Hey, any comments on that?

[Darkmonk]

Hi guys,
I've been using Tom's for a couple of months now (been short on money so I basically was looking on general stuff), and I think I'm pretty good by now, but I'd like some feedback on my final decisions for my built, if you don't mind
I'm pretty excited, I might order my parts this weekend

I'll use the computer for school (law school, in fact) so indeed Ms Office, browsing, sharing, online videos and stuff like that is important, but I'll also rip some dvds and listen to music. But more important, I need to relax after all that hard work, and my computer will also be... a gaming computer I already have a PS3, but for some games, you really need a PC and I want to throw away my laptop anyway
I'm playing on an old laptop now and geez, that sucks. More than that, after a couple hours of work, my back, shoulder and necks hurts because of the poor ergonomic
So, I already look'd at many reviews from Tom's and from Hardwaresecrets, and here are the parts chosen and reasons for that choice, let me know what you think about it:

Case: HAF 912 Advanced (nice design, great airflow/cable management, 2c200mm fans, 1x120mm fan included, $90) Are those fans necessary? 'Cauz I can get the standard 912 for $30 less, and I really don't care about the side window...

Mobo: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ($95, USB3.0, SATA6.0GBs, Crossfire ready, overclocking capabilities)

CPU: Phenom II 965 BE, (Quad-core, gaming and OC capabilities, $90)

Fan & Heatsink: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo (why, I don't really know, seems very popular and efficient, $32) Is this necessary for my OC even with that big airflow from the case? I guess it is...

GPU: MSI 1Ghz Radeon HD 7770 1GB (I don't need more than a 1080 resolution, which will be my screen resolution. Cheap, $100, and cross-fire ready for a future upgrade in a couple years. Tom's says it can play most games at top quality at this res. Is OC okay with that?)

PSU: Antec Earthwatts EA-650 ($65, and seems sufficient for future crossfire with 2 HD7770)

RAM: Corsair Vengeance, DDR3, 1600Mhz, 3x4GB (seems like you need 3 pieces to really use DDR3... Am I overkillin it? $53)

HDD: Western Digital Blue 7200rpm, WD10EZEX 1TB, 64M cache ($70, nice storage and speed, but again, I don't really know if I'm overkilling on speed here, because I don't know if that's so important for gaming at 1080p res... but I usually play my games directly from HD, not disc)

Optical: Samsung SH-224BB 24X SATA DVD Writer ($17, need a basic DVD writer, don't care for anything, as said I usually play games from HD, although I might buy some disc copies in the future)

Monitor: Asus VH236H, 23 inch 1080p ($143, size, price and colors/res matter, not speakers or anything else)

OS: Windows 8 ($100)


Again, because I'm a student, price really matters. I tried to cut down the price, but it seems impossible to get a decent gaming machine for less. I could cut in the mobo and psu if I don't plan future crossfire, but I think that I'll save money over time if I buy these. Also, I've never Crossfire'd before. Will it be worth it, let's say, three years?
As for the prices, I used NewEgg and CanadaDirect, BestDirect and NCIX's prices aren't cheaper, and since I'm Canadian (french-speaking from Quebec in fact) US offers are not available here
Also, I'm looking for a cheap 2.1 audio system to get along but I can't find much reviews on that, I'd like to get suggestions (let's say for less than $30, is it possible to get an average quality for music?)

Thanks everyone ;-)

 

[FinneousPJ]

Bonjour,

Some things. Mobo, CPU and cooler choices are solid.


GPU is also solid. However, crossfire in a couple of years is a poor choice. You'll want to buy a new card by then.

PSU - yeah, check above. Don't plan for XFire unless you're doing it withing a month or so.

RAM: no, you definitely don't want three sticks, but two. This is because the memory controller on your CPU is dual channel.

HDD: don't compromise on 7200 RPM. If you don't need 1 TB get a smaller drive.

 

[Darkmonk]

Hey, that's a damn fast reply!
Thanks!
So, for the GPU, ok, I'll get only one then, and stick to this one. And as for the RAM, thought I'd only need DDR2, DDR3 is cheaper! I can use DDR3 anyway, right? It'll only use 2 channels, but who cares? I'll stick with Corsair's vengeance (1600Mhz?). Is 4GB sufficient then? Or I still need 8? Just a $10 difference by the way

As for the PSU, I saw the Thermaltake TR2 TR-500 500W ATX12V v2.3, $50. I know, TR2 were crap in the old days but these, with same label, seems decent. ?

However, I'm still not sure about the case: HAF 912 for $50, only the front fan included, or 912 Advanced for +$30 (wich is the price for the 2x200mm fans)? I think I'll have to cool this with the fan, but... I've always used non-overclock'd cheap pre-built machines so...
Au revoir

 

[Darkmonk]

Deleted

 

[unoriginal1]

Hey, that's a damn fast reply!

