Please provide feedback on budget gaming rig $700

[tman570]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 months from now
BUDGET RANGE: 600-700

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Internet, Online Poker

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Monitor, Speakers

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

OVERCLOCKING: No Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: ??

MONITOR RESOLUTION: As high as possible given below hardware

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: This is my 2nd PC build, My current PC is a homebuilt from about 8 years ago that finally died. Have been away from this for awhile so hopefully everyone here can help in fine tuning this build. Thanks in advance for your ideas.

Parts I have chosen so far:

quantity of item 1


LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106335
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options27-106-335|hide options27-106-335)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-106-335.0.18)

* 1 year: $6.99
* 2 year: $11.99



$28.99

select item 2 quantity of item 2


Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811129066
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

-$10.00 Instant


$69.99
$59.99

select item 3 quantity of item 3


Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136218
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy



$69.99

select item 4 quantity of item 4


Rosewill RNX-N300 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wireless-N 2.0 PCI (1T2R) Up to 150Mbps Data Rates/ WPA/WPA2 (AES, 64,128-WEP with shared-key authentication) Cisco CCS V1.0, V2.0,V3.0 compliant/ Vista Ready

Rosewill RNX-N300 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wireless-N 2.0 PCI (1T2R) Up to 150Mbps Data Rates/ WPA/WPA2 (AES, 64,128-WEP with shared-key ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16833166038
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options33-166-038|hide options33-166-038)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info33-166-038.0.18)

* 1 year: $6.99
* 2 year: $11.99

-$10.00 Instant


$29.99
$19.99

select item 5 quantity of item 5


SAPPHIRE 100295HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

SAPPHIRE 100295HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102854
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options14-102-854|hide options14-102-854)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info14-102-854.0.18)

* 1 year: $9.99
* 2 year: $16.99



$74.99

select item 6 quantity of item 6


Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817371016
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

-$15.00 Instant


$79.99
$64.99

select item 7 quantity of item 7


Microsoft Comfort Curve Value Pack

Microsoft Comfort Curve Value Pack - OEM
Item #: N82E16823109156
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy



$21.99

select item 8 quantity of item 8


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231166
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy



$94.99

select item 9 quantity of item 9


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

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Return Policy



$104.99

select item 10 quantity of item 10

BIOSTAR TA790GXE 128M AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX620WFGIBOX

*

BIOSTAR TA790GXE 128M AM2+/AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138146
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

*

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX620WFGIBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103706
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

-$30.00 Combo


$198.99
$168.99

Subtotal: $709.90

 

[saint19]

Hi newcomer and welcome to the Tom's hardware forum.

I would get a better mobo from ASUS, Gigabyte or MSI. Also, go for the X4 630.

 

[MadAdmiral]

First, absolutely do not build on an AM2+ board. You don't want to be touching DDR2.

Second, you should really spend a little more on the GPU.

I'm just going to start you over with a new build...

CPU: Athlon II X4 620
Mobo: Asus M4A79XTD EVO Combo with CPU $189 after rebate
RAM: GKingston ValueRAM 2x1 GB DDR3 1066 mhz CAS Latency 7 $57
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB $55
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 700W
Optical: Any cheap SATA DVD burner Combo with PSU $72 after rebate
Case: Antec 300 Illusion $60
OS: Windows 7 $105
GPU: HD 5770 $155 after rebate

Total: $693. Probably more combos/specials available. If you're a student, you can get Windows 7 for a lot less through the student discount. If that's out of range, drop to the X3 425 combo with the same board to save $30-40.

 

[tman570]

Thank you for the input so far. Based on the above comments I searched around and found a combo deal. I think this would be better although it increases the build by $96.02. For the extra money I would be upgrading the CPU, RAM to DDR3, and power supply.

IS there a huge difference between DDR2 and 3? This package seems like much better bang for the buck.


Is the graphics card selected below sufficient? Any commentary on that would be appreciated as I am already $100 over budget....



LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106335
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options27-106-335|hide options27-106-335)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info27-106-335.0.18)

* 1 year: $6.99
* 2 year: $11.99



$28.99

select item 2 quantity of item 2


Rosewill RNX-N300 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wireless-N 2.0 PCI (1T2R) Up to 150Mbps Data Rates/ WPA/WPA2 (AES, 64,128-WEP with shared-key authentication) Cisco CCS V1.0, V2.0,V3.0 compliant/ Vista Ready

Rosewill RNX-N300 IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wireless-N 2.0 PCI (1T2R) Up to 150Mbps Data Rates/ WPA/WPA2 (AES, 64,128-WEP with shared-key ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16833166038
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options33-166-038|hide options33-166-038)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info33-166-038.0.18)

* 1 year: $6.99
* 2 year: $11.99

-$10.00 Instant


$29.99
$19.99

select item 3 quantity of item 3


SAPPHIRE 100295HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card

SAPPHIRE 100295HDMI Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814102854
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options14-102-854|hide options14-102-854)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info14-102-854.0.18)

* 1 year: $9.99
* 2 year: $16.99



$74.99

select item 4 quantity of item 4


Microsoft Comfort Curve Value Pack

Microsoft Comfort Curve Value Pack - OEM
Item #: N82E16823109156
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy



$21.99

select item 5 quantity of item 5


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

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Item #: N82E16832116754
Return Policy: Software Return Policy



$104.99

select item 6 quantity of item 6

MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Heka 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model HDZ720WFK3DGI
COOLER MASTER NV 690 NV-690C-KWN2-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified,Single 12V Rail,Active PFC
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL

*

MSI NF980-G65 AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813130236
Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options13-130-23610|hide options13-130-23610)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info13-130-2361.0.18)
o 1 year: $19.99
o 2 year: $35.99

*

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136284
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

*

AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Heka 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor Model HDZ720WFK3DGI - OEM
Item #: N82E16819103652
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy

*

COOLER MASTER NV 690 NV-690C-KWN2-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119157
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

*

Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified,Single 12V Rail,Active PFC"Compatible with Core i7, ... - Retail
Item #: N82E16817182191
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

Protect Your Investment (expand for options17-182-19110|hide options17-182-19110)

Service Net Replacement Extended Warranty Plan

The product will be replaced and shipped directly to you at no charge(more info17-182-1911.0.18)
o 1 year: $9.99
o 2 year: $16.99

*

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231277
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy

-$50.00 Instant
-$78.97 Combo


$683.94
$554.97

Subtotal: $805.92

 

[MadAdmiral]

Again, Rosewill isn't a good PSU maker.

What exactly didn't you like about the build I gave you? It's a great machine, and only slightly over budget. It's certainly a better gaming build than your second one.

PS: You might want to delete everything but the name and cost of each part. It's really hard to read with all the extra crap...

 

[tman570]

You are right Mad Admiral, after review yours is better for less money.... I think I will go with what you suggest. Let me know if you can think of anything else...

 

[tman570]

2 questions,

1. If I wanted to beef up the ram to 4g which would you recommend? What is the highest speed RAM the motherboard you suggested compatible with?

2. The case you selected is up to 69.99. Stick with that or is there something better at 70?

Thanks!

 

[MadAdmiral]

1.) I would recommend G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 for $115. The board I suggested can handle up to 1800 mhz, but to reach that it has to be overclocked.

2.) I personally prefer to recommend that case, but you can look at the Antec 300 (an Illusion with fewer fans), the Antec 200 and the NZXT M59. All of these are great cheap cases that should work just fine for you.

 

[tman570]

Thanks for the RAM recomendation. The Antec 300 Illusion case is $85 with shipping. I noticed the Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail is $99.99 with free shipping. So for $15 more it looks like a much better case. Agree?

 

[MadAdmiral]

Better is too relative. Both are excellent cases (as are the 200 and plain 300). The 900 is just bigger, has a window and has more fans. It is in what I would consider the next step up in terms of cases.

What I would do is watch the 300 Illusion. It's almost always at $60, so it should go back down. Since your not buying most of the parts for a couple of months, just watch the price movements for a while. Buy it if it drops down a lot or has a good combo with another part. If it stays at $70 before shipping, then consider the 900.

Another one to watch is the HAF 922. Right now, it's $100+shipping, but it has been as low as $80 with free shipping.

 

[tman570]

Best answer selected by tman570.