Final Compatibility Checkup on my First Build!

[aznwings]

Approximate Purchase Date: maybe this week...

Budget Range: AS CHEAP AS POSSIBLE without hindering performance. ~$400

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing the internet...

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, OS.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com[strike], amazon.com, (Maybe microcenter. There is one an hour away)[/strike]

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: AMD (Better for cheaper builds)

Overclocking: Maybe (Most likely not.)

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (If the board is cheaper because of a deal, then why not have the upgrade path?)

Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 (I'm using a laptop right now, but I think this is the max resolution I'd go up to anyways because it is close to my laptop's resolution.)

Additional Comments: I'm SO EXCITED!!


So any suggestions to make the build cheaper, while not sacrificing performance (or too much performance) or anything?

Thank you.

Build so far (UPDATED!):

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Motherboard: ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 6770
CD/DVD Drive:ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - OEM
Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
RAM: PNY XLR8 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W

Subtotal of $505 before taxes, rebates, and promos.

Convenience wins today. Hehe...

 

[jerreddredd]

what Microcenter are you near? this will help with advice on in store specials.

Parts Preferences: AMD (Better for cheaper builds)

the i3-2100 is $99 at micorcenter and is on par with the AMD chips for gaming. would you consider a intel build?

 

[aznwings]

I'm about an hour away from the microcenter at Santa Clara, CA. I would consider an intel build, but the SB builds I've seen range from $500+. Since my dad is buying me this build, I don't really want to spend much extra.

Also, I really want a four-core processor, even if the PII X4 is not as good as the i3-2100. I want to be able to multi-task while gaming and every time I upgrade computers, I always go up in cores. I'm at a dual core right now and I don't really want to stay (Using a laptop... hating life right now lol. Thinking about dual cores makes me think of this dreaded laptop.).

 

[rvilkman]

The build you listed in the finder is actually pretty good.

basically 1 addition to it and 1 possible upgrade.

Don't forget to add a DVD+/-RW drive, it's like $20 but when you need it and you don't have it it will suck

And the upgrade part, costs $50, but consider upgrading the motheboard to: Asrock 970 Extreme 4 $104.99
It gives you 2 things: Most importantly upgrade path to AM3+ CPU's and another thing it gives you the possibility to Crossfire.

 

[aznwings]

Thanks for the advice rvilkman, but I don't think I want to upgrade the mobo to the Asrock 970 Extreme 4 because when I do plan on upgrading, it would be in a couple of years (Probably a minimum of 3? I had my old desktop for around 6 years and it was complete crap. 2.2GHz P4...Sony Vaio, yea, you get the picture right? lol). I think by then, there will be something better than bulldozer which wouldn't fit on AM3+ anyways.

So, I'm willing to sacrifice the upgrade path for a cheaper mobo.

I can crossfire with the mobo I chose though right? (It doesn't seem as good of a xfire setup, but better than nothing right?)

 

[jerreddredd]

Micro Center is running sale - Buy a listed CPU and get a MB Free or a Better one for $9.99
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/c567eeee#/c567eeee/4

CPU Phenon x4 840 $98
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0357031

Get this one for free
MB: ASUS M5A78L-M LX Socket AM3+ 760G mATX AMD Motherboard $55 (Free)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?sku=510735


Case:
CM TC101 Mid Tower ATX Computer Case $28
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0357900
or
Thermaltake V3 Black Edition ATX Mid $38 has $10 MIR
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0323929

RAM: Crucial 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC-10666) CL9 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit $40
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0307440

HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000 1.5TB SATA 6Gb/s $60 has $10 MIR
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0366709

DVD: Lite-ON 24X SATA DVD Burner - OEM $20
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0366709

Power Supply: Antec 380 Watt EarthWatts EA-380D Green ATX Power Supply $50 has $10 MIR
the is a solid litte PSU all the rest MC has are junk under $100. you will need a power cord ($5)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0340516


Ok now for the GPU.
I listed from Fastest $$$ (Best) to slowest $ (acceptable)

Gigabyte ATi Radeon HD 6850 GV-R685OC-1GD $180 Has $20 MIR
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354216

PNY NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti VCGGTX550TXPB $150 has MIR $20
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0359811

Sapphire Technology Radeon HD5770 $130 has MIR $20
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0345508

EVGA GTS 450 $120 Has MIR $30
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347361


With the the GTS450 and the CM Case it comes to $450 and has $20 (PSU+HD) + $30 GPU = $50 MIR's

I would suck up to dad up for the HD5770 and the V3 case once I got him there (extra $20 initially MIR's would be $20 + $10 (Case) +$20 (HD5770) =$50

 

[aznwings]

Lol jerred. I don't HAVE to only get the parts from microcenter. I'm fine with buying some at newegg, some at amazon, and making a trip to microcenter. That way I won't have to fill my cart with tons of items. I think newegg has better deals than microcenter on everything BUT the processor/mobo. Haha. I think I'd rather go with the 965 than the 840 for the extra L3 cache too.

