First build, ~$300, need opinions & advice

[paulbennett95]

Case: Rosewill FBM-01 Dual Fans MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147123

CD/DVD Drive: SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224BB - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151256

Hard Drive: TOSHIBA DT01ACA050 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822149380

Motherboard: ECS A780LM-M2 AM3 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135315

Wireless Adapter: Rosewill RNWD-N1501UB IEEE 802.11b/g/n, USB2.0 Wireless-N Mini Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166079

Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5450 1GB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card ( 100292DDR3L)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102882

Power Supply: LOGISYS Computer PS350MA 350W Micro ATX Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817170015

Memory: Team Elite 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model TED34096M1333C9DC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313102

CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 270 Regor 3.4GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX270OCGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103953

Power Cable: Coboc 6 ft. Power Cable with 3 Conductor PC power (Black)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812117273

__________________________________

So, does this look like it could handle streaming media and light gaming? My current computer is an 08 Macbook with 2.4ghz core 2 duo, so if this computer beats that, I'm happy.

Questions:
1) Are there ANY incompatibilities between the parts? Will everything fit nicely together and function? Is there a slot in the motherboard for everything? Etc.

2) Would I be better off (financially mostly) with getting an internal wireless network card or sticking with the adapter?

3) Is my power supply sufficient?

4) Are the fans in the case sufficient?

5) Will I be able to put a Windows install disk in the DVD drive after I've completely assembled the computer and install and run Windows? Or does my hard drive have to have it preinstalled?

Thanks again, hope you guys can help!

 

[jolala]

Looks like that should work. Definitely good enough for light gaming. What sort of games are you hoping to play? The power supply is plenty for that system, and it does come with a power cord, is there a reason you're buying an extra one? A build like this won't require any extra fans. You won't need to pre-install windows. Once the system is built you can put the disc in and install from the drive.

I'm sure someone else with a lot more time available will come in and link you with some miracle build from the pc builder website lol. But that build as you have it will work to answer your questions.

 

[paulbennett95]

Looks like that should work. Definitely good enough for light gaming. What sort of games are you hoping to play? The power supply is plenty for that system, and it does come with a power cord, is there a reason you're buying an extra one? A build like this won't require any extra fans. You won't need to pre-install windows. Once the system is built you can put the disc in and install from the drive.

I'm sure someone else with a lot more time available will come in and link you with some miracle build from the pc builder website lol. But that build as you have it will work to answer your questions.

I'd hope to play Medieval 2/Rome Total War, lower settings would be fine, as well as Oblivion (runs fine on Macbook at lowest settings, so any performance better than that would be sufficient) and maybe some TF2, Day of Defeat, and hopefully Supreme Commander 2 (bought it like 2 or 3 years ago without checking system specs so I've never actually played it )

And I don't need the power cord? I assumed the supply didn't come with it, since Newegg had the power cord under suggest items (trying to get extra money out of unsuspecting customers I assume )

Thanks a lot for the help, I removed the power cord and extra fan I had on the list, so I should be fine?

 

[Mapsx15]

Here is another option to have a look at and compare. I didn't add the optical drive because as you asked, you don't really need one, (if you have another PC). The power supply comes with the case, but change it if you want. Sorry for going a bit over, i was trying for about ten minutes, and couldn't get that price without the performance suffering.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DMRC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DMRC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DMRC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card ($86.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 311 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case w/420W Power Supply ($60.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $375.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 20:53 EST-0500)

 

[jolala]

I'd hope to play Medieval 2/Rome Total War, lower settings would be fine, as well as Oblivion (runs fine on Macbook at lowest settings, so any performance better than that would be sufficient) and maybe some TF2, Day of Defeat, and hopefully Supreme Commander 2 (bought it like 2 or 3 years ago without checking system specs so I've never actually played it )

And I don't need the power cord? I assumed the supply didn't come with it, since Newegg had the power cord under suggest items (trying to get extra money out of unsuspecting customers I assume )

Thanks a lot for the help, I removed the power cord and extra fan I had on the list, so I should be fine?

