Opinion on this budget build

[zzzxtreme]

AMD X3 720 - $118
MSI MA770-CM 45 AM3 Mobo - $75
2x2GB DDR3 Kingston RAM - $98
Silverstone strider 400w - $53
Samsung CD/DVD Burner - $22
WD Caviar Black 1TB - $94
ATI 4850 1GB - $130

Total $590 excluding case.

I currently own a fullHD lcd monitor.

My use is 2D intensive application (programming,database)
Gaming at medium quality - resident evil, Sims3, upcoming starcraft2, (maybe diablo3 too ?)

Is this build good enough for all latest games for the next 2 years ?

Or should I invest more on CPU so that after 2 years, I only need to upgrade the videocard ?

any thoughts/advice greatly appreciated. thank you

 

[gkay09]

^ From where you will be buying the parts from ? For a fullHD, the 4850 might be slightly weak...
And IMO for ~$25 less, the Athlon X4 620 is a better option with an extra core...

 

[zzzxtreme]

would the extra core be beneficial for gaming? I see the benchmarks 720 beats 620.

the screen is fullHD, but I'm happy with 1600x900 resolution, is that ok ?

if not, what about the 4870? its just about $30 more

i'll be buying the parts in malaysia

 

[gkay09]

^ The 720 beats the 620 in games because of the extra core speed...you can easily reach 3GHz by just increasing the BCLK in the BIOS...

As for the resolution, 1600X900 is fine...you can take a look at the HD 5770s...they have similar performance as the 4870 but need far less power...and also the 400W PSU wont suffice for 4870...

 

[zzzxtreme]

thanks so much for the help gkay!

 

[gkay09]

Glad I could help...
And also if you are ready to take chances, get the Phenom II X2 550...You can unlock inactive cores, making it a Quad...
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-athlon-ii-x2_15.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1184444/phenom-ii-x2-550-black-edition-surprise
http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/535501-amd-phenom-ii-core-unlocking-guide.html

But that is a hit or miss though...but you will still be having a powerful Dual core with good amount of cache...

 

[deadlockedworld]

1. Strong X4 alternatives to your CPU--I agree that quad core is better if you dont need gaming speed.

$108 -- AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX630WFGIBOX - Retail

$125 -- AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX635WFGIBOX - Retail


2. You will eventually want more ram for intensive graphic/database programs--but you can probably get away with the 4 for now as long as you have expansion room.

3. What model is this? If its the 80+ one it looks passable.. if not get this much better deal on a very high quality unit:
OCZ 500w--very high efficiency+quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016&cm_re=ocz_500w-_-17-341-016-_-Product

4. In case you didnt see this recent toms article-- it claims that ATI's new 5-series cards are weak in 2D. Something to be aware of if you want to push higher.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/2d-windows-gdi,2539.html

 

[deadlockedworld]

Just saw this: Sapphire 4850 for $124 free shipping. The XFX one is only a few dollars more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102837&cm_re=4850-_-14-102-837-_-Product

I think the 4870 would be a good choice too--especially for full HD --but dont try to run a 4870 on the PSU you suggested. The one I suggested could handle it.

 

[zzzxtreme]

deadlockedworld, thanks for the PSU suggestion, that looks like a good one. Didn't know about the 630 and 635. looks sweet