And as for the RAM, Then I'd only need DDR2, right? I'll stick with Corsair's vengeance (1600Mhz?). Is 8GB sufficient then?
)

You want DDR3. Just get 2 sticks not 3 sticks. 2x4GB for 8 GB is perfect.

 

[Darkmonk]

Exactly why I deleted this post. Anyway, 4GB sticks/1600MHz doesn't even exist in DDR2, for as far as I know

 

[unoriginal1]

Exactly why I deleted this post. Anyway, 4GB sticks/1600MHz doesn't even exist in DDR2, for as far as I know

Lol. It happens. And learning is part of the fun . The reason DDR2 is expensive is it's outdated technology and harder to find. Only people with older systems that don't support DDR3 are buying it.

Nice budget system. Will be a big upgrade from laptop play.

Enjoy!

 

[Darkmonk]

Will be a big upgrade from laptop play.

Hey, I have a PS3

Then:
Case: HAF 912 Advanced??? Standard??? (how many fans, essentially that's the question here)
Mobo: Asus M5A97 R2.0
CPU: Phenom II 965 BE, (Quad-core, gaming and OC capabilities, $90)
Fan & Heatsink: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Evo
GPU: MSI 1Ghz Radeon HD 7770 1GB
PSU: Thermaltake TR2 TR-500
RAM: Corsair Vengeance, DDR3, 1600Mhz, 2x4GB
HDD: Western Digital Blue 7200rpm, WD10EZEX 1TB, 64M cache
Optical: Samsung SH-224BB 24X SATA DVD Writer
Monitor: Asus VH236H, 23 inch 1080p
OS: Windows 8

 

[unoriginal1]

Will be a big upgrade from laptop play.

Hey, I have a PS3

Then:
Case: HAF 912 Advanced??? Standard??? (how many fans, essentially that's the question here)

Love my ps3 to death.. But it just can't offer what a gaming pc can .

It's a matter of opinion. Some like a lot of fans for looks etc. But really all you need is about 3, Front for intake, Top of case and back. Just to keep a nice flow of air. Anymore can actually sometimes cause heat pockets.

 

[Zeph824]

This looks like a pretty solid build!

Keep in mind Windows 8 is actually only $40 up until January.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Yeah, I don't recommend Thermaltake. Go for Antec, Corsair, Seasonic, XFX.

Someone else already addressed the issue of fans.

 

[Au_equus]

^+1
especially the TR2, they're no better than some OEM PSUs. The antec EW you had earlier was decent one already. I have one (400W) working in my father in law's PC for over a year now and he never turns the PC off.

 

[cklaubur]

Since you're a student, have you looked for any student discounts for Windows?

If you are studying computer science, your department might be signed up for MSDNAA (Microsoft Developer Network Academic Alliance), and can download Windows for free or at a lower cost.

Casey

 

[Darkmonk]

@ unoriginal1: Thanks for the advice on fans: I'll get the HAF 912 Advanced then, it comes with front/top 200mm fans and a 120mm fan on the back, pre-installed not to mention the window on the side panel, why not with no charge?

@Zeph: Actually, as far as I can tell by Microsoft's poor website , it's only the upgrade from windows 7 to windows 8 pro that's $40. Windows 8 is $99, disc only (found the info on seller's site, not even on microsoft's ). Maybe I'll just get 7 'til I have more money or a Windows 8 tablet/smartphone to use along... Anyway, not much hardware difference here lol

@cklaubur: Law student, and nope, no discount on the OS, only on some other software such as Office. But thanks for the tip anyway, would have been nice

@ FinneousPJ and au_equus: Yeah, I taught about it and you're completely right. I was told that this one's different, but I'll go with my guts and get a Corsair/Antec... I'll stick to that EW because the only cheaper >500W psu (need 518W according to OuterVision's eXtreme Power Supply Calculator) I found tonight was the 520W Neo Eco from Antec (modular) which is only $8 less and might not survive next builds or even only a GPU upgrade

@ EVERYONE: MANY THANKS!!! I promise that you'll see me around again. I already started to answer some threads, I'm not just a "knowledge leecher", and you helped me so much toward this built that I wish to help out fellow Tom's users. I'm very touched by your dedication and by your help.

Final configuration: Well, exactly what's in the first post , except for the RAM (2x4GB, not 3x4) and the OS will be Windows 7 'till I get a W8 device (maybe in years! So maybe W9!)
I'm good but you were great helping me see that it is the nicest rig around at this price

See you in other threads!


Au revoir!

 

[Darkmonk]

Best answer selected by Darkmonk.