Please rate/advise on my build!

[azurelion]

I'm about to get this build tomorrow and I would like it if you guys could please go over it and see if everything is compatible with each other. Here it is:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

MSI 770-G45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 & LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58W Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic + Mesh ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply & Starcraft 2

AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX & SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VX-2L Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready


Please let me know if everything listed above is compatible with each other, will the motherboard allow me to unlock the cores on the 555 processor, and is the motherboard crossfire compatible? Any other thoughts and/or advice is appreciated as well.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm unlocking + stable is a bonus not a given so to be safe i'd hit the cheaper 3ghz X3 440 and look to squeeze in a GTX 460 in there ^^

 

[azurelion]

What revision of the GTX 460 would you recommend? And if I got the X3 440 and the GTX 460, would they be compatible with everything else I have in the build?

 

[coldsleep]

That motherboard is not CrossFire capable. Getting a GTX 460 would rule out SLI unless you switch to a motherboard with an nVidia northbridge, though in order to SLI/CrossFire, you'd need to change mobos anyway.

The X3 445 is only $1 more than the X3 440 right now, but it's a good idea.

What resolution do you intend to game at? What games? The 5770 should be fine at 1680x1050, but it will struggle with some games at 1920x1080 and up.

EDIT: I don't normally recommend ASRock, but this ASRock 880G Extreme mobo for $110 does CrossFire, USB 3.0 & SATA 6.0 Gb/s.

 

[batuchka]

For budget gamers and even higher end i would advocate single GPU solutions : at the rate tech moves just swap out for the next gen bang for buck GPU for the games of tommorrow

 

[coldsleep]

Agreed with single-GPU solution for most gamers, more just throwing it out there, as I think that's the cheapest I've ever seen a USB 3.0/SATA 6.0/CrossFire mobo.

It's a lot easier to not deal with multiple graphics cards, just get the biggest that you can afford, and when you feel the need to upgrade, sell the old one (if you can) and buy the next large graphics card you can afford.

 

[azurelion]

okay so I can squeeze the GTX 460 in there, is everything compatible with each other? Would the GTX 460 actually run in that motherboard or would I have to swap it out?

 

[batuchka]

If u thinking AMD/Nvidia no go: it's all good so no worries ^^

 

[coldsleep]

The GTX 460 will run just fine. As long as you're not trying to put a PCI-E 2.0 x16 card in a PCI x1 slot, any graphics card will work with any chip/mobo combination. It's just when you start adding multiple GPUs into the equation that things can get weird.

EDIT: Seriously, I need to write less wordy replies.

 

[azurelion]

This is awesome, I get a gtx 460 in about $600 , thank you guys very much.

I have a couple of questions though:

1. The samsung hard drive went up in price to about $75 but the WD caviar blue with 1TB storage is still $60. Does the samsung really give that much better performance in order to justify the $15 hike?



2. If I had about $30-40 extra, should I upgrade to the AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX or should I upgrade my another part of the computer, like my motherboard?

3. What version of the GTX 360 should I get? I been looking at the gigabyte one, please tell me there is another one that you would recommend over it? The gigabyte right now is $225.


4. What difference does it make if the power supply is modular or non-modular? It seems as if my power supply is non-modular

 

[coldsleep]

1) The Caviar Blue isn't a direct comparison to the Spinpoint F3, the comparable WD drive is the Caviar Black, which is a little higher performance. That being said, you're unlikely to notice the difference.

2) Up to you. You're not likely to see much of a gaming improvement, I'd be inclined to just save it. If you had a little more available ($60-70) , it'd be more worthwhile to upgrade to a better graphics card, like the ATI 5850.

3) Doesn't really matter, they're all pretty much the same except for price & warranty.

4) Non-modular means that all of the cables are pre-attached and not removable. Modular is the opposite, most or all of the cables can be attached in any fashion you want. This was more of a big deal when most cases mounted the PSU in the top. Now that most cases mount PSUs in the bottom, the excess cables can just sit on the bottom. It's still very handy in small form factor cases where space is at a premium.