Need advise $500-600 gaming budget

[iknwnothing]

Im new to all of this but i have been reading around and will probobly keep reading til what i put together hit the sweet spot.

overclock- crossfirex- raid 0 - planning to do all of thesein the future when i learn more about them

as the tittle says $500-600 gaming budget

os will be window 7 64bit, keyboard,mouse, speakers, monitor will be purchased separately

im interested in amd build here is what i have so far

A79-0560 ::AMD HDZ560WFGMBOX Phenom II X2 560 Dual Core Processor - 3.30GHz, Socket AM3, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s), Retail CPU w/ Fan(0.8 lbs)

M452-6079 ::MSI 770-G45 Motherboard - AMD 770, Socket AM3, USB, PCIe, RAID, LAN, DDR3(2.7 lbs)

O261-6260 ::OCZ OCZ3G1333LV4GK Gold 4GB PC10666 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Upgrade - 1333MHz, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 2x2048MB(1.8 lbs)

P450-5770 ::XFX HD577AZNFC Radeon HD 5770 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI(2.8 lbs)

TSD-500AS7 ::Seagate ST3500418AS Barracuda 7200.12 Hard Drive - 3.5", 7200 RPM, SATA 3G, 500GB, 16MB Cache (OEM)(0.95 lbs)

O451-1017 OEM ::Sony Optiarc AD-7260S-0B 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, S-ATA, Black, OEM(1.75 lbs)

O261-2020 ::OCZ Fatal1ty Series Power Supply - 550-Watt, PCI-Express, SATA, ATX(5.8 lbs)

C283-3122 ::Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case - ATX/Micro-ATX, USB, Audio, 120mm Blue LED Fan, Black(13.2 lbs)

need advise if these are compatible with each other and if there are better less expensive alternatives for any of these

 

[vindictive]

can you post the prices for each item please so I can know how to compare other options?

 

[ultimabeam]

Im new to all of this but i have been reading around and will probobly keep reading til what i put together hit the sweet spot.

overclock- crossfirex- raid 0 - planning to do all of thesein the future when i learn more about them

as the tittle says $500-600 gaming budget

os will be window 7 64bit, keyboard,mouse, speakers, monitor will be purchased separately

im interested in amd build here is what i have so far

A79-0560 ::AMD HDZ560WFGMBOX Phenom II X2 560 Dual Core Processor - 3.30GHz, Socket AM3, 6MB Cache, 2000MHz (4000 MT/s), Retail CPU w/ Fan(0.8 lbs)

M452-6079 ::MSI 770-G45 Motherboard - AMD 770, Socket AM3, USB, PCIe, RAID, LAN, DDR3(2.7 lbs)

O261-6260 ::OCZ OCZ3G1333LV4GK Gold 4GB PC10666 DDR3 Dual Channel Memory Upgrade - 1333MHz, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, 2x2048MB(1.8 lbs)

P450-5770 ::XFX HD577AZNFC Radeon HD 5770 Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0, CrossFireX Ready, Dual DVI, Display Port, HDMI(2.8 lbs)

TSD-500AS7 ::Seagate ST3500418AS Barracuda 7200.12 Hard Drive - 3.5", 7200 RPM, SATA 3G, 500GB, 16MB Cache (OEM)(0.95 lbs)

O451-1017 OEM ::Sony Optiarc AD-7260S-0B 24x DVDRW Drive - 24x, S-ATA, Black, OEM(1.75 lbs)

O261-2020 ::OCZ Fatal1ty Series Power Supply - 550-Watt, PCI-Express, SATA, ATX(5.8 lbs)

C283-3122 ::Cooler Master RC-430-KWN1 Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case - ATX/Micro-ATX, USB, Audio, 120mm Blue LED Fan, Black(13.2 lbs)

need advise if these are compatible with each other and if there are better less expensive alternatives for any of these

1) I recommend the X3 445 over the X2 560 - many games are starting to utilize more than two cores. You also have a chance of unlocking the fourth core, if you're into that sort of thing.

2) If you plan on ever getting a second GPU, you'll want a motherboard that supports Crossfire. Like this one.

3) OCZ RAM is typically pretty poorly reviewed. I've been super happy with G.SKILL RAM.

4) Your choice of GPU is good for your budget, but consider getting a 6850 if you can find a well-reviewed one in stock.

 

[General M00n]

One thing you will soon realize when it comes to the best price/performance is that there are different sweet spots as you go up the budget scale.

However in the 400-600 dollar range, things such as Black Edition CPUs, aftermarket coolers, Crossfire motherboards and super-beefy PSUs (to support all these extras) tend to eat your budget up very fast. Leaving a lot less for everything else, and ultimately coming out worse.

For example here is a $600 build with a Crossfire Mobo, Black Edition CPU and aftermarket heatsink.

This following build is a good compromise since it still has a crossfire mobo which will let you build off when you choose to upgrade later, but also a way better video-card.

And ultimately if you want to stay within your budget instead of on the edge, I suggest the following.
(Note: While the motherboard may have a second PCI-E slot it is only x4 not x8 so it isn't useful for crossfire.)

The Seasonic PSU is definitely one of the best in its price bracket, same with the Samsung Spinpoint.
The Cooler Master is a great case as well, the only other ones I'd recommend would be the NZXT & Antec cases for the $40-60 range.