$700 build compatability check/critique requested.

[hd5850bldr]

Hey all,
I'm building a sub-$700 pc that will mainly be used for games and school presentations. I wanted to find out if I had any compatibility issues, and get a critique of the parts I chose. I wanna build a solid gaming pc for as least money as possible so any budget saving suggestions are appreciated.

Parts List.

BOARD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130290

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

RAM : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...es_8GB_(2_x_4GB)_240-Pin_DDR3-_-20-231-314-_- This is one of the areas where I think I can shave some money off the total. Would 8gb be overkill for a gaming pc? I won't be running multiple programs often, would 4gb or 6gb do the job?

CPU COOLER: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3&Tpk=ZALMAN 9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler Would this be necessary to cool the quadcore? I won't be overclocking or anything. Also, would this cooler fit in the mid-tower I've picked?

VIDEO: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=199805&CatId=3669

OPTICAL DRIVE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...aviar_Black_WD6401AALS-_-22-136-319-_-Product

PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151096&Tpk=SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze Could I go for a 520w power source? I was thinking with the one graphics card maybe I could get a smaller psu to save some money.

CASE: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153&Tpk=Rosewill CHALLENGER

Thanks for any feedback, I really appreciate it.

 

[crewton]

My only suggestion would be to go with i3 2100 and P8H67 combo $194. It would be better for gaming and a bit cheaper. Rest of your build looks great except that with my cpu+mobo suggestion you'd only be able to use 1333Mhz RAM so that again would save you 15 bucks by going with G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) $85.

 

[striker410]

+1 to crewton! my thoughts exactly.
I will point out that there is no way you need that 620w, get something a bit more humble like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034&Tpk=antec%20earthwatts%20430
Also, might I suggest a switch to the Spinpoint f3? A faster drive with more capacity: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MQC0P8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0E1D9J08KQMCHJ5QHT59&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

Mesh these tips with crewton's and you are set!

 

[hd5850bldr]

Thanks to you both for some great tips! I like the price on that combo deal a lot, could you explain why the i3 2100 would be better for gaming? I was under the impression that quad-cores performed better. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[k1114]

He could fit a i5 2400 in the budget.

■LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
■Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm ...
■Seagate Barracuda ST3500413AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
■Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
■MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
■Intel Core i5-2400 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz (3.4GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52400
■G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL
■Sapphire 100282XTREME Radeon HD 5850 Xtreme Edition Video Card
TOTAL: $637.79 Shipping Included. Before MIR.

 

[crewton]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20

That gives you a little showing of the i3 2100 in action. It only has 2 cores but it also has hyperthreading giving it 4 threads to work with. Since most games only use 1 to 2 cores it doesn't suffer gaming wise.

 

[hd5850bldr]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20

That gives you a little showing of the i3 2100 in action. It only has 2 cores but it also has hyperthreading giving it 4 threads to work with. Since most games only use 1 to 2 cores it doesn't suffer gaming wise.

Nice article. Looks like the sandybridge is the way to go, very surprising and informative. Maybe I'll try to work the i5-2400 into the build looks like they have package deals for that as well.