$446 computer, Suggestions?

[rterrain03]

This is my first build, I am mainly going to use it for school work but also need it for multitasking and would like to get my feet wet with the OC'ing tel me what you think.

$76AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor ADX435WFGIBOX

$99 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

$79 ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard


$69 Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

$23 ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

$84(combo with case)Rosewill RV2-500 500 W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V SLI Ready Power Supply

I'll be running windows 7, I don't think I'll need a video card but it would probably be a wise idea to get one
thanks for your suggestions in advance !

 

[gkay09]

^ Did you check for combos ??
Check these...
X3 440 + MSI 880G -> This has the latest 880G chipset with SATA 6GB/s and USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437017

Corsair 4GB DDR3 + NZXT M59
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.432119

OCZ 500W + DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.435082

HDD -> Samsung F3 500GB
Faster, cheaper and more efficient...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Total - ~$434 | $399 Including rebates...

 

[unknown_13]

^+1

Allot better mobo, better PSU......

 

[rterrain03]

i was hoping to keep the esata option,

 

[gkay09]

^ Then this mobo...
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128445

 

[rterrain03]

Thanks for the imput I'm willing to take all that i can get ! Will the ddr 1600 still work with that? it says 1800 1333 1066. This is my first build im a bit anxious, and excited, but i want everything to work, the only reason i looked at that other case was because of the huge fan it had, my first time oc'ing Im a bit worried about air flow

 

[gkay09]

^ Yes it will work...
And as for the case PSU combo, more than the case, the quality of the PSU is in question here...
And also the M59 is a very good case...maybe 1 more 120MM fan would be a good add-on...

 

[rterrain03]

Thanks for the suggestions I took them and everything is ordered wish me luck !
I know this is a little late, but did I need to order any cables or any little things to put everything together? I have a power cable and peripherals. The only thing Im worried about is the sata cables for internally, I have thermal paste (artic 6) and any suggestions on the fan I should get ?

 

[gkay09]

^ As for the cables, you get 2 SATA cables with the mobo - 1 for HDD, 1 for DVD...So for now you are fine...

As for the CPU Cooler, check this one out...
EVERCOOL HPFA-10025 100mm Ever Lubricate CPU Cooler (Buffalo for AMD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835119091
Looking at the reviews and the price, it seems to be a good buy...

 

[rterrain03]

Ok, I got everything together, everything works. couldn't for the life of me figure out how to unlock the 4th core, there is a unlock core option under bios but nothing changes. is it possible that I can't unlock it ? or can all of them be unlocked but some are not stable?

 

[gkay09]

^ Are you following any kind of guide ?? And which mobo did you get ?? The Gigabyte one ??
And again getting the 4th core unlocked is a hit or miss so dont have all hopes on it...

 

[rterrain03]

I just wen into bios and enabled core unlock , is there a guide i could follow ? i bought the gigabyte one that you suggested. three cores is plenty for me, but I like to figure things out.

 

[gkay09]

^ What about the manual ?? Have you tried the steps from that ??

 

[rterrain03]

Best answer selected by rterrain03.