Building a dirt cheap system! Help!

[carlhenry]

hi guys i need help. im low on budget and I KNOW this system won't be a monster. it's my first try building a system and would like to gain as much experience and have fun in the process. i just need a few pointers and feedbacks on what and how i can improve my build. i plan to OC the cpu a little but as much as possible stay away from liquid cooling solutions and stick to the fans. i dunno which fans are good. im looking for something that's cheap but reliable. (not necessarily the cheapest and lowest quality fans). oh btw, fans that'll fit into the CM-335 chassis perfectly (without removing the side panel of course). i chose that chassis solely for its looks not because of its capabilities and features. i dunno, i just fell in love with it.

a run down on my build:
CPU - athlon ii x4 620 (plan to overclock it to at least 3.0GHz)
RAM - Team Elite 4gb(2gbx2) CL9 1333mhz
MoBo (unsure) - EMX-785G DDR3 or MSI 785GTM-E45 (dunno which on is good for OC'ing)
PSU - HEC 550watts (550 Power) Cougar Series 80PLUS atx psu, full range, active pf (cheap, i know right.)
case - CM 335 - i wont change this (but if you are able to convince me....)
CPU fan - i have no idea..
ODD - a basic dvdrw will do

target is to keep everything under $500.

i plan to invest more on the gpu but i opt to wait for the fermi cards.
would get an ATI 5770 any day if fermi are abysmal.

thanks!

edit:
i'll be gaming a lot and would watch 1080p movies every now and then. what other possible options from my build can you guys suggest? especially the ram and mobo where i really dont know which brand to pick. again, the idea is to keep everything under $500.

 

[hundredislandsboy]

The CPU is a good choice for that budget.

 

[carlhenry]

uhh yeah... the CPU is great for its price point.
i'd like to at least know if the ram and mobo is good for OC'ing and what cpu fan is best in terms of price, performance and stability.

 

[deadlockedworld]

Ideas:

High quality PSU for $39
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016&cm_re=ocz_500w-_-17-341-016-_-Product

The X4 620 is a great processor--but depending on what kind of performance you need (speed or cores) you might consider an X3 processor in this price range.

If you want decent graphics now the $99 4850 is still a great deal. Fermi will probably cost a lot when it comes out...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824&cm_re=4850-_-14-102-824-_-Product

 

[megamanx00]

If you want a good, yet still cheap, motherboard This is the minimum I would go with

ASRock A785GM-LE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157179

It supports just about every AM2/AM2+/AM3 CPU except for the 140W versions, with the shipping BIOS no less. It also supports overclocking, and should be able to handle the mild overclock you propose, and then some, without a problem.

 

[megamanx00]

^just wanted to point out that the board is an AM2+ board. If you want an AM3 board with DDR3 then I would say go with

ASRock M3A770DE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157176

Even though the page may say it's a crossfire board, the orange slot is only a 4x slot so you will need to pay a little more to get a board with two 8x slots if you wanted to do CF .

 

[carlhenry]

yup will settle for an am3 board. thanks very much for the help!
but still i have an unanswered question, what fan is best to say... i want to OC it to 3.0GHz? or heck reach 3.6GHz? fans that are not too expensive and will fit the CM 335 chassis.

 

[lothdk]

yup will settle for an am3 board. thanks very much for the help!
but still i have an unanswered question, what fan is best to say... i want to OC it to 3.0GHz? or heck reach 3.6GHz? fans that are not too expensive and will fit the CM 335 chassis.

One of the best price/performance wise currently is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...03065&cm_re=hyper_212+-_-35-103-065-_-Product

I am unfamiliar with your case of choice, but from what others are saying, you are likely not able to fit that in there, as your case isn't wide enough to accommodate most tower coolers.

Another case you might considder would be the Antec Two Hundred

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...m_re=antec_two_hundred-_-11-129-070-_-Product

It should be a tight fit with the Hyper 212 but should work.

Else you should be looking at something like the Xigamatek HDT-SD964

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._re=Xigmatek_HDT-SD964-_-35-233-014-_-Product

A case that would have no problem would be the Antec 300

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...129042&cm_re=antec_300-_-11-129-042-_-Product

$52 until 2/1 with promo code.

 

[carlhenry]

Best answer selected by carlhenry.