 4DDR3 160OC PCIE2.0 GLan ATX $102
Western Digital 500G SATAII 7200rpm HDD 32M Green Power $58 OR Seagate SATAII 500GB 16m Cache(ST3500418AS ) $61
G Skill 4G(2x2G) DDR3 1600Mhz PC12800 9-9-9-24(CL9D-4GBNQ) $138 OR OCZ 4G(2x2G)DDR3 1333 PC10666 Platinum LV (OCZ3P1333LVAM4GK) $153
Thermaltake V3 Black Edition With 450W PSU $79
PowerColor ATI HD5750 1G DDR5 $159
LiteON IHAS324 SATA DVD-RW 24X Black Retail $38

EDIT: I don't really have a main use for this computer, it's just an upgrade. I just want it to run anything solidly especially Photoshop CS4 and I plan on playing MW2.

First of all just tell me if the motherboard and the ram will work fine together and anything else. If you spot a fault or stuff that won't go together then please tell me and give me your general input on it as well.

All help and suggestions are welcomed!

BUDGET IS ANYTHING UNDER $1000 (AUD) - Counting the speakers, monitor, mouse, keyboard etc.

 

[gkay09]

^ That is a good build you have come up with...And Yes the mobo and RAM will be compatible...
But what PSU have you chosen ? Make sure it is an 80+ certified one with Active PFC...Never skimp on the PSU, it is one of the main component in the PC...
And as for HDD, see if you can get the Seagate 7200.12/ Samsung F3 500GB drives... they will be slightly better than that WD drive that you have selected...

 

[vanbroeK]

The PSU comes with the case "Thermaltake V3 Black Edition With 450W PSU". I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to specs but here is the link to it.

http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=139&bid=2&sid=52703

I'll look into the hard drives as well, thanks.

 

[foolycooly]

Looks like a pretty good start, and everything will work together. A few suggestions:

If you can swing it, try to pick up a Samsung Spinpoint F3 (500gb or 1TB models). they are currently among the fastest mechanical drives available and offer an excellent value. The 500gb model is about $55 USD on amazon and American newegg.

If you can, try to get a set of ram with lower latency, even if you have to go with a set of 1333Mhz over a 1600Mhz set. The lower latency is more important than a higher speed for everyday use (especially if you won't be overclocking the CPU to any extreme). Something with a CAS latency of 7 or 8 would be optimal.

Edit: slow typing FTL...gkay beat me to some good suggestions.

 

[Silvune]

Yes it is all compatible.
The price difference between the Athlon II X4 620 and 630 isn't really worth the price difference. And it's got to be pretty easy to overclock the 620 to the 630's level of performance.
This is a better harddrive for only $3 more: http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=129&bid=2&sid=37498
If you're willing to make the change of processor and spend the money that you save then you can get a set of RAM with lower latency, altho it should be easy enough to set the latency at a lower level.
Or spend it on knowing that you have a good PSU, or potentially a better video card.

 

[vanbroeK]

Just an update, I looked at the hard drives and the one i chose seems to be the cheapest and best value and I also added my price range of under $1000 to the first post.

 

[foolycooly]

If you can't find a spinpoint f3, then I'd say the western digital line of drives you're looking at is a close second. They are very solid drives.

 

[vanbroeK]

Looks like a pretty good start, and everything will work together. A few suggestions:

If you can swing it, try to pick up a Samsung Spinpoint F3 (500gb or 1TB models). they are currently among the fastest mechanical drives available and offer an excellent value. The 500gb model is about $55 USD on amazon and American newegg.

If you can, try to get a set of ram with lower latency, even if you have to go with a set of 1333Mhz over a 1600Mhz set. The lower latency is more important than a higher speed for everyday use (especially if you won't be overclocking the CPU to any extreme). Something with a CAS latency of 7 or 8 would be optimal.

Edit: slow typing FTL...gkay beat me to some good suggestions.

Thanks for the reply, I'll look into the ram and see if I can get something a lil better. Not sure if i can get a hold of the Samsung HDD but I'll also look into that. Cheers mate.

Yes it is all compatible.
The price difference between the Athlon II X4 620 and 630 isn't really worth the price difference. And it's got to be pretty easy to overclock the 620 to the 630's level of performance.
This is a better harddrive for only $3 more: http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=129&bid=2&sid=37498
If you're willing to make the change of processor and spend the money that you save then you can get a set of RAM with lower latency, altho it should be easy enough to set the latency at a lower level.
Or spend it on knowing that you have a good PSU, or potentially a better video card.

