About to order my first build, opinions please

danieljamesm

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Dec 15, 2010
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Been looking at combinations for months and I finally have the money in my bank to order

AMD Athlon II X3 445 3.1GHz, (originally planned Phenom 555, but people told me the tri core would be better) will OC this to about 3.4/5 or 3.7 with a switch on the mobo.
4GB Kingston RAM (2x2)
500GB Western Digital Caviar blue 7200rpm
Samsung DVD+RW
MSI 880GM-E41 880G Socket AM3 onboard graphics 8 channel HD audio mATX Motherboard (originally planned to get a cheap ACER board, but this looks and seems alot better to be honest) MSI 880GM-E41 880G Socket AM3 onboard graphics 8.. | Ebuyer.com
MSI HD5770 1GB

Opinions, any last minute tweaks? Bearing in mind I can only spend like... £10 or £20 more at the most.

Already have my case and PSU ready.
Got a good case on shelf clearance at PC World.
 
Overall that looks good.

If you are knowingly going to overclock, the step down on the X3 to a 440 or 425 perhaps. They will OC to VERY similar speeds and maybe save you some money. Or consider an x4 630 / 640 for a touch more money. Also, since you are OCing you will need an aftermarket cooler. The Cooler Master Hyper 212 is highly recommended and will keep your temps in check.

The 5770 is a good card, but is power hungry. What is that PSU you have on that shelf? Be specific...
 

goatsword

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Mar 19, 2010
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I would also recommend dropping down on the CPU to save a few. Go with this GSkill ram instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231303. It's on sale and its FAST. As far as PSU's go, the 5770 is actually pretty good on power, but I would definitely recommend Antec, Corsair, etc. as Im sure you'll want to crossfire that 5770 at some point ;)

EDIT: Link is broken - search newegg for this: F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM