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Help me with a $500 build

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Hey all, just wanted to see if you could critique my new build I was hoping to buy, just in case something might not have been compatible or if I could do better with the budget I have right now.

Approximate Purchase Date: This Month

Budget Range: $500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Movies, Surfing the internet

Parts Not Required: DVD Writer, OS, Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter!!!!!, Newegg

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: Preferably Intel CPU and ASRock mobo

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Nope

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: Here is the build I was planning on doing, please critique it in any way shape or form!

CPU: Intel i3 2100 $90 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml... Loved the price on this and it is very cheap considering the newegg prices.

Motherboard: ASRock H61M/U3S3 MATX $74 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Liked this because it has SATA 6GB and USB 3.0 which is rare on H61.

Video Card: SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon 6950 2GB $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Liked this because of the huge discount and its price can fit nicely in the budget!

Power Supply: Corsair 430W $25 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Liked this because the discount right now is insane, but didn't know if it doesn't have enough power.

RAM: Microcenter 4GB (2gb x 2) $20 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml... Cheap ram with 1333 Mhz and 1.5v. Can't go wrong :p 

Case: Rosewill R218-P-BK Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Cheap case and I personally like Rosewill :) 

Hard Drive: Samsung By Seagate 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Really cheap harddrive, good RPM and Cache, and by a trusted company!

All comes down to $499, minus the tax of course :) 

Any comments or suggestions?

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nhasian said:
you should try to make a build with the 3rd gen intel cpu and mb instead of last year's model. I would also recommend a bigger hard disk


It's a $500 budget, there are no ivy bridge i3's, microcenter doesn't sell the 2120, and a 2100 for $90 is by far the best deal you're going to get at that price.
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Thanks for the quick replies, yeah, there are no ivy bridge i3's. I believe they are coming in Q4 if I'm not mistaken? And the 2100 deal I saw was too good to pass up, especially at that price. But for another question for you all, the motherboard I linked, I heard that there was no real benefit in going for PCI E 3.0 right now and that besides that, the one I chose had the features that most new boards have right now. Would you all still recommend it for this build? And lastly, is the power supply enough to power all of this? (I'm not hoping to CF/SLI.)

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JustinDee said:

CPU: Intel i3 2100 $90 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml... Loved the price on this and it is very cheap considering the newegg prices.


Great deal, but I suggest dropping down to the pentium G620 ($50). You're going to need room in the budget for a different PSU (the one you picked won't support the 6950), and a bit for a better case (the rosewill is good for the $, but again, doesn't have the cooling to support the 6950).

JustinDee said:

Video Card: SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon 6950 2GB $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Liked this because of the huge discount and its price can fit nicely in the budget!

Power Supply: Corsair 430W $25 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Liked this because the discount right now is insane, but didn't know if it doesn't have enough power.


Great deal, but the 430w PSU won't support the 6950. A system with that card can easily draw 450-500w under load.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4061/amds-radeon-hd-6970-...

This will cover you ($60)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Rosewill PSU's are made by superflower, they're pretty good.

JustinDee said:

Case: Rosewill R218-P-BK Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... Cheap case and I personally like Rosewill :) 


Rosewill Blackbone ($40)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Another option, instead of all that is to drop down to the G620, and put the money towards a 7850. It'll put you slightly over budget, but that card only draws 101w at load and the 430w PSU will easily support it. It runs cooler than the 6950, so your original case will probably be fine with it. It's also faster than the 6950, though it will be slightly bottlenecked by the G620, you can bump the FSB to get 300mhz or so more out of the G620 to help.

Have fun!

dudewitbow said:
Use this lepa psu


That would put him way over the optimal efficiency range of the PSU if he uses the 6950. It would use 90% of the PSU's potential output, leaving no room for expansion, and potentially under-volting the system as the PSU ages.

It's overkill if he uses the 7850.

though now the lepa psu is outdated, as it had a 15$ price hike and the 15$ rebate is gone now. though a single 6950 should take no more than ~300w area, never ever surpassing 400. why would you think it would take 90% of the psus output, unless of course you can show me the data that says otherwise.
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