Good reply. I'll add the hdd to the first post so future posters can pick but that is definitely a possibility thanks!

 

[vanbroeK]

If you can't find a spinpoint f3, then I'd say the western digital line of drives you're looking at is a close second. They are very solid drives.

I actually found one but it's a bit pricey for me, it will just go over my budget. Okay have a look at my HDD drives now and tell me what you think?

 

[foolycooly]

Go with your original WD drive. You won't be disappointed I don't think.

 

[vanbroeK]

Not to sure about the RAM but can someone please point me out anything better then what i have in my setup atm from the following:

http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&bid=2&id2=153

Suggestions will be appreciated. Preferably something around the same price and instock.

 

[vanbroeK]

Go with your original WD drive. You won't be disappointed I don't think.

Ok thanks mate for your help, if you have anything else please reply.

 

[gkay09]

The info about the PSU is scarce on that site...
I know for that price, it is a good deal...but such low price for a PSU + CASE is the main concern here...I highly doubt that the PSU that comes with the case would be of lower quality...

And as for the RAM, yes going with a low latency RAM would be a good option but there would only be slight difference at that speeds...
here is a good set of RAM for the same price but with tighter timings...
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=49155

 

[foolycooly]

I think this set is worth $15 extra dollars if you can manage it:

http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=153&bid=2&sid=53648

I own the triple channel set on my system and can vouch for the quality. CAS 7 is hard to beat and I think that they are a pretty good value (compared to some other sets on the site).

 

[Silvune]

If you look at this comparison chart between the 500GB Seagate that I suggested and the 1TB, 1.5TB & 2TB Caviar Green (they didn't have the 500GB Caviar Green to compare to, so I choice the 3 closest to it) then you will see that it is the better drive.
Edit: I can't get the url to display, so go to this page, http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/h2benchw-3.12-Avg-Read-Throughput,1010.html and if you click the 4 drives I was talking about then you will see the comparison chart I was trying to show you.
Edit 2: [cpp]http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/compare,1010.html?prod[2369]=on&prod[2373]=on&prod[2364]=on&prod[2363]=on[/cpp] if you copy and paste the link you will see what I'm trying to show you.
Edit 3: I thought I understood all this html cr@p. /pulls hair out. lol

 

[vanbroeK]

I'm leaning towards the OCZ just because the brand and its instock unlike the geil which is outofstock but i'll leave this open to other as well.

 

[vanbroeK]

If you look at this comparison chart between the 500GB Seagate that I suggested and the 1TB, 1.5TB & 2TB Caviar Green (they didn't have the 500GB Caviar Green to compare to, so I choice the 3 closest to it) =on&prod[2373]=on&prod[2364]=on&prod[2363]=on]HDD comparison chart then you will see that it is the better drive.

Thanks buddy , i'll take that into serious account when choosing. KIU!

 

[foolycooly]

haha Silvune, in the future you can just post the link straight in the text box...no HTML required. That's good info, I didn't know that the seagate would perform so well with half the cache. That's not the drive with the firmware problems is it?

 

[gkay09]

^ Those are the 7200.12 drives...they have a single platter desing - 500Gb per platter and are very efficient so with only half the cache, they perform very well...and so is the case with the F3...

 

[foolycooly]

Ah, ok. I thought the spinpoint f3s were the only drives with the single 500gb platter design. Good info.

 

[gkay09]

Seagate was first to launch 500GB/ platter...but it was kinda overshadowed by the problems that haunted the 7200.11 drives(Especially the 1TB drives) so people started avoiding Seagate on a whole that time...but things are better now...

 

[vanbroeK]

OK I am about all set, the only thing really is the PSU. I like the case but I just dont know if the PSU is good enough?? It fits the criteria of the GFX card though.

 

[gkay09]

^ Yes it does fit the graphic card criteria FOR NOW...what about when you want to upgrade your graphics card ? that time you would have to upgrade your PSU too(Assuming you will be upgrading to a more powerful card)...

 

[foolycooly]

the PSU actually looks pretty decent for what it's worth. I managed to find the specs here:

http://www.thermaltake.com.au/Products/Chassis/VL80001W2Z/V3BlackEdition.aspx

 

[vanbroeK]

Thanks, I don't think I will upgrade anytime soon tbh. Although I am still a bit unsure to go with Seagate or WD? I like the fact that the WD is green because I am sort of an eco friendly person and WD is a fav brand. Also I am not completely sure about the RAM. The original has many good comments compared to the other one which had none. I am still going to think about it but I am still unsure.