First Build

[Renyk]

Hello, I'm looking for an efficient, relatively future-proof build for the price [around $600] to run Fedora on a dual monitor setting. I intend to dual boot with Windows 7 in the near future, for gaming purposes, but this will be after I can afford a video card as well. As of now, I'll be transferring over my 8800 GT. This is my first build so there might be some incompatibility issues or general discrepancies, but so far I've compiled this rig:

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor

CPU Fan:
Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1

Motherboard:
ASUS M4A88T-M LE AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Boot SSD:
Kingston SSDNow V+ Series SNVP325-S2B/64GB 2.5" 64GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Data Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Power Supply:
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RS550-PCARE3-US 550W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

Memory:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Tower:
COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX

DVD Drive:
LG DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH24NS50 - OEM



Note: I plan to use this rig for, among other things, low-level game design, software engineering, general entertainment, and gaming[eventually]. Suffice to say, I'm looking for budget versatility. Please tell me what you think, any alternatives would be much appreciated.

 

[sadams04]

CPU - The X6 is overkill for most applications. The Phenom X4 955 is a great choice for the price and will respond well to overclocking (as will all CPUs in this class).

MB - You will not be able to do multiple GPUs with that board having one 16x PCIe slot. For the same price the ASROCK Extreme 3 is worth a look as it has better features for upgrading graphics down the road (8x/8x for dual GPUs).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=asrock_870_extreme3-_-13-157-198-_-Product

SSD - Scratch the Kingston. Go with one having a SandForce controller... The OCZ Vertex 2 or Agility 2 series are popular. There are others...

HDD - Sratch the Seagate. Samsung F3 1TB or F4 2TB will give you the best performance for the price.

PSU - The Cooler Master is OK at best. Best to stick with Corsair or Antec.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139019&cm_re=corsair_power_supply-_-17-139-019-_-Product

 

[Renyk]

Thank you very much for the response. Looking it over, at least to the best of my knowledge, your suggestions have been solid and I've made changes accordingly to the CPU, SSD, HDD, and PSU. As for the mobo, however, it seems the ASROCK Extreme 3 [not sure if there's multiple models] is a LGA 1366 socket based MB, and most applicable CPUs would stress my budget. I'm liking the Phenom X4 955, though, and think it would suit me very well.

What do you think of this motherboard instead?

Thank you again.

 

[sadams04]

The ASRock 870 Extreme 3 is indeed an AM3 motherboard and would work well for your AMD build.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157198&cm_re=asrock_870_extreme3-_-13-157-198-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

The ASUS M4A87TD is a fine board also, but has the same "limitation" for future graphics upgrades having only one 16x PCIe slot (...and the second at 4x). If you don't feel you would ever use multiple GPUs then either of those boards would work fine.

 

[Renyk]

Ah, my apologies, I had to search and found only the X58 line, not sure why your original link wasn't working...

Since I don't want to cut off my options, not to mention the ASRock seems to have better "peripherals" as well, I'll definitely be heeding your suggestion.

One more concern if I may, I was looking at other Corsair alternatives to the PSU you suggested and found this one. Would this suit me better if I were intent on eventually using dual GPUs? Or would the extra wattage go to waste? Should I get it just to be on the safe side anyway, if it fell within my budget?

 

[zooted]

Do keep in mind if you plan on running dual gpu's, you will be pretty much limited to amd cards(not that it is a bad thing) Just don't plan on running sli with your 8800gt

 

[Renyk]

The 8800gt's been good to me for as long as I've had it but I'm only keeping it until I'm able to upgrade. Nonetheless, thanks for the warning, I wasn't aware of that.

Edit: Also, I was wondering, is the Intel Core i5 2500k worth the $100 extra? And if so, what would be a viable [and currently available] option for a motherboard?

Thanks in advance.

 

[zooted]

The 8800gt's been good to me for as long as I've had it but I'm only keeping it until I'm able to upgrade. Nonetheless, thanks for the warning, I wasn't aware of that.

Edit: Also, I was wondering, is the Intel Core i5 2500k worth the $100 extra? And if so, what would be a viable [and currently available] option for a motherboard?

Thanks in advance.

If you have the money to do so, yes it is very much worth it. Just remember that you do pay a premium on the motherboard in comparison to am3.