Opinions on this budget AMD gaming build?

[z33tec]

So now that the new Radeons are out, I have a good idea of what I want. The more I looked at the Phenom II x4's over an i5, the more I liked it for the price. Looking to buy in the next week or two now that I decided against an SSD right now.

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ASRock 870 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198

SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply +
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437505.11-129-024

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
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Subtotal: $869.92 (Win 7 Pro put it over the 800 mark, oh well, necessary evil )

Any glaring issues with this setup? Do I need a soundcard or is onboard audio fairly good these days? I only have a 2.1 speaker setup and mostly just use Razer earbuds.

I had never heard of ASRock before, but the reviews on the mobo look good. It has USB 3.0 also, which might be good in the future.

500W Earthwatts PSU that comes with the case good enough? In the past, I have had good luck with Antec cases and PSU's. I like them because of the quietness.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

that should be a pretty good deal

try to put things together in combos to shrink the prices

 

[z33tec]

Unfortunately, the only combo I could find for those components was the Case + OS :\

 

[jasonp12]

cases that come with PSUs are generally a no no.....

id replace that PSU instantly and not trust it....

 

[z33tec]

cases that come with PSUs are generally a no no.....

id replace that PSU instantly and not trust it....

The PSU that comes with it is this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371007

Reviews are great and I've always had good luck with Antec PSU's. Any reasoning other than "it comes with the case" to not trust it? Should I buy it separately from the link above instead?

 

[rob2010]

go with the 955 exactly the same as the 965 just runs on a higher multiplier (which you can do yourself)

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I'd suggest you could get a cheaper 500-550W PSU and case.

Get this HDD/PSU Combo for $114.98:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.514469

and then a cheaper Case, like the Rosewill Destroyer for $49.99,

the total of $165 is much less than your previous case and supply. still very reliable (OCZ is solid) and half the cost of your previous case, PSU, and HDD!

 

[jasonp12]

sorry didnt look @ what PSU it came with....thats a good PSU

but for that much its a meh combo

 

[z33tec]

I'd suggest you could get a cheaper 500-550W PSU and case.

Get this HDD/PSU Combo for $114.98:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.514469

and then a cheaper Case, like the Rosewill Destroyer for $49.99,

the total of $165 is much less than your previous case and supply. still very reliable (OCZ is solid) and half the cost of your previous case, PSU, and HDD!

Thank you! Brought it down to $796.91 with your suggestions! I like the Antec case, but from the reviews, the Rosewill Destroyer seems to be comparable.

People said the Destroyer case is a bit small. Do you think there will be any clearance issue with the new Radeon 6850?

Also, I've never had a bottom mount PSU case. Will the OCZ have any issues reaching everything?

I'm also hoping since the Radeon 6 series just went for sale today, that maybe newegg will put up some combo deals next week. Maybe I can combo it with some RAM and save a little more!

 

[z33tec]

sorry didnt look @ what PSU it came with....thats a good PSU

but for that much its a meh combo

No problem. Based on ScrewySqrl's combo he suggested, I definitely agree. I think the Antec is worth the price, but looks like there are cheaper alternatives that will work just as well.

 

[Onus]

The Antec solo is a very nice case. It is solid, heavy, and quiet. The Earthwatts PSU in it is the older 80+ (not bronze) model, but it's one of the PSUs that really helped Antec's reputation.
The downside of the case is that cooling isn't great (although a front fan can be added). If you don't overclock, or only do mild ones, you'll be fine. If you're not in a hurry, it might be worth waiting for the next round of HD6850s, some of which will have custom coolers better able to exhaust their heat.

 

[z33tec]

The Antec solo is a very nice case. It is solid, heavy, and quiet. The Earthwatts PSU in it is the older 80+ (not bronze) model, but it's one of the PSUs that really helped Antec's reputation.
The downside of the case is that cooling isn't great (although a front fan can be added). If you don't overclock, or only do mild ones, you'll be fine. If you're not in a hurry, it might be worth waiting for the next round of HD6850s, some of which will have custom coolers better able to exhaust their heat.

I'm leaning toward the Rosewill Challenger with the OCZ PSU bundle that Screwy linked, due to price and comparable performance.

 

[z33tec]

Best answer selected by z33tec.