Building a new PC for work and play.

[prplhz]

Hello friends. I have started working for a web design company and I need to build a computer for work. My boss is going to put 300 bucks towards it. The last time I built a computer was about 6 years ago. So I've been out of the loop. I want something that I can play games on because I used to be an avid gamer and I'm looking to get back into it, but I will also be using Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, FileZilla and a few other apps simultaneously. The computer I'm using now is not mine and it freezes for 3-5 seconds quite a lot despite defragmenting and disk clean ups. It's an old HP though. I did a little bit of research and put this together to see what the experts think. I'm going to be buying from now to mid-April. If you could just critique this for me and let me know what would be better/give me some insight I would really appreciate it.

Thanks guys,

Rick.

P.S. I have a case and dvd drive. Thats why they aren't on the list. Also, 1000 bucks is basically my budget for now.

 

[pepperman]

You don't want a 3 x 2 GB kit with an AMD build; those are intended for triple-channel i7 systems. This will be more suited (and cheaper) for you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277
(Since you will be working on a lot of stuff simultaneously, you might want to consider getting two of these kits for a total of 8 GB, but you might want to wait and see first)

Rosewill is not known for quality components, and a solid psu is critical for any system; that said, this Corsair would be much better for you, and it provides more power than you need (allowing you to upgrade later):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

That board doesn't make much sense: it lacks USB 3.0 yet it cost the same as other boards that do, and its brand new tech. Either get the Asus one for $10 more, this Gigabyte one, or get a mobo based on older tech (such as this one )

Look at any combos too; those can knock off a lot off the overall price, but don't sacrifice quality in doing so. Also, do you have an OS?

 

[prplhz]

Thank you! I do have an OS. I'll be running Windows 7. I do plan on maxing the memory eventually. I figured 6GB would be a good starting point though. I was expecting to get trashed on for wanting an AMD build!

 

[pepperman]

Thank you! I do have an OS. I'll be running Windows 7. I do plan on maxing the memory eventually. I figured 6GB would be a good starting point though. I was expecting to get trashed on for wanting an AMD build!

Not at your budget and what you want to do; a true quad will be a lot better than hyperthreading.

I recommend getting ram in pairs to take advantage of dual channel (three dimms will not allow the speed increase).

 

[shortstuff_mt]

There's nothing wrong with an AMD build. There is something wrong with using a triple channel RAM kit with an AMD build, though. Like pepperman said, you want a dual channel kit for this system. The triple channel kits are only for the LGA 1366 Intel chips that have a triple channel RAM controller.


P.S. - Don't forget to use a 64-bit OS, or you won't be able to even fully use 4GB of RAM.

 

[prplhz]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll go with the pair of ram rather than the set, get the better power supply, and go with the Asus that supports USB3.0.

Thanks for clearing that up for me!

 

[pepperman]

Anytime, that's what we're here for. Good luck with your build, and if you have any more questions, you know where to ask.

 

[prplhz]

I have been thinking and was wondering if it's worth it to upgrade to a Phenom II X4 965? I can afford it and it seems like a better processor but I'm not sure if it's totally worth the upgrade? I also had a question about the motherboard I'm getting (Asus M4A89GTD Pro) It supports SATA 6.0gb/s so do I NEED a hard drive with 6.0gb/s interface? Or is it just supported up to that speed? Are they different cables or what? I think I'm going to order this stuff this week! I'm excited. I don't want to put it all together and find out something isn't supported though.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your help.

 

[pepperman]

Its probably not worth it right now, and especially paired with a 5770. Right now, most games are gpu limited, not cpu limited, meaning you'd be better off investing more money into the gpu. That said, if you have more money you want to spend, an HD 5850 might be worth considering.
The SATA 6 Gb/s is the max it can support, so it will be backwards compatible with any SATA 1.5 or SATA 3.0 drive; the cables are the same (and should come with your mobo).

Good luck with your build, if you have any questions and/or problems you know where to ask.

 

[obsidian86]

what kinda case do you have?

 

[prplhz]

Thanks again!

The case I have is an old aluminum generic gaming case. It's a Mid-ATX. I bought it about 3 years ago when I was planning on building a computer and never got around to it.