There is a power cord in the photo if you look at all the photos for the power supply, so if it didn't come with it you could just nag them and they'd send you one for free xD

Won't have any problem playing those games. Some will require lower settings but they will play. How strictly are you tied to the $300 budget? I'm pretty sure you could build a system around an AMD A10 APU and still be below $345 ish. That is a quad core processor with an on board video card that is faster than the one you have in your build. Not really necessary, but if you're planning on having the computer for a while, it would be worth it imo.

 

[Mapsx15]

If this is to over budget, yours works well to, just wont run games as well. Not like you would be maxing out the settings on mine though

 

[paulbennett95]

Here is another option to have a look at and compare. I didn't add the optical drive because as you asked, you don't really need one, (if you have another PC). The power supply comes with the case, but change it if you want. Sorry for going a bit over, i was trying for about ten minutes, and couldn't get that price without the performance suffering.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DMRC
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DMRC/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DMRC/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 6770 1GB Video Card ($86.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 311 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case w/420W Power Supply ($60.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $375.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 20:53 EST-0500)

That's a bit out of budget for me, and I would like the optical drive in there. And I'd prefer a micro ATX for size and transportation reasons.

How is your build significantly better than the original? The clock speed on the CPU is lower, and everything else seems the same, except more expensive, and Intel-based (unless Intel is inherently faster than AMD [I'm new to this])

There is a power cord in the photo if you look at all the photos for the power supply, so if it didn't come with it you could just nag them and they'd send you one for free xD

Won't have any problem playing those games. Some will require lower settings but they will play. How strictly are you tied to the $300 budget? I'm pretty sure you could build a system around an AMD A10 APU and still be below $345 ish. That is a quad core processor with an on board video card that is faster than the one you have in your build. Not really necessary, but if you're planning on having the computer for a while, it would be worth it imo.

If I were to use an APU instead of the CPU and GPU being separated, would I be able to add on a graphics card later on if I wanted to increase performance?

And from having a laptop, I have bad memories of integrated graphics, so is it really better than a separate one? I realllly hate dealing with 2003 games running slow on a laptop because of the integrated graphics.

 

[jolala]

That's a bit out of budget for me, and I would like the optical drive in there. And I'd prefer a micro ATX for size and transportation reasons.

How is your build significantly better than the original? The clock speed on the CPU is lower, and everything else seems the same, except more expensive, and Intel-based (unless Intel is inherently faster than AMD [I'm new to this])

Intel is faster than AMD in pretty much every situation, but that really isn't relevant at the kind of budget you're talking about. His build would be a huge difference over yours as the video card is significantly better, as is the processor. But again, when ignoring budget its easy to build something to beat yours.

When I get a break from work I will see what it would end up costing for an A10 build mATX build. The A10 APU has the equivalent of a 6670 built in to it. And if you're looking at doing any amount of multitasking while streaming it would beat out the dual core.

Maps did give you a mATX motherboard, he just chose the wrong case. You could knock 30 bucks off his build by switching the case to one similar to what you had originally. It would be a much better system overall than what you originally chose, for $40 more.

Really all depends on whether or not you will be happy with games like Oblivion being your breaking point. Your original build would still be playing a lot of games on lowest settings. The other build would raise them a bit and give you a bit more future potential, but not much >.>

 

[jolala]

That's a bit out of budget for me, and I would like the optical drive in there. And I'd prefer a micro ATX for size and transportation reasons.

How is your build significantly better than the original? The clock speed on the CPU is lower, and everything else seems the same, except more expensive, and Intel-based (unless Intel is inherently faster than AMD [I'm new to this])



If I were to use an APU instead of the CPU and GPU being separated, would I be able to add on a graphics card later on if I wanted to increase performance?

And from having a laptop, I have bad memories of integrated graphics, so is it really better than a separate one? I realllly hate dealing with 2003 games running slow on a laptop because of the integrated graphics.

Yes you can add a radeon 6670 in crossifre and it will increase performance by quite a lot on games that are compatible with crossfire. You could also just flat out add a better graphics card and disable the APU in the future. It isn't like a laptop. That would allow you to get what you need for now and upgrade later if you decided you needed to do so.

