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My first build

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Hello. I am going to build my first computer for, and with, my son. I'm going for a budget gaming box with potential to upgrade in the future. My budget is around $450. I would really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks! - John

Here is what I'm looking at from NewEgg (total is $445):

$ 80 - CPU and Cooler
AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3
95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$ 85 - Graphics
XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5
PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$ 60 - Motherboard
ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$ 40 - RAM
G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$ 44 - Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$ 55 - Case
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case,
comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan,
1x Rear 120mm Fan, option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

$ 60 - Power Supply
XIGMATEK ACXTNRP-PC602 600W ATX12V Ver.2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready
80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-815-...

$ 21 - Optical
ASUS Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW
12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache
SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

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Homebuilt system Authority

That looks good! It will run most games on medium-high, and will have room to upgrade. Not a bad job! I would however suggest switching the gfx to this Sapphire , as it will run the same and is $15 cheaper. With that money, I suggest upgrading to a Quad Core as it will give a bit of a performance boost.

Thanks! The XFX card has 1GB while the Sapphire has 512MB. Is this going to make much of a difference? Also, the XFX caught my eye because it is "low-profile", though I'm not really sure I need to worry about that. Of course, I'd love to save a few dollars wherever I can, especially if there is no significant downside.
Homebuilt system Authority

The difference between 1GB and 512MB is going to be minimal, especially on that particular card. It's a lower tier card, so the difference in memory is not really going to matter. They put 1GB in to try and lure people into buying a more expensive card.
I would suggest get the 512 and putting that money into a quad, as mentioned above.
I will ask though, What is your screen res? getting the 1 gig might matter if you have a high screen res.
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Homebuilt system Authority

At 1080p, that graphics card is going to have a hard time keeping up. Can you stretch the budget? If not, get the 1GB as it may help out since you have a fairly high res. The amount of video ram is determined by screen res. At 1080p and above, 1GB is really needed.

Hmmm. Stretch by how much? Would the 1GB $85 XFX card I mentioned be sufficient? Or should I really try to get a slightly higher-end card? Recommendations are greatly appreciated :-)

Doh! I placed my order yesterday. Oh well. I spent a lot of time looking for the best components in my price range, but there is so much to sort through, I obviously missed a few components that were better. That just means that once my son saves up so money, he can start upgrading :-) Thanks anyway! - John

Well, I _really_ wanted to get the MSI Radeon 5770 that you recommended, but since my son is paying for half of this machine, and since he has a fixed budget, I didn't want to spend any more money. So, I ended up getting the XFX Radeon 5670 that I had originally listed. I suspect it will work fine for him for now. Since I tried to get a case, motherboard, and power supply appropriate for future upgrades, he can take that route later on if he wants to. Thanks again. - John
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