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Need help with a new system

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Hi,
A friend of mine asked me to help build him a system, but since I've been out of the game for a while, I'm not sure I'm making the right decisions here...
The computer's most intensive activity will be gaming (proper gaming, not just NFL-FIFA-whatever) and some internet surfing, there is no need for screen or any periphals.
What I've built no is:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 840 Box

MB: Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 3.5" 1000GB SATA2 32MB

RAM: Patriot DDR3 4096MB (2048MBx2) 1600MHz CL 9-9-9-24

GPU: Sapphire ATI Radeon HD6950 1024MB DDR5 PCIe

CD burner: Samsung SH-S223 X22 SATA DVD

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W

I've been trying to get help on the local forums but to no avail, all they offered was taking a lesser case and upgrading the CPU to an intel with an intel MOBO, which seems like not much of an improvement for quite a hit on the case and PSU.
This machine should stay as is for the next 3-4 years and still be able to play games (even if not at max settings) in 3-4 years on a 22" screen, will this suffice? And if we're not planning on OC is there a reason to take an aftermarket CPU cooler?

One last point is, there is another option, and it is to upgrade the CPU to a 955 and downgrade the GPU to a 6870, which option is better?

PS. prices aren't mentioned because they aren't relevant to most of you, just take the current configuration as scraping the absolute top of the budget.

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Well tell me this. What's the budget? That is a crucial piece of info. A system needs to be tailored to the budget, not just a list of parts thrown together and used as a base line. I can help you out much better if you tell me the budget.

I have no idea what's the equivalent is dollars, it's 4000 NIS- after direct conversion it's 1100$ BUT everything here is 20-30 percent more expensive which means it's equal to about 800$, but that's all rough estimates.
I asked more direct questions because the supplies are also pretty limited, we don't have every item available here and I'm not planning on sending him to several different stores.
What I'm asking is- are there any obvious flaws that I'm missing with that build?

Ok, thank you for that.
Can you order online? Most of the time, online is the best and cheapest way to go.
Assuming you can, I'm going to modify your build a bit. I can't link you, as I don't know what sites are available in Israel. ( I assume you are from Israel)

CPU: Phenom II x4 955BE

Motherboard: ASRock 870 Extreme3
Ram is fine

HDD is good

GPU is good

If possible, switch to a LITE-ON or ASUS CD drive. They are cheaper and just as good.

Case: Your case is kinda overkill, so I am going to suggest a stylish yet functional.
I'm going to link these, I assume you can see them.

NZXT Gamma: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

NZXT M59: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Coolermaster Elite430: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Rosewill challenger (may not be available there) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The differences are that the 955BE is a true Phenom, while the 840 is a renamed athlon.
The case is less money, allowing you to switch to the 955BE.

Tell me what you think!
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Thanks for the case recommendations, I believe the store has the first three and I will pick one of them. which one of them is the best cooling wise?
They do not have any AMD asrocks, they only have gigabytes and foxconn (kind of disappointing to find out, I was sure they had more... maybe I'll look for another store). but what other MBs are recommended (preferably from the available stock but also alternatives if I go for a different store)?

And yup, Israel is correct :) 

This motherboard is pretty similar to the ASRock: GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870

And as for the cases, It's up to you! I think the M59 looks the coolest, but you might need to buy an extra fan or two to get air flowing good. But honestly, if you like the Antec 900 and it's in your budget, go ahead and get it! It looks awesome works awesome.

That motherboard is a lot pricier than the original, at that price I can get an intel with a simple mobo.

But I also realized that if I add a little money I can get a simpler sandy bridge, which once again raises the question of the motherboard.
If I take an H61 (even a mid range one) I can easily get by with the budget, OR I can take a low end H67.
Now for the products available, in that store they have ASUS, Gigabyte, Asrock and Intel. Do you have recommendations? (up to about 90$ max).

Go for Intel i5-2500K + Asus P8P67 series mobo build... Phenom isn't really worth it, IMAO =)

With a $1100 budget you can easily get a good SB build... the link that gametstr provided proves that.

2500K+P67 just doesn't fit in the budget. It's not 1100$, it's more like 850-900$.