It isn't better than a separate card per se, but for your budget it would be. The built in graphics on the A10 is equivalent to a 6670, which is a pretty big upgrade over a 5450.

 

[paulbennett95]

Intel is faster than AMD in pretty much every situation, but that really isn't relevant at the kind of budget you're talking about. His build would be a huge difference over yours as the video card is significantly better, as is the processor. But again, when ignoring budget its easy to build something to beat yours.

When I get a break from work I will see what it would end up costing for an A10 build mATX build. The A10 APU has the equivalent of a 6670 built in to it. And if you're looking at doing any amount of multitasking while streaming it would beat out the dual core.

Maps did give you a mATX motherboard, he just chose the wrong case. You could knock 30 bucks off his build by switching the case to one similar to what you had originally. It would be a much better system overall than what you originally chose, for $40 more.

Really all depends on whether or not you will be happy with games like Oblivion being your breaking point. Your original build would still be playing a lot of games on lowest settings. The other build would raise them a bit and give you a bit more future potential, but not much >.>

I may be following your advice since $40 extra for a significant performance bump isn't that bad, but first...

Which one of these APUs is better:
AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6530D AD3650WNGXBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943
or
AMD A6-5400K Trinity 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7540D AD540KOKHJBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113282

Which would be better performance wise of those two, and would that beat out my original CPU and GPU, and how does it compare to the Intel build made by maps?

 

[jolala]

I agree with you, the AMD is better, i was focusing mostly on the GPU, over the CPU.

Yea no doubt xD. My thinking was if he could get the APU then he could add a real GPU in the future since a 6670 costs almost nothing, and then it comes out to be about the same as a 7770 when crossfire is running.

 

[Mapsx15]

I'll have a quick review and see if i cant get it under.

 

[Mapsx15]

How is this, or at exactly 300?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNhL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNhL/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNhL/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($51.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Apevia X-QBOII Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case w/500W Power Supply ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $336.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 21:31 EST-0500)

 

[paulbennett95]

How is this, or at exactly 300?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNhL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNhL/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNhL/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.76 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($51.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Apevia X-QBOII Black MicroATX Mini Tower Case w/500W Power Supply ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($18.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $336.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 21:31 EST-0500)

If that's the price with tax, then it looks good, I might use it (after some tweaking), but I'm still wondering about the APUs I posted.

Thanks a lot for the advice and help, it's great.

 

[Mapsx15]

No problem buddy
And yeah same price tax.

 

[jolala]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNi2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNi2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNi2/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A55M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Toshiba 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Logisys 480W ATX12V Power Supply ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $319.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 21:33 EST-0500)


I'd still stick with the A10 if it were me. Graphics wise, it is basically equal to the 6670, but gives you the option of adding one later on, and get a nice boost in performance. Otherwise, you could just add a better video card and completely out do that Intel build. The power supply is more than sufficient to handle anything you will ever do with this setup, even if you added a monster video card lol. And you've also got double the ram. 8GB instead of 4. And a Quad Core processor.

Oh and in case you're wondering why I chose 2133 RAM instead of 1600... With the APU processors, the faster the ram the better. 2133 is the sweet spot for them. It allows the on board video card to perform better.

This gets quite a bit more expensive if you order it all from Newegg though. If there is a specific reason you would want to do so...


EDIT: Also, if you went with the build I linked, you may want to consider an after market heat sink. The APUs can get pretty hot if you decide to do any higher end games (the A10 will play Skyrim).

 

[paulbennett95]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNi2
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNi2/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DNi2/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A55M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($49.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Toshiba 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($21.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Logisys 480W ATX12V Power Supply ($14.98 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $319.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 21:33 EST-0500)


I'd still stick with the A10 if it were me. Graphics wise, it is basically equal to the 6670, but gives you the option of adding one later on, and get a nice boost in performance. Otherwise, you could just add a better video card and completely out do that Intel build. The power supply is more than sufficient to handle anything you will ever do with this setup, even if you added a monster video card lol. And you've also got double the ram. 8GB instead of 4. And a Quad Core processor.