EDIT: What do you guys think about this graphics card?


Here is my build so far:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

PowerColor PCS+ AX5770 1GBD5-PPVG Radeon HD 5770 Vortex Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX

ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - OEM

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit

ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

Last two items were added just to get an estimate of how much this whole build would cost. I will either get that processor+Mobo or the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition 3.4GHz Boxed Processor + Asus M4N68T-M V2 Socket AM3 630a mATX Motherboard combo for $129.99.

With the items mentioned above, I get a subtotal of $446.93 before promos and the case. (That's with the items I have in my newegg cart. The 955 + Asrock...)

I'll also be grabbing the NZXT LEXA S Steel Mid Tower ATX Computer Case.

Last minute compatibility check anyone? Will this work? Is it as good as $400 can buy? Also, is this PNY XLR8 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 ram better than the one I have above? The ram runs at 1.65v but it's a 1600 and the CAS latency is 8... Sorry I'm such a noob at this lol.

Other thoughts: So... Excited... !!!


EDIT: Just noticed that the motherboard from microcenter is most likely incompatible with the current motherboard (It supports up to 95W thermal power, whereas the 965 uses up to 125W or something....) Just changed it...

EDIT2: I think I will go with the 4GB PNY 1600 CAS8 ram because it has been getting really good reviews compared to the mushkin one I chose...

 

[jerreddredd]

Lol jerred. I don't HAVE to only get the parts from microcenter. I'm fine with buying some at newegg, some at amazon, and making a trip to microcenter. That way I won't have to fill my cart with tons of items. I think newegg has better deals than microcenter on everything BUT the processor/mobo. Haha. I think I'd rather go with the 965 than the 840 for the extra L3 cache too.

Trying save you TAX and Shipping Thats all. I'm not a big fan of no l3 Cache either, but you wanted a budget gamer and Microcenter had some good deals. if you can find it better on Newegg including shipping then go for it. I was also unable to pull up your parts build from work (blocked site) so I was kind of flying blind.

For a GPU a HD 6770 (replaces the 5770) is just fine for gaming at your stated resloution. a GTX 550Ti would be the next step up or a HD 6850 on the AMD side of the house.

go for the 955 and just OC! save yourself some $

 

[aznwings]

Trying save you TAX and Shipping Thats all. I'm not a big fan of no l3 Cache either, but you wanted a budget gamer and Microcenter had some good deals. if you can find it better on Newegg including shipping then go for it. I was also unable to pull up your parts build from work (blocked site) so I was kind of flying blind.

For a GPU a HD 6770 (replaces the 5770) is just fine for gaming at your stated resloution. a GTX 550Ti would be the next step up or a HD 6850 on the AMD side of the house.

go for the 955 and just OC! save yourself some $

Microcenter doesn't charge tax? Lol, sorry about the parts list. It's just so convenient to post one link as opposed to around 7.

But Microcenter doesn't offer the 955 on the combos list... So the 965 would be cheaper if bought at Microcenter because they are at the same price on newegg (I think both are @ 129.99). And the combo would allow me to grab a mobo with the 965. -$50+ with 965 as opposed to grabbing 955 from newegg. But if I can't get it from Microcenter, then 955 is next on my list.

Also, I heard the 5770 had better performance than the 6770... So which do I choose?!


Thanks for helping me thus far by the way

 

[jerreddredd]

Microcenter doesn't charge tax? Lol, sorry about the parts list. It's just so convenient to post one link as opposed to around 7.

I meant you would only pay tax at MC as opposed to tax and shipping at newegg.

Also, I heard the 5770 had better performance than the 6770... So which do I choose?!

the are about the same, the 6770 is its newer replacement.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2964-3.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2011-gaming-graphics-charts/compare,2668.html?prod%5B4919%5D=on&prod%5B4822%5D=on

 

[aznwings]

EDIT!!!: For the sake of getting everything from one place, I'll be getting everything from newegg. Just need one final compatibility check. And maybe some advice where needed...

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Motherboard: ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 6770
CD/DVD Drive:ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E818A7T/BLK/B/GEN - OEM
Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
RAM: PNY XLR8 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W

Shame my dad's too lazy to go to microcenter to save a few more bucks. Oh well. Hehe.

Subtotal of $505 before taxes, rebates, and promos.

 

[rvilkman]

They will work.

But do spend the extra 2 bucks to get a DVD+/-RW instead of DVD-ROM ... like Lite-On 24x DVD+/-RW $18.99 + free shipping

 

[aznwings]

Thanks for answering my final question. I think I'm ready to buy!!

 

[aznwings]

Best answer selected by aznwings.

 

[jerreddredd]

Good luck with the build. Post back when you build it and let us know how it worked out.

 

[aznwings]

I just put the build together since I ordered my processor from another place and it came late, but it seems great!! I just installed updated drivers and now I'm about to reboot. Then I'll update the bios after the reboot. I'll post back soon when I'm done!