First Build Needs Review

[Th3_Cheat]

This is my first build and I need some expertise to help make sure everything is compatable and I'm not missing out on basic improvements. My current computer is about 8 years old and, with SC 2 coming out, I definitely need to replace it. I'm looking for something that will run games reasonably well for the next few years and has room to upgrade. My target budget is around $1,000.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz $180

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-790XTA-UD4 AM3 $140

Graphics: XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB $295

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) $100

Harddrive: Western Digital AV-GP WD5000AVDS 500GB $55

DVD Burner: Samsung SH-S243N DVD burner $25

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W $110

Case: CoolerMaster 690 II Advanced $90

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit $100

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[sinPCsin]

Quick suggestion:

Buy full version of Windows 7 Pro 64-bit, it cost more but worth it in a long run. OEM has limited activations (and it is cheaper because of that) and MS will give you a hassle/refuse to activate if you keep putting it on different PCs. If you buy full version you will be able to install it on every future PC you own.

 

[lowriderflow]

FIRSTLY! I can save you a $100 buy reccomennding a GTX460 - Palit sonic platinum 1gb version. It actually performed better than an overclocked 5850 and only costs $249.99 at newegg. heres hard data to back it -
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/palit_gtx460_sonic_platinum/12.htm

Also you can combo it with windows 7 64bit and they give you an extra $10 off on newegg.


This power supply is a better deal and is nearly identical to the one you chose (just cheaper - will be more than adequate for this build)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&cm_re=ocz_power_supply-_-17-341-018-_-Product

I had this same issue on an OEM - I put it on a 2nd computer and it says not authenticated on the bottom. However, my main computer I put it on works fine which is my gaming computer and all that I really care about. The one with the non-authenticated version still works fine tho.

 

[Silvune]

You should get the 955 instead, as the 965 is just a factory OCed 955, you just have to up the multiplier on the 955 to make it a 965. Even without doing that the price difference doesn't really justify the frequency difference.

I'm not convinced about using a 'green' drive as a boot drive, as you lose performance/speed compared to a performance drive, while saving an insignificant amount of power. I would recommend either the Samsung Spinpoint F3 or Seagate Barracuda 7200.12.

As for GTX 460 vs 5850. I'd suggest checking for specific benchmarks of games that you're very interested in playing, and see if one is significantly better than the other. Otherwise the 5850 has the benefit of being able to be crossfired on an AMD build, whereas SLI is not supported.

 

[davcon]

I agree with Silvune on the cpu and hdd.
It's a toss-up between the 5850 and 460 both are very good.
You don't need a 750w psu but that's a good price so do whatever you want
Some good modular units on sale
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=58%7C17%2D207%2D002%5E17%2D207%2D002%2DTS%2C17%2D139%2D012%5E17%2D139%2D012%2DTS%2C17%2D341%2D018%5E17%2D341%2D018%2DTS
RAM-your ram is fine but this will work too
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007611%20600006127%20600006066&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=147%7C20-231-303%5E20-231-303-TS%2C20-231-321%5E20-231-321-TS

 

[mrhoshos96]

full build for $1,027.90 before rebates and it's sli capable

gpu+os: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437534.14-187-113

cpu+mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.444798

case+psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.440193

ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231321

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

odd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

good luck