Oh and in case you're wondering why I chose 2133 RAM instead of 1600... With the APU processors, the faster the ram the better. 2133 is the sweet spot for them. It allows the on board video card to perform better.

This gets quite a bit more expensive if you order it all from Newegg though. If there is a specific reason you would want to do so...

The CPU you posted is in-store pickup only, so I figured I'd replace it with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113282, which is cheaper too.

I'm not trying to run new games, and my movies are all standard definition (my laptop handles streaming them fine) so I don't need a super processor.

And let's say I do want to play more graphics intensive games, I can simply add a dedicated graphics card, correct?

 

[Mapsx15]

That looks like a great build, but i would be careful with the power supply, its pretty dodgy. Not to sure about the on-board graphics being better, but two great options either way.

 

[Mapsx15]

and yeah thats correct

 

[jolala]

That looks like a great build, but i would be careful with the power supply, its pretty dodgy. Not to shore about the on-board graphics being better, but two great options either way.

The people who review the A10 and say it can't play certain games are using 1333 or 1600 RAM. The ones who review saying they can play games like Skyrim and BF3 are using 2133+ RAM. It is essentially the same card, which is why you can crossfire it with a 6670. They have the same clock / frequency.

The power supply is meh but honestly the ones Apevia use in their Qpack series are too xD

Either way OP, both builds will be a large improvement over what you had originally lol. Good luck

 

[jolala]

The CPU you posted is in-store pickup only, so I figured I'd replace it with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113282, which is cheaper too.

I'm not trying to run new games, and my movies are all standard definition (my laptop handles streaming them fine) so I don't need a super processor.

And let's say I do want to play more graphics intensive games, I can simply add a dedicated graphics card, correct?

The A6 doesn't have the same GPU as the A10, so it wouldn't be the same performance and you couldn't cross it with a 6670, it would be a lower end card.

The processor is only $8.00 more on Amazon, I didn't mean to link Microcenter. I would really recommend staying with the A10, its a pretty big improvement over the A6 when you have high end RAM.

The A10 has four cores, the A6 only has 2. That will make a big difference in some newer games (skyrim among them). Since you mentioned Oblivion, I figured you would play Skyrim too if you had the capability.

And yes, you could add an entirely different video card later using my build. For most people, adding a 6670 in crossfire is plenty. If you really wanted to go high end and get something better you could though.

 

[Mapsx15]

I see,
yeah the power supply's are definitely going to be the first thing to change in either of the builds xD,
and yeah good luck with it.

 

[paulbennett95]

The A6 doesn't have the same GPU as the A10, so it wouldn't be the same performance and you couldn't cross it with a 6670, it would be a lower end card.

The processor is only $8.00 more on Amazon, I didn't mean to link Microcenter. I would really recommend staying with the A10, its a pretty big improvement over the A6 when you have high end RAM.

And yes, you could add an entirely different video card later using my build. For most people, adding a 6670 in crossfire is plenty. If you really wanted to go high end and get something better you could though.

I am using your set-up but instead I am using this APU: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095VPAVE/?tag=pcpapi-20

Do you believe that will be sufficient? If so, I believe this will be my build.

Also, there seems to be concern over the power supply, is that anything I should be worried about?

I don't mind spending a few extra bucks so the power supply doesn't detonate while I'm using it or anything of that sort

 

[Mapsx15]

Yeah they're not best, if you can spend a little bit more on one, do it.
Get the same watts, you don't need upgrade that just the brand.

 

[jolala]

I am using your set-up but instead I am using this APU: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095VPAVE/?tag=pcpapi-20

Do you believe that will be sufficient? If so, I believe this will be my build.

Also, there seems to be concern over the power supply, is that anything I should be worried about?

I don't mind spending a few extra bucks so the power supply doesn't detonate while I'm using it or anything of that sort

The A10 is 20 dollars more. Get it lol. The difference will be noticeable when using the high end RAM.

And as far as the power supply, when you're talking about $15-40 range...they aren't exactly trustworthy. It isn't going to explode or anything, but the failure rates are a lot higher.

There is a combo deal on Newegg right now. It has the A10 + motherboard + dvd drive. That may be something to check out too.