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Hey,

I am about to do my first build next month, and I have some questions about certain parts. I want to build this computer to primarily handle programming & compiling, heavy multitasking, running some resource heavy programs like Matlab, and midrange gaming (i can live with medium performance).

I have a budget of $800 or under with EVERYTHING (ie. shipping & tax included). Another thing that I want to take into account is to build this computer to last. Two other considerations is power consumption (keep my electric bills low) and I want this system to last me at least 4 years without feeling like I'm running a dinosaur. I know it's hard to keep cost down while achieving these at the same time.

I've never done it before, but I would like to overclock the cpu if it's relatively easy to figure out.

So, here is what I have in mind so far:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - $160

COOLER: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-G1 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU Cooler - $27

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - $80

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL - $104

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100254HDMI Radeon HD 4650 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $60

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive -$55

PSU: SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $70

CASE: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $60

MEDIA: ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM - $26

That comes out to a total of $642.

I have a few points I need advice on:

1) Is it worth paying an extra $50 to get the Phenom X6 1055T? Would the two extra cores help me?
2) I know the GPU is rather low-end. I will be running a dual screen at relatively high resolution for productivity, but I am willing to tone down the resolution for gaming purposes. I wanted to keep costs low. Will it be ok?
3) The PSU has no reviews on newegg, should be fine right?
4) Any general comments are welcome
 
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Guest

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i can't think of any specific program that will run on 6 cores that I will be running for now. would it be better in the long run to have 6 cores? i do like the fact that the x4 processor is a black edition, so it's easier to overclock. but the x6 black edition is a little over my budget.

honestly, i don't know how much time i will have to game. it's just a wishful thinking that i'll be able to game if i want to. and i don't mind gaming on single screen. so if i turn off one screen to game, it'll run fine? it should handle normal dual screen without any problems right?
 
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Guest

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the 5850 looks good, i think i will pitch in the extra $50. prices on newegg is excluding tax and shipping right? that puts me up to a little under $800 probably. any other relatively cheap improvements i can make?

thank you
 
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Guest

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haha unfortunately, i do live in california. actually, that card looks good. two ports for dual monitors attracts me more than the extra memory on the gpu. according to the reviews, it handles most games pretty well anyway.

okay, thanks for the help!