~$600 build - Including OS

[BCampbell]

Ready to pull the trigger today, just wanted to see if there were any other suggestions from the community.

Background: I'm running a truly ancient system, Athlon XP2600+, 1GB RAM, AGP graphics. It's time for something new, or rather it was time four years ago. The machine's primary duty is photo editing, and lots of it, but I'd like to be able to play some games too -- would be nice to run Skyrim, don't need ultra high settings. Here's what I found:

CPU: Core I3 2120, $109.99
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-2120-Processor-Socket-LGA1155/dp/B004KZDV8E/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I393QA87V8SO26&colid=11VR0UYDAS9RR

GPU: Diamond Radeon HD 7770, $116.99
http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Multimedia-Radeon-Edition-Graphics/dp/B007FPITV0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1B0HP8YQWICVZ&colid=11VR0UYDAS9RR

Mobo: ASRock H61M-GE (uATX) $62.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157256

RAM: Gskill 2x4GB 1066 $41.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231308

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB $84.98
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2A37EE2M04HM7&colid=11VR0UYDAS9RR

Optical: SAmsung DVDRW, $13.99
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SH-222BB-BEBE-Internal-Software/dp/B006B7R9PU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I280HJOUGZ5HYM&colid=11VR0UYDAS9RR

PSU: Coolermaster Elite 460W $34.98
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Supply-RS460-PSARI3-US/dp/B002G1YPHK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I212IGNXGQ8WQ0&colid=11VR0UYDAS9RR

Case: Rosewill $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147112

Case fan: Thermaltake 120mm $7.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106149

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

Total: $603.88, $0 shipping.

Anything not listed I don't need (Monitor, keyboard, networking, etc).

Just want to know if this is a decently balanced system. What trips me up most is motherboard and PSU, those are hard to shop for, other suggestions are welcome. I did pick that PSU specifically because it's 80+, I also initially looked at the HD6850 but I like the much lower power consumption of the 7770 and will never use eyefinity. The HDD was specifically chosen for the 64MB cache. Also importantly, everything has free shipping.

Thanks for looking.

 

[jmsellars1]

That looks OK, you should get high settings in Skyrim with that build. It should perform similarly to my build and I find Skyrim playable at ultra high but I prefer to turn the AA down a bit to make it smooth.

My only worry is that PSU, it's probably fine since you have low power consumption but personally I'd get something a bit more reputable. The Antec EA-380D or Corsair CX-430 for example. If you need to save a bit of cash to get it, you could easily drop that additional case fan. I don't think you're going to need it. The i3-2120 and HD 7770 aren't going to get too hot.

 

[koudou]

The new ivy bridge i3 cores are apparently inbound in a couple of weeks and they're probably worth waiting just a little while for. I would also upgrade that RAM to a 1333, you'll see much better performance with that.

Same worry with the PSU as well... Coolermaster isn't exactly known for their outstanding quality PSUs.

 

[BCampbell]

Thanks for the input, I'll shop around for PSUs, if there are any recommendations I'd appreciate it. That's one area where I don't mind spending a little more cash for peace of mind. Would like to have an 80%+ unit though.

I'm not really interested in waiting for the next thing, that always turns into waiting for one more next thing and one more... I'm ready to buy now, considering what I'm coming from I'm not looking to be cutting edge.

The case has a rear fan, I thought having a front fan to draw air in would be ideal, but if that's not necessary I'll drop it... can always pick it up later.

Was under the impression that I wouldn't realistically see a difference with the faster RAM, I'm not overclocking anything.

Thanks folks, any other input is helpful!

 

[BCampbell]

Does this Corsair 430W sound like a better power supply?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

 

[jmsellars1]

Yeah that's the one I suggested, its a decent enough PSU

 

[BCampbell]

Thanks, the parts from Amazon arrived yesterday and the entire install went smoothly, though the 7770 just *barely* squeezes in the mATX case. Runs great though, anyone else looking for a budget build could do worse than starting there, I doubt everyone has a need for 64MB of HDD cache so some money can be saved there even.