Possible AMD/ATI build

[TheBroodwich]

I'm looking to build a computer mainly for gaming and school work. How well would a computer with the following components do?

Case: Rosewill R901-P
Mobo: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD
Graphics: Sapphire 5850 1GB
PSU: Xion PowerReal 850w
CPU: AMD Phenom II x3 720 BE OEM
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaw DDR3 1600 4GB(2x2GB)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200rpm 640GB
CPU Cooler: Scythe 92mm
Optic Drive: Sony Optiarc 24x DVD/CD combo burner
Misc: Keyboard
Headset

This will run about $978 before shipping and mail in rebates.

 

[squirrel15]

You could change a couple of things, what is your budget? You could change some things around. Depending on budget you could get an AMD 955 BE cpu, and I dont know a lot about coolers but you should check out the CoolerMaster Hyper 212, it has a 120mm fan, it fits on all chips pretty much and I hear it does great things. You can even add another 120mm on that cooler too! It looks like you want to future crossfire so your mobo and PSU looks fine, you could try this optical drive for a few more bucks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335
It got great reviews and awards and does lightscribe (if you use it)
As for you case, you should read some of the reviews on it, you can try this case if your fast. It has a code and MIR that ends today and its a great case for $65 after MIR.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133074
Or this case that has free shipping and two 120mm and two 80mm fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156063
What is your budget?

 

[dmcfc]

That's a good build, I have one similar, though, for sure I would upgrade the case you selected.
I do agree with Squirrel15 on that you should try to change and get the X4 955 even if you have to use the stock cooler, which is not that bad, it's bad , but not that bad, it can handle the x4 955 at most at 3.4 (stock cooler)

take a look at the cooler master 690 case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137&cm_re=cm_690-_-11-119-137-_-Product

I don't think that you should spend any more on the optical drive, I have the one you selected and it does the job just fine, and I really don't any concerns, it burns dvds/cds, reads dvds/cds I don't have blu-ray discs so what else do you need for a optical drive like that, just get the one you selected which is cheaper.

At the motherboard I think you can save a little going with a ASUS M4A79XTD which is a really good motherboard, it's cheap can handle crossfire, and overclocks just fine.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402&cm_re=m4a79xtd-_-13-131-402-_-Product

For the cooler yes, if you want a after market cooler(just if you are o.c or buying a OEM cpu) I would suggest the Cooler master Hyper 212+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065&cm_re=hyper_212%2b-_-35-103-065-_-Product

and finally the psu, well the one you have there is powerful, but by what I know not a very good quality psu, go for some brand as antec, corsair, ocz, silverstone...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341019&cm_re=ocz_700w-_-17-341-019-_-Product

and you can save a little bit at the HD with a 500gb HD

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395&cm_re=seagate_500gb_barracuda_7200-_-22-148-395-_-Product

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

remember if you use an aftermarket cooler you are voiding your warranty!

the stock cooler is fine for the amd builds

I have the am3 phenom II x4 deneb edition 3.0 ghz and the stock cooler keeps it really cool. (however i have 2 vantec tornados in my case as well)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103696&cm_re=deneb-_-19-103-696-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999612&cm_re=vantec_fan-_-11-999-612-_-Product

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That Xion power supply is a very bad idea. A quality PSU is the key to a stable system. The things to look for in a quality PSU are at least 80+ certification, active PFC, and the majority of Amps dedicated to the 12v rail(s). The Xion PSU doesn't satisfy any of those requirements.

You can get a quality Antec case for less money.

Antec Two Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $39.99

 

[batuchka]

$799 before rebates

Also when RMAing a chip never tell the tech support dude/chick about after market HSF use and always retain the stock hsf in its box and dun sell it off! Only the previous gen AM2 5000/6400+ BE and certain Opterons need not be bundled with stock HSF for RMA purposes

 

[squirrel15]

i agree dmcfc on that coolermaster case. It would still be nice to know the budget, there is a major difference between a $950 build and a $1200 build. And that Xion PSU is a mistake (didnt see it was an Xion before, sorry), thats what companies try and do to trick people that their product is good. Yes it may have 850watts but its poor quality much like 'shortstuff' said in his comment. Same with videocards, just cuz its 512mb doesnt mean its better than a 128mb, but all video cards have either 1gb or 512mb now but this still applies. The few things you dont want to short change on your build is PSU, graphics card (if your a gamer), CPU, and Mobo. Yes all the components of a PC is important but if you have a crappy PSU, then your in trouble.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

seriously buy a thermaltake or a corsair power supply they are highly rated for quality!!!

 

[squirrel15]

Not all the best deals are on new egg! I looked at ewiz.com and found this:
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-M4A78TE&title=Asus-M4A78T-E-Socket-AM3-AMD-790GX-Hybrid-CrossFireX-HDMI-A-V-GbE-ATX-Motherboard
Combo this with the AMD 955 BE CPU the bottom of the screen and you save $30 and the Mobo is already $20 cheaper than neweggs! so its like saving $50! I couldnt find any combos with the AMD 955 BE anywhere on newegg so I just looked elsewhere.

Thermal take and corsair do have great PSU's but they are a little pricey, if your on a budget go with something like OCZ but if you got money to burn and want the best quality then thermal and corsair is the way to go

 

[TheBroodwich]

@Squirrel15: I'm trying to keep it under $1000.

So far I've made some changes based on what everyone has said. This is what I've changed.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129070
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

Everything else is the same, minus the aftermarket cpu cooler (since the 1st cpu I chose didn't come with one). Thanks everyone for all the replies.

 

[darkjuggalo2000]

nice build you should be happy with that

 

[dmcfc]

That's a really better build, though the cpu you selected is a Phenom II x4 955 C3 and by what I've heard don't know if ASUS already updated their bios is that the C3 cpu's are not working right alway with the M4A79XTD, you would have to use another cpu to update the bios then it would work. I don't see a lot of difference so just to be sure I would go with the C2 edition of the X4 955.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674&cm_re=x4_955-_-19-103-674-_-Product

(The x4 955 C2 works right out of the box, I have the M4A79XTD and the x4 955 C2)

 

[dmcfc]

After I posted that, I decided to make sure I was right, ASUS already updated their BIOS so it will work right out of the box too, so you can buy the X4 955 C3 no problems, sorry for last post