Check my build- budget gaming, reusing some parts *first time build*

danawesome89

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Nov 5, 2011
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Ok, so I had another thread asking for advice, but now that I have my choices made, I want some critiques.

Purpose: The upgrade is for gaming, although the computer is for general use like school, internet etc. I understand that I won't see a huge gaming performance increase until I get a new GPU, but I'll do that later

My goal is to keep price as low as possible while making a solid build that is upgradable in the future.
There might be slight room for price increase if for a very good reason, but I'm a newlywed and don't want to unnecessarily anger my wife lol

mobo: ASRock Z68M/USB3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157270

CPU & DVD bundle: i3-2120, LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner 22X $133.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.822345

memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

case: Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023

GPU: already have a 5770 1gb, will eventually upgrade in a few months or a year

HDD: re-use old one until flood prices go away... (although I am tempted to splurge on an SSD... thoughts?)

PSU: re-use 430w Thermaltake (can't remember model, but something fairly cheap from Best Buy) I intend to upgrade the PSU eventually

Monitors: I run dual monitors, one is 1920x1080, the other is 1680x1050

Already have mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc

Think I have a Windows disk somewhere if I didn't lose it in my move lol

Total: $303.95

This is my first build from scratch. My previous experience has just been upgrading GPU, PSU, and RAM

I want to know:
1) opinions on my build (possible changes to either save money, increase performance cheaply, or a cheap HDD or PSU that is good quality

2) Do I need anything else? Even things like tools for the installation or whatever. Especially related to installing a CPU, I've never done it before.

3) Any other tips or things I should think about since it is my first build.

4) Is it worth is to grab some kind of i5 now? From what I can tell, the i3 will do great currently, and with a z68 chipset I could eventually grab an i5 Ivy bridge in a couple years if my i3 stops doing the trick
 

danawesome89

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Nov 5, 2011
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I have a quick question about memory...

How much does Cas latency matter?

That crucial has 10, and the corsair has 9.

I know lower is better, but does it actually matter or mean anything? Especially in gaming?