Fairly Cheap Gaming build. About $500 for remaining components.

[lankyjon]

Hey, I'm building a computer mainly geared for gaming. I've already got an HD 4850 X2 2GB, a Seasonic M12D 750W PSU, a Hyper 212 Plus Heatsink and and a BENQ E2420HD monitor (24", 1080p). I am mainly gearing for an AMD build, because of the overclocking potention of the CPUS. So, here is the build I have so far. And everything in it is free shipping too.

Things to take note of:

I can also buy parts from NCIX, but nothing to big, as I will have to bring it down with me on the plane.

I will be getting a SSD as my boot drive eventually.

I don't know a ton about motherboards, but I'm probably going to stick with Just the one GPU (card, 2 GPU's technically) for quite a while anyways. I did want a SATA III and USB 3.0 motherboard though. Even if the USB doesn't get the full 3.0 speed, it would be nice to have it compliant for 3.0 devices. Also, CPU unlocking to try and get the extra cores running.

I am trying to keep it as cheap as possible.

Thanks tons all!

 

[goalguy876]

Looks alright, swap out the HDD for a samsung spinpoint f3 1tb. Only $70 on newegg. Switch the ram for some G.Skill ripjaw cl7 1600mhz, $105 on newegg. You might also want to consider the phenom ii 955...

 

[lankyjon]

I switched out the Hard Drive.

As for the Phenom, that's quite a bit more than my current processor. Whilst I would like to have it, I simply can't really afford it. I'm just going to hope I can unlock the cores on my CPU.

As for the Ram, I could not find the one you mentioned, the cl7. The best deal I could find was:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303
This is 4GB 1600 at 70807024 timings. Its $105, but there is no combo with the processor, meaning that's an extra $20. Is the different ram worth it. What if I switched to an X3 445? Here's some deals I found:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.441657

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.441577

 

[goalguy876]

the x3 445 is a great processor. I use it on my build. Remember, your saved money switching your hard drive so you can spend a little extra on other places. That ram is the one I was talking about. Yes, ddr3 is worth it. Its tons faster and theres no reason not to get it since its only a little more expensive then ddr2, and its future proof.

 

[lankyjon]

Oh, definitely ddr3. I was talking about the ram I had chosen already (a ddr3 1600 8-8-8-24) compared to the new ram, which has the same timings. Ultimately, it seems to be about $20 more for ram with the same specs.

Also, I was thinking about getting a different case. Specifically a LanCool PC-K62. It's about the same price, but I like the look more, as it has a nice viewing window. Is there a particularly good reason to stay with the HAF 922?

 

[acromie]

I have had some BAD experiences with hitachi drives - if you want a fast great rated drive i would go with the

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200RPM

75 dollars on newegg FAST and cheap and reliable - really a much better drive then hitachi in my opinion!

A

 

[lankyjon]

I already switched the drive out for a Samsung spinpoint f3 for the same price as the old drive.

If there is no amazing reason to stick with the HAF 922, I think I will go with the LanCool PC-K62. Not only do I like it more, but I found an amazing deal for it and a great PSU that will save me about $50 by returning the one I have here. Also saves me about 15 pounds in weight for the plane trip.

Still looking for info about my Ram, Motherboard, and CPU choice. Thanks again all!