$700-750 Budget Gaming System [CDN]

[GrahamX]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within a week if possible, though not really anything mandatory and such.

BUDGET RANGE: $700~$750 after rebates.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, surfing the web.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I've generally gone through newegg, though I'm willing to go through any of the "big" sites (ncix/tigerdirect/newegg). Should also be noted due to my location I have access to memoryexpress.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada

PARTS PREFERENCES: Due to the nature of my budget, I'd prefer to get an AMD processor to allow me to funnel more money into the GPU. That being said, I have no preference for brands other then quality parts (I'd rather not dish out for mediocre quality parts).

OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe, but probably not (doesn't really matter).

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Would rather the computer not sound like a jet engine, but that's pretty easy to accomplish.


Currently I was looking at something along the lines of:

CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz Socket AM3 95W ($89.99)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103872

GPU: MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 ($189.99)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel ($96.99)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

HDD: Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.12 SATA II w/ 32MB Cache ($64.99) [$15 off]
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX24082(ME).aspx

PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous ($59.99) [$40 off]
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD ($94.99) [$5 off]
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128431

DVD/CD Drive: ASUS Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A4/BLK/B/GEN ($20.99)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135201

Case: Antec Three Hundred ($64.99)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX20934(ME).aspx


Any help/suggestions/opinions are greatly appreciated.

 

[beerhelmet]

First, your links don't work, I assume because you just copy and pasted the URL and these forums don't let you do that, you have to do the URL hyperlink doohickey stuff.
Fortunately, you posted your choices, so I shall begin my dissection and then follow up with my recommendations.

CPU: Excellent choice for the budget gamer. No new recommendation.

GPU: 5770 is great for the resolution you have and for price. I would recommend getting a more respectable brand if your budget has wiggle room, otherwise it is probably fine.

RAM: GSkill is nice, but I prefer the 1600Mhz ripjaws with CL7 timings, link here

HDD: I love this HDD (more than the spinpoint f3s, which are preferred by others and is a formidable alternative). At that price (64.99) I say definitely go with the Seagate.

PSU: To my knowledge Rosewill is not that highly regarded as a good brand for PSU (Apparently it is the house brand of newegg). I recommend going with Antec, Seasonic, etc. (eg something like this)

Mobo: I don't know what I'm talking about with motherboards other than go with Gigabyte or Asus. Although I would recommend making sure it has all the necessary slots and ports you need and will fit into your case, which I think the one you posted will. There is a slightly better mobo (very similar, but with small upgrades) that if you take into account it has free shipping will be cheaper than the one you suggested, link here.

Case: Decent case. No new recommendation.


All in all your choices weren't bad, but there are some parts where you can probably get better quality stuff. If you look around more on newegg they have some decent combo deals that would really help lowering price on these higher quality parts.

Good luck!

 

[banthracis]

basically just swap to a sapphire of xfx 5770 and get something besides that awful PSU. A corsair or OCA modxstream or fatal1ty are your best bets.

Same price OCZ 80+ PSu after MIR
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017&cm_re=ocz_600w-_-17-341-017-_-Product


GPU
$164 after MIR
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-873-_-Product

 

[GrahamX]

First, your links don't work, I assume because you just copy and pasted the URL and these forums don't let you do that, you have to do the URL hyperlink doohickey stuff.

I know there’s a trick where you can click & drag the links into your explorer bar and they’ll work.

First GPU: 5770 is great for the resolution you have and for price. I would recommend getting a more respectable brand if your budget has wiggle room, otherwise it is probably fine.

The MSI 5770 was one of the more expensive ones, as I mainly chose it due to its dual-fan setup and its ability to be overclocked well. However if it's better suited to opt for one of the XFX or such (I know they're known for their warranty), then I have no problems switching over.

Mobo: I don't know what I'm talking about with motherboards other than go with Gigabyte or Asus. Although I would recommend making sure it has all the necessary slots and ports you need and will fit into your case, which I think the one you posted will. There is a slightly better mobo (very similar, but with small upgrades) that if you take into account it has free shipping will be cheaper than the one you suggested, link here.

While you suggest this one, the one question I have is what do I look for in a motherboard in regards to unlocking cores, and does said motherboard have the ability to unlock cores? If I’m going for the X3 445, I’d like to have the ability to at least give it a shot at unlocking that fourth core (though I completely understand the basic rule of thumb that you should never go into a purchase expecting to unlock it), and I’m willing to spend a few extra bucks on the motherboard if said motherboards are more expensive.

 

[beerhelmet]

Ah, nice one on the dragging links! Very useful to know :O

Personally I prefer XFX, Asus, or Sapphire. This is because XFX has the double lifetime warranty, Asus because they have never let me down, and Sapphire because I was told they are built in Japan, but I don't know how true that is.
With a screen resolution of 16x10 you definitely don't need the overclocking power, but the fans are kind of nice.
In my opinion you can definitely go with a cheaper card and if its a respectable brand at least that's one less thing to worry about.

I'm pretty sure this motherboard has the ability to unlock cores as I know people who have done it, but I'm not sure about the success rates and if they are worse, or better with a different motherboard. I know el cheapo asrock 770 motherboards can unlock too, but I don't know if they do anything fancy.
As I said earlier I'm not too knowledgeable on motherboards other than to go with Gigabyte or Asus.

Banthracis' suggestions are quite nice btw!

Good luck!