On a budget. My first build in years...

[BrainCrasher]

Approximate Purchase Date: After NJ - mid of January 2012

Budget Range: $800 max. or a cheaper alternative nothing more expensive than $800

System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (usually offline), surfing, movies

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I can't shop online.. these are the prices in my country
i3-2100: $140,
GeForce GTX460 DDR5: $200
I hope this helps.

Country: Macedonia, don't have a clue where the parts come from. The GTX460 is a Gigabyte one if that means something..

Parts Preferences:
-processor: either AMD or Intel
-video: I've never used Radeon video cards
-memory: doesn't matter
-hdd: doesn't matter

Overclocking: Yes, but not really using..

SLI or Crossfire: Yes

Monitor Resolution: doesn't matter, was looking for a 19" monitor.


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Include a list of any parts you have already selected with descriptively labeled links for parts.

I'll post double links for all the parts I found (I didn't find all the parts that newegg.com has at the shops in my country)

Monitor (i feel comfortable with Acer)
My country: Acer 19" wide 5ms
Newegg: didn't find the same

Motherboard
My country: Gigabyte P61-S3-B3
Newegg: this is the same I guess

Processor
My country: Intel i3-2100
Newegg:i3-2100

Video card
My country:GeForce GTX460 1GB DDR5
Newegg:i think it is the same

HDD
My country:Toshiba 1 TB SATA2
Newegg:alternative

RAM
My country:Kingston 4GB DDR3 1333Mhz x2
Newegg:Kingston 4GB DDR3 x2

Power supply
My country:650W Gembird is this enough??
Newegg:I'm lost here...

Housing
NO IDEA.

That would be it
What do you think?

 

[Raiddinn]

With a $800 hard cap on the budget, I don't think you will be getting 2x video cards any time soon.

If so, you can scale down from 650w.

Also, I have never heard of the Gembird brand and usually brands that I have never heard of aren't good ones.

If you look on this webpage

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=287485

it lists Gembird in the long list of PSU brands to avoid.

If possible, could you please look at the PSUs that you have available for purchase that are in the range of 400 - 550w that are from the brands Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, or XFX and tell me if there are any?

If there are not any, can you please list out some other options besides the Gembird preferably in that same range?

I want to note here that the PSU and the Cooling system are two of the most underrated aspects of building a high quality computer. Both of them make a big difference in the performance and longevity of the computer and they are both worthy of spending a little bit of extra money on.

Case - A good case can go a long way toward keeping the inside of your case cool. This can prevent crashing and greatly increase the lifespan of things that generate a lot of heat like processors and video cards.

I don't know what cases are available where you are at either, but Antec 300 or Antec 300 Illusion are good cases, the HAF 912 is pretty good on a light budget I heard, the Storm Scout and Storm Enforcer are pretty good mid range cases, and Lian Li makes a wide variety of high end cases that are quite expensive but they can often be found on sale for a good price (like mine was).

Hopefully you can fit one of those cases into your budget. If you can't, let me know what cheap cases you have available and I will try to see which of them is best.

RAM - This is a big deal. The exact part number does matter. RAM is one of the biggest pains when building a new computer for the average person. Anything you can do to reduce the risk of problems is a good idea.

Have you checked the QVL of the RAM to see if the motherboard is on it? Have you checked the QVL of the motherboard to see if the RAM is on it?

Not just 2x 2GB from Kingston but the exact part numbers. It should probably look something like this KVR667D2K2.

If you don't want so much hassle to look things up but you want all the benefits of having compatible RAM, then go here

http://www.crucial.com/upgrade/compatible-memory-for/Giga-Byte/GA-P61-S3-B3/list.html

and hit "Show All Compatible RAM" and then select a part number out of there.

I generally suggest people with Windows 7 spring for 2 x 4GB RAM setups, usually 1333 and preferably 1.35w if possible. Usually a part number from such a thing is available from among those listed with those specs.

This part number CT2KIT51264BD1339 is an example of 2x 4GB RAM with those specs that is guaranteed to work in the board you selected.

 

[BrainCrasher]

Kingston KVR800D2N62G 2GB 800mhz (all below this 2 GB)
Simmtronics 800
Apacer AP2048UTQB1K2 1333
Apacer AU02GFA33C9QBGC 1333
Kingston KVR1333D3S8N92GBK 1333
Kingston KVR1333D3S8N92G 1333
Simmtronics 1333
Kingston KHX1600C9AD3B12G 2GB 1600
Apacer AP4096UTQB1K2 4GB 1333(all below this 4GB)
Kingston KVR1333D3N94GBK 1333
Kingston KVR1333D3D4R9S4G 1333
Simmtronics 1333
Kingston KHX1600C9D34G 1600
Kingston KHX1600C9D3B14G 1600
Kingston KHX1866C11D3P1 1866mhz

All the memories above 2GB in their(www.anhoch.com) pdf price catalog.

Cases:

Hantol
Gigabyte
Gembird


I'm afraid I can't find anything else.. If you can please give me some links of good ones.. in budget prices and I'll see what I can buy from the net

PSU:

Gigabyte
Gembird
A-power

I'll try searching other shops maybe they have something else

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Raiddinn]

This appears to be the link to all the RAM that works with that motherboard and I am having a hard time finding any of those things on it

http://download1.gigabyte.ru/memory/mb_memory_ga-p61-s3-b3.pdf

I searched the page for every one of those part numbers copy and pasted and they all said 0/0 in the search. I searched for Simmtronics and that came up with 0/0 too.

I am not about to try to look up the QVL of each of those RAM sticks and see if the board is on any of them, but you are welcome to.

I guess I would just go with one of the KVR1333s setups. That is the best brand among them and the 1333 is the highest the board can take I think.

Cases/PSUs ... I am not a big fan of any of those brands. Gigabyte makes good motherboards, but that is what they are known to be good with and that isn't really the same thing as good PSUs or cases.

Anyway, if you can't find other brands elsewhere, give me a couple model numbers from those and I will try to select one.


If you can look for general manufacturers of cases, Cooler Master is a large brand, so is Antec.

For PSUs, Antec and Corsair are good as is anything with Seasonic as its OEM. CWT OEM PSUs are ok too.

If you absolutely have to get one of those PSUs, the Gigabyte can at least get in the ballpark for what they claim on the label, closer than the other two at least.