New Build. Parts Compatible? Tips? Advice?

[pandapaws]

Hey,

I am planning to build a new computer and I will probably use it for gaming, internet, watching films, etc. This will be my first build.

I was wondering whether these parts are compatible:

AMD Phenom X4 ii 955 BE
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 CPU Cooler
Asus AM3 M4A87TD/USB3
Antec Basiq 550w PSU
Crucial 4GB Kit (2GBx2) PC3-10600 DDR3
ATI radeon hd5770
Cooler Master Elite 330 Case
Western Digital Caviar 1TB SATAII 64MB Cache 3.5-inch Green Internal Hard Drive
LG GH22NS50.AUAA 22x SATA DVDRW Drive

I was also wondering whether the PSU was an overkill or about right?
What games would this build be able to run?
Do I need any thermal paste for the CPU cooler? (I think the CPU cooler comes with a thermal pad).

Any suggestions, tips and advice are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[rolli59]

Nice budget build.
The PSU is fine! It is a quality unit and good for the price. What games it runs is based on resolution.
Normally there is thermal pad or compound with the cooler.
In this article there are a few games benchmarked and you can look at the HD5770 there http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_6790/22.html

 

[pandapaws]

Thanks for the quick reply!!!

I'm quite excited about this build. Since this is my first build, I just wanted to make sure all the parts were compatible before I order them online.

 

[genghiskron]

what is your budget?

 

[pandapaws]

Around £500-550 including Windows 7 OS. £600 is possible depending on the improvement in performance.

 

[pandapaws]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention would I need any additional cables etc. or are the cables already supplied with the PSU?

 

[pandapaws]

So can someone please confirm all the parts listed are compatible with each other?

Plus I would like to know whether I can use my 22" 720p hdtv as a monitor? I've plugged my laptop into it via VGA before and it works fine but just wondering what would gaming on it be like with the new build?

Thanks.

 

[mlcaouette]

You can use your TV as a monitor I do with my 32". Just make sure the video card you get has the correct connection type(s) (VGA/HDMI/DVI). Everything looks compatible there are some AM3+ compatible boards out which you might consider. Also here in the US the HD 5850 is just a little more for a lot more card ($30) than the 5770...Gaming should be fine, you might look at the Intel chips if you can afford them.

 

[pandapaws]

Great! Not buying a monitor would save me a lot of money.

I was considering getting the i3 2100 sandy bridge first. In the UK, you can also get the i3 2100 for around the same price but I think heard from somewhere that for gaming I'm better off with the amd quad-core.

Is this true?

 

[rolli59]

Great! Not buying a monitor would save me a lot of money.

I was considering getting the i3 2100 sandy bridge first. In the UK, you can also get the i3 2100 for around the same price but I think heard from somewhere that for gaming I'm better off with the amd quad-core.

Is this true?

Not true! http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20

 

[pandapaws]

Thanks for the advice. I might have to change my build now.

Can anyone recommend a good, reliable motherboard for the i3 2100?

I'm prepared to spend around £70-£80 for the motherboard.

 

[rolli59]

Maybe a H67 board http://www.ebuyer.com/product/261259
Any cheaper then H61 board from a good manufacturer would be fine.

 

[pandapaws]

Cheers rolli59 for the suggestions.

Right, I've decided to use the Intel i3-2100 as my processor instead.

This is the new list of components that I am intending to buy now:

Intel i3-2100 or Intel i3-2120? It's only £10 more, does make it a difference?
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 CPU Cooler
Gigabyte SKT-1155 H67M-UD2H-B3 Motherboard
Antec Basiq 550w PSU
4GB kit (2GBx2), 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-8500
ATI radeon hd5770
Cooler Master Elite 330 Case
Western Digital Caviar 1TB SATAII 64MB Cache 3.5-inch Green Internal Hard Drive
LG GH22NS50.AUAA 22x SATA DVDRW Drive

Is everything still compatible?
Can I use the micro-ATX motherboard in the Elite 330 case?
Will I have any problems fitting all the components together on the micro-ATX board? i.e. Will graphics card be too big?
Is the PSU too much now since I'm using the i3 processor? (I know the the new Intel processors are suppose to require less power than the AMD processors). If so, can anyone recommend another PSU (preferably modular and cheaper or around the same price £60).

Thanks, again.

 

[rolli59]

The 2120 is 200MHz faster. The board should fit fine in that case and the GPU fine on that board. The PSU is fine, good quality and leaves room for a more powerful GPU later.

 

[pandapaws]

Looking at the specs again, I might actually go for the Asrock motherboard you suggested. It has USB 3.0 ports so probabaly more future proof.

Thanks for the all the help. I feel a lot more confident about my first build now. Should be fun.