£500 on CPU/RAM/GPU/MBOARD/PSU

[McBainUK]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: before xmas
BUDGET RANGE: <£500
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming (CS:S, COD4, MW2, FIFA, BF2 and the next BF game if any good), internet, music, .NET development.
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Already got: 19" Samsung, MS keyboard, gaming mouse, SATA HDD, CoolerMaster Cavalier3 case, Creative Labs 5.1 speakers and Win 7 Pro 64bit.
PARTS REQUIRED: CPU, motherboard, RAM, PSU and graphics card
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: novatech.co.uk (scan.co.uk, ebuyer.com, amazon if needed)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
PARTS PREFERENCES: favour AMD otherwise no preference
OVERCLOCKING: Consider if easy, stable and worth it
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Unlikely due to budget and unclear on the benefits at my res.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I tend to hang on to hardware for 2-4 years so longevity is more important than upgrade paths as a full system swap is more often required after that long.

PARTS CONSIDERING (based on the top AMD budget build from the ,very useful, Recommended Builds by Usage thread) :
AMD Quad Core Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 - Retail (£134)
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?AMD-P2955
ASUS M4A77TD Pro AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail (£75)
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?ASU-M4A77T
HIS ATI Radeon 5770 1024MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Graphics Card (£132)
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?HIS-5770
G.Skill Ripjaw 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C7 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (£102)
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?GSK-4G16C7
Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 SLI Compliant Power Supply (£75)
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?CSR-650TX
Total: £511

Any stupid mistakes or suggestions for alternatives with better system balance or "bang for buck"?

Thanks in advance.

 

[nofun]

3 Suggestions:
- That processor is not compatible with that motherboard. You want a Phenom II x4 which fits an AM3 Socket. The 945 or 955 are good choices. Stick with the AM3 socket, it will be more upgradeable in the future.
- 650W is overkill if you will not crossfire. 450W would be plenty for that graphics card and a Phenom II x4 945 or 955.
- Anything beyond DDR3 1333 is superfluous with an AMD build. See if you can find ram at that speed with tight timings (7-7-7-??) for less money.

That ram is awfully expensive too... that same G.Skill kit runs about 125 USD (about 75 pounds)

 

[McBainUK]

I spotted the AM2/AM3 mistake after posting (see edit).

Will read up on the PSU and RAM choices. Is motherboard a sensible choice?

 

[nofun]

I spotted the AM2/AM3 mistake after posting (see edit).

Will read up on the PSU and RAM choices. Is motherboard a sensible choice?

Yes, mobo looks fine for what you need.

Here is a decent PSU calculator: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Always add a little extra wattage just to be sure, and also to allow for upgrades in the future. PSUs generally run the more efficiently when using roughly 50-75% of their maximum load, though it varies with each particular model. Still, it is advantageous to buy a PSU with a little more juice than you absolutely need, so as to hit this sweet-spot.

For example, the efficiency curve for that Corsair model you selected:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article813-page1.html
These aren't huge differences, just something to keep in mind.


Edit - fixed that link

 

[McBainUK]

Anything beyond DDR3 1333 is superfluous with an AMD build. See if you can find ram at that speed with tight timings (7-7-7-??) for less money.)

I've not found any DDR3 1333 with timings close to 7-7-7-24, all DDR3 1333 RAM kits available seem to be value RAM with terrible timings.

That ram is awfully expensive too... that same G.Skill kit runs about 125 USD (about 75 pounds)

Found them for £80, a saving of £30

 

[McBainUK]

PARTS CONSIDERING:
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2 GHz Socket AM3 8MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor (£125)
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164047
ASUS M4A77TD PRO 770 Socket AM3 8 channel audio ATX Motherboard (£68)
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/171664
G-Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 Ripjaw Memory Kit CL7(7-7-7-24) 1.65V - (£80)
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490
Corsair 550W VX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty (£62)
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/132563
XFX HD 5770 1GB DDR5 DUAL DVI DISPLAYPORT HDMI PCI-E Graphics Card (£119)
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175978

Total: £467

How does it look now?

 

[McBainUK]

Bump.

Would really appreciate it if someone could check the list above, ordering in the next 12 hours.

 

[nofun]

Everything on that list looks fine.

 

[McBainUK]

Thanks for the vote of confidence nofun. Got a little nervous after the AM2/AM3 mistake...