$600 Build Help Needed

[speakerman9529]

After surfing around I came to these components :

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1866C9R

HDD:Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 16 MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST500DM002

GPU:MSI Computer Corp. ATI Radeon HD7770 1020 MHz 1GB DDR5 PCI-Express 3.0 x16 Graphics Cards R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC

CPU:AMD Athlon II X3 455 Processor (ADX455WFGMBOX)

Motherboard:ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 - Mid Tower Computer Case with All-Black Interior (RC-430-KWN1)

PSU: Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 550w Power Supply (RS550-PCARE3-US)

Wifi card: ASUS (PCE-N10) Wireless-N Network Adapter (150Mbps Transmit / 150Mbps Receive) with PCI-E Interface, Include Full Height and Low Profile bracket, WPS Button Support

OS: Windows 8 System Builder DVD 64-Bit

Dvd Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE 22X SATA DVDRW Internal Drive (Black), Bulk without Software

All parts were selected with Amazon prices.

Total with Tax+Shipping: $626.56

My budget is 600$ so this is a little bit over but it is fine. I wanted to make sure everything fit together and if I needed any extra tools or if my PSU was enough to power my GPU/CPU. Thanks. Also is there any parts that you could switch out for something with better performance but still keeping in the low 600$ range?

 

[obsama1]

I would switch out the RAM for 1600. 1866 makes very little difference in most applications.
Your mobo has Core Unlocker which will let you unlock the 4th core on your CPU making it into a Phenom II x4.

 

[speakerman9529]

I would switch out the RAM for 1600. 1866 makes very little difference in most applications.
Your mobo has Core Unlocker which will let you unlock the 4th core on your CPU making it into a Phenom II x4.

Would my current 550W PSU support me unlocking the 4th core?

 

[raj00]

get an i3 3220 and switch motherboard to LGA 1156 socket type and get an geforce gtx 650 only $100 at newegg

 

[obsama1]

The 650 is a bad value. The 7770 easily smokes it. A 550w PSU will be enough for unlocking.

 

[speakerman9529]

Alright thanks, I was worrying 550 wouldn't be enough.

 

[speakerman9529]

Is that Wifi card worth it or...? Do I need to buy any extra cables/tools or does my build come w/ all the cables needed.

 

[obsama1]

The card looks pretty good. The parts come with all necessary cables. The only tool you'll need is a screwdriver.

 

[verdenshersker]

But I think you will get way better performance for the money by the Intel Pentium 2.9 Ghz and an B75 motherboard. Then you can save money. And you can get a Kingston T1 set with 2x4 GB 1600 Mhz for $25

I made this build for another dude earlier:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kPuv

 

[obsama1]

^^^^
Great build, but at that budget, drop the SSD and get a Phenom II x4 965/A10.

EDIT: Nvm. Didn't see that the SSD was $30.

 

[obsama1]

the OP's budget is $600, so I'd get a better CPU. A Phenom II x4 965 or FX-4350 will be good.

 

[Outlander_04]

get an i3 3220 and switch motherboard to LGA 1156 socket type and get an geforce gtx 650 only $100 at newegg

These components are not even compatible

For the OP's build

If you are gaming then 2 x2 gig of RAM is plenty . No game can use more than this anyway
Dont expect to online game over a wifi connection . Latencies will usually be too high . Run a cable in stead
You could use a cheaper and still quality PSU like the 400 watt silverstone strider . I havent checked prices
There may be room in your budget for an FX 4100 once the FX 4300 is released in a few days

 

[verdenshersker]

Ye, I only took the SSD for the price of $30 dollars

Its great - good speed for the price.

Here is an AMD version:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kPxd

 

[verdenshersker]

The only reason for the 600 Watt PSU in my build is the good price now, I have had 2 in life and they are reliable and modular...

 

[verdenshersker]

Read this for my reason to go Intel these days:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-2.html

I like AMD too, but it feels like you get way more for your money when its that budget with Intel

 

[speakerman9529]

I have noticed Intel chipsets tend to be more expensive so I dont know if it would fit within my budget.

 

[speakerman9529]

These components are not even compatible

For the OP's build

If you are gaming then 2 x2 gig of RAM is plenty . No game can use more than this anyway
Dont expect to online game over a wifi connection . Latencies will usually be too high . Run a cable in stead
You could use a cheaper and still quality PSU like the 400 watt silverstone strider . I havent checked prices
There may be room in your budget for an FX 4100 once the FX 4300 is released in a few days

I checked around and the FX-1000 costs about 40$ more and requires different motherboard which is more expensive. Even with reducing the ram and taking out wifi it is too expensive

 

[verdenshersker]

Yeah, Both the new FM2 for A10-5800K or the AM3+ for OC are more expensive than Intel.

That's why I showed you what I did

 

[speakerman9529]

Yeah, Both the new FM2 for A10-5800K or the AM3+ for OC are more expensive than Intel.

That's why I showed you what I did

Yeah I took a look at it and it is 2.9ghz at dual core for 70$, The price for the Athlon II x3 455 3.3ghz. I have there is 76$ so its almost the same in price.

 

[speakerman9529]

Wouldnt the Athlon II 455 have better performance than that Pentium 2.9ghz dual core you mentioned?

 

[verdenshersker]

The Pentium will have better performance.

In one of the other posts, I placed a link about it.

And this is what Tom's Hardware write about it:

It turns out that the budget-oriented Sandy Bridge-based Pentium family performs very well in games. Specifically, Intel's Pentium G630 beat the FX-4100, -6100, and -8120 in our sub-$200 CPU gaming comparison. In fact, it finished right on par with the Phenom II X4 955.

At 2.9 GHz, the Pentium G850 is 200 MHz faster than the G630, earning our recommendation at the $70 price point. There's not much else to add, except that if you consider the Phenom II X4 to be a capable gaming CPU, Intel's Pentium G850 is an even faster option that uses less power.


And the Phenom II X4 are stronger than the Athlon II X3 or X4.

I went from a Athlon II X3 445 unlocked to Phenom II X4 and a minor OC til 3,5 Ghz. I have better gaming performance with the even smaller Pentium G620 (2.6 Ghz)

 

[verdenshersker]

Another thing - I would still skip the Windows 8 for a while and just keep the Windows 7

 

[speakerman9529]

Another thing - I would still skip the Windows 8 for a while and just keep the Windows 7

The builders editions costs about the same and if I remember correctly Windows 8 makes more efficient use of componenets...

 

[Outlander_04]

AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996&name=Processors-Desktops

ASRock 970 PRO3 AM3+ $66 [including shipping and rebate ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157319&name=AMD-Motherboards

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193&name=Desktop-Memory

HIS iCooler H777F1G2M Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition $115 [ after rebate ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161402&name=Desktop-Graphics-Cards

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 $25 [ after rebate]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&name=Power-Supplies

Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769&name=Internal-Hard-Drives

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119227&name=Computer-Cases

Any dvd drive $18

Total is $479

Far better gamer than the pentium or athlon builds. Far far better application performance

Add the wireless card if you want

Windows 8 preferably as well

 

[verdenshersker]

I totally disagree with outlander... Just check the reviews...
He puts down an amd set with better specs, but exactly same performance and worse in some cases. And those pieces are more expensive, so you have to go with the hd7770 1gb instead of a hd7850 2 gb.

Furthermore is the 500 gb hdd he points out same price as the 1.5 tb i have etc.
also his 4 gb ram is the same price as the 8 gb i point out...
Many things...

They just had a real test with windows 7 vs 8 and it is basically the same in performance....

But its up to you speakerman, but i would say my build is way better.
And tou can just read the components review....