OK, so I checked with a friend about a different store and realized I got ripped off, you can get those things for MUCH cheaper at a store that's much closer to me!
so the current build looks more like this:
Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 Rev2 CPU Cooler Socket 775 1156
₪79

G.Skill RipJaws 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz CL9 F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
₪273

Samsung 1TB=1000GB 7200RPM 32MB Sata F3 HD103SJ
₪260

HIS Radeon 6950 2GB GDDR5
₪1378

ANTEC Nine Hundred 900 Two Gaming + SeaSonic S12II 620Watt
₪827

LiteOn DVDRW iHAS324 X24
₪126

Asus P8H67-M LX B3 H67 CHIPSET Socket 1155
₪511

Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 2400 Socket 1155 6MB 95W 3.1Ghz Tray
₪813

Still unsure about the mobo (just picked the cheapest asus H67), and the cooler-again just picked one that I know is ok and offsets the price saving of getting the CPU as tray.

It'll do the job. But try to get a 80 plus cert psu,
Ati 6950 2gb model so you can flash it to a 6970 2gb, google it. You'll have it flashed in ten min and gaming in 11 min
6th would be better, there's a difference between 4 and 8 gb in games, so go with 6th for some longevity on this system.
CPU will be low end real fast, like a year.


For the most part, as is, it'll probably be enough for your friend, properly, well not as proper as a quad sli sandy bridge, faster ddr3 and a fast ssd, but that's out of your price range by like $2500

My setup:
Intel i7 2600k sandy bridge @ 5ghz
Water-cooled
Corsair 2133mhz ddr3 8Gb
Msi p67
2 Asus gtx570 directcuII in sli
1000 watt 80 plus bronze psu
120gb ocz ssd vertex 2
1tb hd 7200rpm 64mb cache sataIII dual processor
Wind tunnel case

-sent from my ipad 2!

z999 said:
2500K+P67 just doesn't fit in the budget. It's not 1100$, it's more like 850-900$.

OK, so I checked with a friend about a different store and realized I got ripped off, you can get those things for MUCH cheaper at a store that's much closer to me!
so the current build looks more like this:
Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 Rev2 CPU Cooler Socket 775 1156
₪79

G.Skill RipJaws 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz CL9 F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
₪273

Samsung 1TB=1000GB 7200RPM 32MB Sata F3 HD103SJ
₪260

HIS Radeon 6950 2GB GDDR5
₪1378

ANTEC Nine Hundred 900 Two Gaming + SeaSonic S12II 620Watt
₪827

LiteOn DVDRW iHAS324 X24
₪126

Asus P8H67-M LX B3 H67 CHIPSET Socket 1155
₪511

Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 2400 Socket 1155 6MB 95W 3.1Ghz Tray
₪813

Still unsure about the mobo (just picked the cheapest asus H67), and the cooler-again just picked one that I know is ok and offsets the price saving of getting the CPU as tray.




This build looks Great.Especially the PSU and 6950 2GB are very good choices.Seasonic is among the top Quality PSU manufacturers.
Take up the suggestion on the mobo from striker410.
Also try and squeeze in a 2500K. It's only 35USD more. See how much it is in ur place.
I think u should be able to if u get the Antec 300 Illusion case instead. Check it out. Its a good case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

its not as fancy looking as the 900s but its great. So it comes down to sacrificing one of these. 1. Looks. 2. Performance.
I wouldn't sacrifice performance for anything but thats just me.
Good Luck.

Hey gametstr, good suggestion but that case is a newegg exclusive. I would personally suggest the HAF 912, a large case with plenty of cooling. Throw an LED fan in there and it will look awesome!

Actually this time I took the 902 because it's on sale with the PSU, but I'll check how the price goes if I switch to the 300 or the 912.

edit:The ASUS P8P67 LE is quite expensive here, almost DOUBLE the price in newegg, this is a kind of price bump that can't be offseted just by taking a cheaper case, Do you have any offers on cheaper mobos? Consider that I don't think he'll ever CF this GPU, By the time he'll need to upgrade he either will probably get a new GPU altogether.
I can get the 300, but I'm not sure it'll really change the total price by much (because it means going back to the 520 PSU) and the 912 is unavailable at this store :( 

Is there a major disadvantage to taking an H67 or 61 board for gaming( Considering he isn't going to CF)? Only the cheapest of P67s fit in the budget.
All the difference I can see between a P67 and H67 is the inclusion of on chip graphics.

The Difference is that P67 can overclock, H67 cannot. If you get an h67 board, get an i5-2400 as the 2500k will be useless without the p67 overclocking ability. As you stated, I have yet to see an h61 or H67 board that supports crossfire or SLI although that doesnt matter.
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