My New Cheap Game Build...Good Enough?

[YYZ-Geddy]

I've been lurking here for a couple weeks, getting lots of info and what not.

This is my first computer build. I will be using it for Diablo 3 when it comes out...though by that time, it'll be obsolete
I might play some other games on it as well, but nothing beyond what Starcraft 2 requires (for now). I'll also be doing some photo editing and the usual web surfing. I'll be purchasing this within the week.

My budget is less than $600. I have a monitor (el-cheapo LCD), keyboard, mouse.

I'm not interested in overclocking or anything like that. Heck, if I am able to get this thing running, I'll be thrilled! I'm upgrading from an Athlon 64 3000+ 1.8 Ghz processor and who knows what else is inside this HP piece-o-poo.

I live in the U.S.A.

Here it is, all from NewEgg. Please keep in mind that I was attempting to get the most from Combo Deals while still getting what I felt was the most "bang for my buck". Feel free to tell me what you'd do differently, and why.

CPU: Athlon 2 X3 445 Rana

Motherboard: Asus MicroATX 785G

Case: NTXT

Graphics Card: Asus Radeon HD 4870

PSU: OCZ 600W

RAM: Patriot Series 5 (couldn't pass up the price)

Hard Drive: Hitachi 1TB

DVD Burner: Asus

I intend to install Windows 7 Home Premium, 64 bit. I also intend to mount one more fan on the case.

Some of my thoughts/reasoning as to why I chose what I did:
1) Money: Tried to get the most bang for my buck by taking advantage of the combo deals and/or rebates and/or promotions.
2) I liked the looks of the case, and it seemed sturdier than others.
3) Hard Drive: $60 for a 1GB drive? Couldn't pass it up.
4) PSU: Figured 600 W would be more than enough, based on what I read around here.
5) Motherboard: I like Asus, I like the integrated video feature.
6) Video Card: Was going to get the HD 4850, based on what I read on this site, but found the above for about the same price. Figured it was a bit more oomph?

Thanks for looking, and fire away!

 

[raphacker]

These are a couple top rated video cards in your price range worth checking out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490
P.s. Your Hard drive is 1 Terabyte not 1 gigabyte. You should consider the Western Digital Caviar Black.

 

[YYZ-Geddy]

These are a couple top rated video cards in your price range worth checking out.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130435
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490
P.s. Your Hard drive is 1 Terabyte not 1 gigabyte. You should consider the Western Digital Caviar Black.

Thank you for the reply. I fixed the GB goof...

Question: I noticed you linked to a HD 4850 that was more expensive than the HD 4870 I chose. Is that that graphics card that much better?

 

[batuchka]

By the time u hit $600 mark on an AM3 gaming rig one shouldn't even have to settle on the HD 4870 hehe

$600AR

 

[raphacker]

I think you should consider the nvidia cards. Although they don't perform great in all games, nvidia has many cool features like Cuda and PureHd. These are great for media junkies who encode video and watch hd movies.

 

[YYZ-Geddy]

Thank you for the replies. I looked again at what I could juggle around. I guess I should have clarified my budget: $600 included the OS. So, under $500 for the hardware.

Going back to Newegg, I tried to base the build on good reviews here and there (newegg) while being as frugal as possible.

Here's what I now have come up with:


CPU: Athlon 2 X3 445 Rana

Motherboard: ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO

Case: Rosewill Challenger

Graphics Card: Sapphire VaporX HD 5770

PSU: OCZ 600W

RAM: Patriot Series 5 (couldn't pass up the price)

Hard Drive: WD 500GB Caviar Black

DVD Burner: Samsung

Factoring in the rebates and combo deals, all the above cost ~$475, which is right where I need to be.

I don't see any compatibility issues, but then again this is my first build.

 

[sp12]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/4

Please consider a different PSU, it doesn't need more than 400 watts for what you're doing.

 

[YYZ-Geddy]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/12/ocz_700w_modxstream_pro_power_supply/4

Please consider a different PSU, it doesn't need more than 400 watts for what you're doing.

The only reason I got that one was for the combo discount: combined with the motherboard, it cost $100 after the $20 rebate. I guess I feel like having a bit more than not enough?

Thanks!

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Lesson learned the hard way. Do not buy counting on rebates. I even have not recieved the one from corsair for just 20 bucks on a stick of memory. So yeah. Be careful with that.