Feedback on new Build $800-$1000

[Adrenalin33]

This will be my 3rd build ever and my last rig was done in 2006 so just trying to catch up my reading on all the new stuff out there. My computer will be used for day to day multitasking (Outlook, internet, winamp, burning), watching movies and gaming. OS will be Win7 64bit. I'm fine with being a little overkill for the stuff I use it for as I want it to be legit for a few years. I've never OCd before but might give it a whirl as supposedly its quite easy with the Mobo I'm looking at. I will be ordering most everything from Newegg and I live in SF.

I'm pretty set on these first few items but please share your two cents if anything is amiss.

CPU + MOBO Combo $315
AMD x6 1055T Thuban + ASUS M489GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 890GX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.500630

Case $60
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042

Q: I've read some people mention that a large vid card could be a very tight fit in this case but I'm only planning on having at most 2 HDs and a Bluray drive. Should be ok right?

Memory: $90
GSkill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2x2gb) 240-pin DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

Q: Would it make any sense to go 8gb ram or is that unnecessary given my other parts?

Looking for advice for the following

GPU - $180-$220 budget (prefer ATI)
Just bought a 27.5" Hanns G monitor which is 1900x1200 res.

PSU - What kind of wattage do I need to rock?

Hardrive - I currently have a WD Caviar Black 1 TB 7200RPM SATA II 3.0Gb/s which I was going to use for all my music/photos/etc. From reading around I'm playing around with the idea of buying a ~60gb SSD SATA III to run Win 7 and apps. Is this worth an extra $150-$200 bucks? Would also having the WD Caviar slow everything down since it is SATA II (sorry if that is a newb question)

Thanks and I look forward to your feedback!

-PC

 

[mfenn]

What you have now looks fine, though I would probably combo the 1055T with an Agility 2 for $330 AR. The SSD is "only" SATA 3Gb/s, but is just as fast as the only SATA 6Gb/s drive (C300). With SATA, each link is independent, so it isn't a problem to run different speed drives in the same system. (In fact, most optical drives are only SATA 1.5Gb/s.)

I would then pick up an 870 board like the GA-870A-UD3 ($90 Apromo) since you will have a discrete GPU anyway.

For the memory, DDR3 1600 isn't really necessary, so I would save $12 and get some DDR3 1333. 4GB is fine though.

For the GPU, the GTX 460 1GB is the most popular choice in your price range, but there are some 5850's that are getting close.

A 650W PSU like the good old 650TX ($71 AR Apromo) will be fine. You could go down to a ~550W if you find (or somebody posts!) a good deal though.

 

[mtnd3vil]

HD5830 would also be an acceptable video card if you have an ATI preference.
SSD is always worth it. I saw a good deal on the OCZ Agility 60GB on newegg with a coupon code sent out in the 72hour sale flyer today.

 

[Adrenalin33]

thanks for the info. I think I will definitely go the SSD route with one of those along with my 1TB HDD.

So as far as the ASUS board I had, is having the onboard GPU a complete waste since i will buy a separate GPU, or does the onboard still add value and is just a bit overkill?

 

[Davidh373]

HD5830 would also be an acceptable video card if you have an ATI preference.
SSD is always worth it. I saw a good deal on the OCZ Agility 60GB on newegg with a coupon code sent out in the 72hour sale flyer today.

The 5830 is an energy hogging card with near equal performance to a 5770. For the low end go 5770 or on nVidia's side a 460. Higher end look to ATI 5850, or NVidia 470.

 

[mfenn]

thanks for the info. I think I will definitely go the SSD route with one of those along with my 1TB HDD.

So as far as the ASUS board I had, is having the onboard GPU a complete waste since i will buy a separate GPU, or does the onboard still add value and is just a bit overkill?

It's a waste in the sense that it doesn't add anything to your config except for cost.

 

[ScorcherDarkly]

For the graphics card, wait three weeks for AMD to release the new 6000 series. More options to choose from, lower prices on what is available now.

 

[Adrenalin33]

Alright so here is my final draft. I've done a good amount of research but just checking to see if anything I have here is effed up or stupid to have. With combo's I am just a little over $1000 but I'm happy with it. I'm not sure if I am going to do much OC right away but want the option to do so in the future.

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz Socket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.516547

ASUS M4A87TD EVO AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131647

XFX HD-585X-ZAFC Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.516547

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
(for OS/Apps/Starcraft)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.526043

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
+
Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.514512

 

[Sp12]

I would not be getting the 1090T over the 1055t.

Ram is not ideal: either this kit and save 2$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231319

Could easily drop to a 1333 kit if you're not overclocking.

 

[Adrenalin33]

whats the difference between the two RAMs? would the ripjaws not be compatible? All the details look the same, but maybe I'm missing something. I'm pretty indifferent to saving $2.

Ya I keep going back and forth between the 1055 & 1090.

 

[mfenn]

whats the difference between the two RAMs? would the ripjaws not be compatible? All the details look the same, but maybe I'm missing something. I'm pretty indifferent to saving $2.

Ya I keep going back and forth between the 1055 & 1090.

The only differences between the modules are the Ripjaws heatspreaders. Personally, I would get the non-Ripjaws version because the tall heatspreaders provide only a minimal benefit and can create clearance issues if you ever decide to use a big HSF.

As for the CPU, get the 1055T and either save the $40 or use it to get a GTX 470.

 

[Davidh373]

As for the CPU, get the 1055T and either save the $40 or use it to get a GTX 470.

Thumbs up to this!

 

[Adrenalin33]

first off i really appreciate all the info, especially from mFenn. Much obliged.

So after getting some good feedback I think I'm going to step down to the 1055T and use some of that money to get a ASUS Crosshair IV Formula board. Given how well everyone says the 1055 chip will OC, i think going with a really high quality board makes sense to OC and future proof my rig (maybe add another 5850 for crossfire down the road, upgrade RAM, etc).

that make sense?

 

[Adrenalin33]

or maybe Crosshair is a bit overboard. how about this guy?

ASUS M4A89TD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131655

 

[Davidh373]

Are you planning on Crossfire? If not, get an 870. The difference between 870 and 880/885 is Onboard Graphics, the difference between 880/885 and 890 is Crossfire/ SLI support. You could save quite a bit there too.

 

[mfenn]

Blowing a ton of money on a fancy mobo is definitely NOT the right way to proceed. Spending $175 on a mobo for a $200 CPU is just crazy talk. That money would be far better spend on an HSF like a Hyper 212+ if you want to OC. The M4A87TD EVO will take your processor to a reasonable OC. I could potentially see going for the M4A88TD-V EVO since it has a heatsink on power-delivery components.