First Time Builder

Hi All,

I would like to get advice on a budget gaming PC I have in mind. I would be playing mostly SC2, Civ5 and hopefully Diablo3.
Components here are limited, unlike in the US and UK. I want to be open for future expansion such as Crossfire. Basically, I would like to hear your comments and suggestions on how to improve or lower the cost for this build. Thanks!

Approximate Purchase Date:
~ 1st week of March 2011

Budget Range:
~ about US$600

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
~ gaming, surfing the internet, watching movies

Parts Not Required:
~ keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:
~ http://pcx.com.ph/

Country of Origin:
~ Philippines

Parts Preferences:
~ AMD set-up

Overclocking:
~ Maybe, no idea how, but open to the idea. Does overclocking degrade the lifetime of the components?

SLI or Crossfire:
~ Maybe. Prefer mobo with capability for future.

Monitor Resolution:
~ 1440x900

This is the build I have in mind:

[CPU] AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8GHz - $140
[GPU] HD 5770 512mb - $148
[Mobo] MSI 870-G45 - $95
[Mem] Kingston 2gb DDR3 x2 - $45
[HDD] Seagate Barracuda 500gb SATA - $45
[ODD] Lite-On 24x SATA DVR - $23
[PSU] Thermaltake LitePower 700w - $63
[Chassis] Thermaltake V4 - $46

Cheers!
Edu

[Edit]
Forgot the links.

[CPU] AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8GHz - $140
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/co [...] g-8mb.html

[GPU] HD 5770 512mb - $148
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/co [...] -hdmi.html

[Mobo] MSI 870-G45 - $95
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/co [...] -s-gl.html

[Mem] Kingston 2gb DDR3 x2 - $45
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/co [...] -ddr3.html

[HDD] Seagate Barracuda 500gb SATA - $45
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/co [...] -sata.html

[ODD] Samsung 24x SH-S243N - $23
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/co [...] ta-ls.html

[PSU] Thermaltake LitePower 700w - $63
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/th [...] -700w.html

[Chassis] Thermaltake V4 - $46
http://www.pcx.com.ph/index.php/pe [...] o-psu.html

@abswindows7

Thanks for the reply, I just opted for the 5770 512mb not the 1gb since I won't be playing on high resolution.
Regarding the Phenom II X4 955BE, I wanted it but it seems too high for my budget.

ok champ heres what u need to consider .... go with a 75 dollar athlon x3 rana core and spend the other 75 bucks on a better psu. other than that you may be correct on the graphics memory but check the benchmarks first.

but as for the board notice it has one x4 pcie slot and one x16 pcie slot; go dirt cheap on board or pick one with same price and a x16 and x8 like an asrock 770 extrem 3 i got two and there are ok

Thanks for the feedback guys.

But the thing is Civ5 recommended requirements is to go quad core. That was why I was looking at Athlon II X4 640 or Phenom II X4 925, and I read that there was only 5-7% performance difference in the two. I have no experience in OCing so might as well go with Athlon right? Since, I may not get the full potential of Phenom if I dont OC.

I really have no idea on GT cards, may do some reading. But what caught me in HD 5770 is DX11 compatibility, I assume upcoming games will be going DX11..

Comments?

Now, Im really inclined with the Athlon II X4 640 and HD 5770 combo. Is MSI 770-G45 a good choice? It shows that it is Crossfire compatible, can Athlon handle it? Or is it more PSU concerned?

I really appreciate your comments!

I see, so CF isnt really advisable? Hmm, I though it could save me from upgrading to a higher GPU if needed in the future (just buy another HD5770 and voila!). Anyway, I didnt get what you meant by x16 and x4, can you please clue me in? Im really just learning about this stuff along my research.

Ok, after deciding that using CrossfireX for future upgragde may not be the best idea since it is having some issues with some games, not going to OC, and a tight budget, I have revised my build.

[CPU] AMD Athlon II X4 640 3.0GHz
[GPU] PC HD 5770 512mb
[MoBo] ECS A880GM-AD3
[Mem] Kingston 2GB DDR3 1333 x2
[HDD] Western Digital 500GB
[PSU] iMaster Pro 500W 80Plus
[Chassis] CoolerMaster Elite 335

I have some confusion though, is the Western Digital HD mentioned blue, green or black series? I can't seem to find it in their website: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/catalog/ or shoud I just go Seagate Barracude 500mb? Another confusion is it shows 16mb cache but their website: http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index. [...] ee0a0aRCRD show 32mb cache. Which is it then?

Any comments or suggestions? I need your opinion guys. Thanks!

Crossfire causes some micro-stuttering.

You are wrong about needing 4 cores for civilization 5. It works with dual cores, according to the specs:

Minimum System Requirements

Operating System: Windows® XP SP3/ Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz
Memory: 2GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements

Operating System: Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
Processor: 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
DVD-ROM Drive: Required for disc-based installation
Video: 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better
Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
DirectX®: DirectX® version 11

That being said, go ahead and get the quad core.

The seek times and RPM determine how fast your Hard drive is. The supplier you are using doesn't seem to list detailed specification information, like that.
You might want to consider getting the hard drive locally or from another supplier.

Check if any software is bundled with the hard drive. sometimes good programs are bundled with the drive and make transfer of any old drive data easier. This is one reason that I like to shop for drives in person.

1- Athlon 2 x4 will barely bottleneck the card, barely.
2- No sli for you, an Athlon 2 x4 will severely bottlenect a SLI
3- 500 watts is for one card, aim fo 650-750 for SLI.
4- If you plan on going SLI, get a phenom and a compatible motherboard.