$400 budget on cpu, mobo, ram for gaming rig

[Josh154]

Ok well i have made myself a goal and that is to build my own gaming rig. I am only 15 so money is kind of tight, i have about $400 now and figured if i started buying parts now, i could build it sooner as i will do anything for money as i will be looking at a brand new mobo, cpu etc and i wont want to spend any money on anything but my computer. So i was thinking maybe to start out with the mobo and cpu forsure. I was also thinking ram and maybe a power supply if that all fits under $400. I am wanting to get into gaming, but as of now i only play wow, but i also just sold my 360 to build this system so im gonna start playing cod, gta 4, crysis, and anything else that looks interesting.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 2 weeks BUDGET RANGE: 400 for now, but am gonna purchase parts separate, After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Graphics card, case, hard drive, sound card, monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, operating system.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: Doesn't matter as long as it will play games better than my amd athlon 64 3300+ single core :lol:

OVERCLOCKING: Never done it but would like to overclock, and is SLI or crossfire really necessary?

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Going to buy a new one later when i get more money, but am thinking something like this, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254045

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC)

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I have a quick list of what i threw together on newegg, i really don't care if its AMD or intel, whatever is worth it and will do everything i need.

Here is a mobo cpu combo that looks good, i read the reviews and all seem to be good! at $219.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.334826

Was thinking about this ram, i can always upgrade to more with another kit of the same later and i dont think i really need 8gigs for what i do right now. My current pc is 1 gig ddr pc3200 haha so 4 gig ddr3 will be a huge step up! $104.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

Power supply, i don't really know if this is a good one or not, but here it is. $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182067


Feel free to post any other things that would be better! I don't care which parts i get first either i just want the cpu and mobo, and possibly ram, GPU can come later along with all the other goodies

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The CPU + motherboard combo is nice.

That RAM is good, but for $10 more you can get faster CAS 7 RAM.

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM - Retail $114.99

Rosewill doesn't make quality power supplies. A quality power supply is the key to a stable system. Here's a couple to consider:

Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply $89.99 - $20 MIR

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $64.99 - $25 MIR + an extra 10% off w/promo code Febc10, ends 2/14

 

[Josh154]

Thanks shortstuff, whats the difference between the CAS 7 ram and the ram i listed? Faster speeds? Also do you think a 500w power supply will be plenty for my build? Im thinking of a radeon 5770 or 5870 to put in my build.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Yes, CAS 7 RAM is faster than CAS 9.

A QUALITY 500W - 550W PSU would be plenty for either of those cards.

 

[Josh154]

Alright thanks a bunch! With that ram and OCZ power supply it puts me right at $399.45 So this will be a good set up? And if i throw in a radeon 5870 i should be able to play pretty much anything i want?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Yes, that's a good build for the money. My work blocks images, so I'm not sure what resolution you're thinking of upgrading to. The monitor resolution determines how powerful a GPU you need. Either way, the 5870 is a great GPU that will play games very well for a long time.

 

[Josh154]

Looks like i forgot to put the link to the monitor whoops! I got it fixed now, the resolution is 1920 x 1080

 

[cory1234]

Here is a different setup:

ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX $105 after MIR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

AMD Phenom II 955 BE( Great for overclocking to around 4ghz) + OCZ Gold 1600 DDR3 combo $252:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.326740

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W (modular) $50 after MIR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

That totals to $407...there were a couple different combos with that processor that can lower your total by a few bucks.

I also thought I would mention that if you buy that PS with the Asus 4350, (cheap discrete card..not really good for gaming) you get both of them for only $44 total..which is a pretty good deal imo. The only downside is the fact that you have to wait for 2 MIRs.
link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-SlickDeals&cm_mmc=AFC-SlickDeals-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&ItemList=Combo.325796

 

[shortstuff_mt]

cory1234 - That system is going to have a hard time running without any RAM.

 

[Josh154]

Hmm... I like cory's set up also. Would that over clock better and easier and perform better than the cpu and mobo i listed?

 

[builderbobftw]

Wait, why did you sell you're 360? Why not use that? Now you're going to have to re-buy all ur games.

 

[MadAdmiral]

@shortstuff: cory's got RAM. It's in a combo with the X4 955.

The only problem is that OCZ RAM has some problems running at the specified settings. I would really go with the G.Skill sticks.

 

[Josh154]

I had like 4 games for my 360, and i never played it anyways im always on my computer. So why not just build a better computer?

I think i will stick with the cpu and mobo cory listed and go ahead and go with the g skill ram.

 

[cory1234]

Most ram will run fine...never run into major problems with ram except a stick failing every year or so and you can RMA for new ones.

OP- the 955 BE is pretty much the same as the 965 BE. This processor has an unlocked multiplier allowing for easier overclocking. It is top of the line for AMD and you can usually hit ~4ghz on air with a decent heatsink. So to answer you question, yes it will overclock better.

 

[builderbobftw]

The 955 is a rebaged 965. They are exactly the same chip, jsut that the 965 comes shipped with a higher multipler at stock, something you could just change urself and svae 25$.