$600-$700 Build, Need Help with Mobo/Processor

[bunit]

Hey all
Planning on building this relatively soon. I have a few things in mind but am open to all and any suggestions. I'm okay with going either AMD or Intel for the CPU, I know that bang for the buck at my budget might lean towards AMD but I do have Microcenters near me so I'd be able to get Intel processors for relatively cheap. Everybody use, gaming but nothing ridiculous heavy, 1920x1080 monitor...

CPU: ?

Motherboard: ?

Memory: 4gb of something reliable. Do I need to spring for G Skill or is a lower price memory okay? I don't mind if the price different isn't much.

GPU: GTX 460 1GB (any recommendations on which?)

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM

PSU: How many watts do I really need to run a GTX460 + quad core CPU comfortably? Open to suggestions, but would prefer to stick to PSU brands with a good rep.

Case: Anything decent under $70; if not I'll just buy my friends older NZXT Apollo for $20. He says the cable management sucks though, but thats alright I guess. It also looks a bit too...flashy/garish for me, but that's my personal taste.

Cheaper/Decent Speakers/Keyboard/Mouse is recommended. I might buy a Razer Mamba but with this limited budget that might just be saved for later down the road.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next 2 weeks

Budget Range: 600-700 dollars

System Usage: everyday use, moderate gaming

Parts Not Required: monitor (although monitor suggestions are recommended, i'm not counting the dollar cost in the budget), need everything else

Country of Origin: USA

Overclocking: light/none

SLI or Crossfire: Never

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080



Any help is appreciated!

 

[Davidh373]

Case + PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-065-_-Product

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-882-_-Product

MOBO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-275-_-Product

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-253-_-Product

G-Card (5770, not 460)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-873-_-Product

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-185-_-Product

CD/DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106276


Total is $603.88

Keep in mind that getting the 460 will push you to your max budget (if not a few dollars over), but I'd recommend ASUS's. They have a really good cooling system for the same price as the one's who don't

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-391-_-Product

 

[zi0n.]

i5 760 - $170
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $75 However I'd wait... I got 2 of these on sat for 58.99.
Gigabyte P55-USB3 - $120
Corsair 650TX - $51AR This is a steal right here. Bought mine for 90 like 2 months ago.
cheap gskill? - $90
Antec 300 - $60 - personal preference
Dvd - $20

You're here at $586 with rebates w/o shipping. Can you define moderate gaming? you might not even need a GTX460.

 

[muskie32]

What about your Operating System? Do you already have a license? If not that will add onto the build...

 

[Davidh373]

cheap gskill? - $90

The GSkill I recommended is the same ram w/o the heatspreaders (which don't matter much IMO) for $15 less.

Corsair 650TX - $51AR This is a steal right here. Bought mine for 90 like 2 months ago.

That PSU is a bit overkill for the build, but that is a great price!

i5 760 - $170
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $75 However I'd wait... I got 2 of these on sat for 58.99.
Gigabyte P55-USB3 - $120
Corsair 650TX - $51AR This is a steal right here. Bought mine for 90 like 2 months ago.
cheap gskill? - $90
Antec 300 - $60 - personal preference
Dvd - $20

You're here at $586 with rebates w/o shipping. Can you define moderate gaming? you might not even need a GTX460.

This is w/o Graphics card. Even a 5770 (needed for even mild gaming @ 1080p) puts the build over budget. However, if you have a microcenter, they may have a deal and this build would definitely be better than mine.

 

[muskie32]

CPU/Mobo Combo @ $173.99

RAM @ $75.00

PSU (430w) @ $60.00

Antec 300 $65.00

Dvd/cd drive/Burner $25.00

G-card $140.00

HDD $75.00

Windows 7
$100 (if you dont have it?)

This comes to $649.00 (not including shipping)


But dont dive right into my advice due to i am quite new to all this as well

 

[Davidh373]

CPU/Mobo Combo @ $173.99

He won't want this combo, this is the older Athlon II series, Older stepping, more inefficient. The motherboard is good though.

PSU (430w) @ $60.00

Antec 300 $65.00

You can get these two items for $90 when you buy the 300 that comes with the 430W PSU.

The rest is good, except I'd go for the $21 lite on DVD drive.

 

[muskie32]

hehe, Yeah, Like i siad dont dive into my advice.

 

[Davidh373]

I wasn't trying to insult you, but ya know, it's all how we started out. All you need is a lil' practice!

 

[muskie32]

I know you where not I was hoping you would critique it

 

[mfenn]

Case + PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-065-_-Product

CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-882-_-Product

MOBO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-275-_-Product

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-253-_-Product

G-Card (5770, not 460)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-873-_-Product

HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-185-_-Product

CD/DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106276


Total is $603.88

Keep in mind that getting the 460 will push you to your max budget (if not a few dollars over), but I'd recommend ASUS's. They have a really good cooling system for the same price as the one's who don't

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-391-_-Product

I would take David's build, but would grab the Athlon II X4 640 + MSI 785GM-P45 bundle for $100 AR from MC. That frees up $80 to spend on the GPU, which will allow you to get this MSI GTX 460 1GB for $200 AR and stay under budget.

 

[Davidh373]

I would take David's build, but would grab the Athlon II X4 640 + MSI 785GM-P45 bundle for $100 AR from MC. That frees up $80 to spend on the GPU, which will allow you to get this MSI GTX 460 1GB for $200 AR and stay under budget.

That's if the OP has a windows license. If not he'll probably have to stick with the 5770 .

 

[bunit]

Wow, thanks for all the replies! I do have a windows license actually, so that doesn't need to be added to the budget. I'm considering just using my friends case, he also has a spare 450w Seasonic "SuperSilent" PSU...but it's pretty old since it was salvaged from a mutual friend's old computer and not all cable-management friendly and all that stuff.
I do want a GTX 460 although my reasons might not necessarily be rational...I just kind of want one. I'll be playing SC2, CoDMW2, NBA 2K11 when it comes out, and a handful of other games. Just the ability to play some games down the road, even if its at lowered settings, is worth the added amount of money to me. I was considering holding out until next year to build a computer just because Sandy Bridge/the ATI 6000 series is so close but I think I"ll just build now, because I honestly do need a computer right now. At best I'll hold out until October to see what ATI has in store.

Thanks for the help! Oh and I do have a Microcenter and a Fry's Electronics located conveniently close to me, so trips there are no problem at all - if that changes any potential builds. The budgets aren't super strict - I"m sure I could stretch it to $750 or even $800 if it made a substantial positive difference, but otherwise cheaper is better

 

[mfenn]

A nearby MC means that you can get the 640 with a free (after rebate) mobo.

 

[bunit]

Sounds good. Does anybody know when MicroCenter might end their free AMD Proc + Mobo deals? I'm thinking of getting a Phenom II 965 instead of that Athlon II for the added cache, cause it only ends up being $50 more...would that be a bad idea/not worth it? I've read that the Athlon II is already facing issues in current games...
Either way its still half the price ($150 or 160 dpeending on mobo) then getting an i5 760. I'll be waiting to weeks until the ATI 6000 series is reviewed, then proceeding from there. Should I be worried about the Microcenter AMD processor deals disappearing by the time I actually get my hands on an ATI 6000 card or would something better/cheaper possibly be out by then? Because those are some quality money savings that I really need to stay under a reasonable budget. The rest of the build looks golden though

 

[mfenn]

MC normally has some sort of AMD CPU + mobo promotion going on. How good the deal is will vary from week to week, but it's usually not bad.

The Phenom II's are a nice upgrade from the Athlon II's, especially in games. It just really depends on how far you want to stretch your budget.