Help with AMD $400 PC build

[Amra123]

Hello all ,

I will be building a $400 PC for my brother and want your opinions on my build .
BTW these are the following parameters for the build :
- must be $400 and under (not including shipping) -
- will be using Ubuntu 9.04 -
- only parts that will be recycled of the old pc are the Acer LCD monitor and external hard drives -
- All parts will be bought at New Egg -
- He will be using this PC for light gaming , work/office , and viewing HD video -
- future upgrade ability -
- light over clocking with stock cooler -
- no need for a big Hard Drive -
- AMD CPU preferred -
- Integrated video and sound ( for now )-
- 2 to 4 GB of Ram -


Here are the parts I want to order for this build :


Western Digital Caviar Blue 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (35.99)

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (36.99)

Amd P2 X3 720 BE 2.8 Ghz CPU + Asus M4A78T-E 790 GX AM3 Motherboard (179.99 after $15 rebate )

Antec 300 Case + Antec Earthwatts EA500 500w PSU (104.94)

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X OEM (25.99)

This cost of this build is $383.90 after rebates . This was the best I could do .
Please suggest any builds which may be better . BTW This is my first PC build in over 9 years so I may need further assistance while completing the build . I am looking forward to being apart of this forum . Thank You !

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

AMD P2 940 w/ BIOSTAR TA790GXB A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail 210-20 rebate
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W Active Power Supply Retail 90-30 rebate
CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-8500C5C 4GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) Dual Channel Memory Retail54-15 rebate
Hitachi 1TB70
Samsung SH-S223F/BEBE SpeedPlus 22X SATA DVD+/-RW Internal Drive (Black), Bulk 18.87
Rosewill R222-P-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 20


Total AR-$397.87

 

[Amra123]

Thanks for the reply WaitingForNehalem ,

A question about your build :

1) I read in the Biostar 790GX motherboard manual ( pg 6/67) that the bios must be updated when installing any Am2+ CPU and if the PC fails to boot with the am2+ cpu then you must install an Am2 CPU first to install the bios update . Are there any reports of the 940 not booting with this motherboard out of the box because of the bios ?

2) Isn't am3 the way to go for future upgrade ability ?

3) is the Antec psu I picked good enough ?

4) It seems the Biostar 790 gx motherboard you picked is a single plane board . Will there be any long term reliability issues running a 125w CPU , such as the P2 x4 940 , on it .
It was disscussed in the Hardware zone forum :
Biostar AM2+ boards are not really AM2+


BTW I would like to order all my parts from one place (i.e New Egg) .
Thanks !

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: Amra123
Thanks for the reply WaitingForNehalem ,

A question about your build :

1) I read in the Biostar 790GX motherboard manual ( pg 6/67) that the bios must be updated when installing any Am2+ CPU and if the PC fails to boot with the am2+ cpu then you must install an Am2 CPU first to install the bios update . Are there any reports of the 940 not booting with this motherboard out of the box because of the bios ?

2) Isn't am3 the way to go for future upgrade ability ?

3) is the Antec psu I picked good enough ?

4) It seems the Biostar 790 gx motherboard you picked is a single plane board . Will there be any long term reliability issues running a 125w CPU , such as the P2 x4 940 , on it .
It was disscussed in the Hardware zone forum :
Biostar AM2+ boards are not really AM2+


BTW I would like to order all my parts from one place (i.e New Egg) .
Thanks !

1)AM3 is backwards compatible and with AM2+. The only difference is the AM3 cpu will run with DDR2. Plus the CPU will destroy the one you linked to.
2)AM2+ is compatible so it doesn't really matter plus you can upgrade later when the new chipsets come out.
3)The one I picked is much better and that combo is way overpriced.
4)On Biostar's list they show the 940 is compatible so I wouldn't worry about it. Plus the motherboard is free so it is not like you paid for it. However, there is another deal but it uses the 780g instead of the 790gx. It supports the P2 955 and has all solid state capacitors along with optical out. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...ards-_-LC0A-_-13135235 (Scroll down to combos and use the $20 rebate with the motherboard)

 

[deputc26]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.205339 $210 - $20 MIR Phenom 940 and Biostar 790gx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811147031 $40 (with code RW25CLR) ATX case with 450w psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145184 $45 4gb ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151171 $26 optical drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136319 $75 640Gb Caviar Black.

TOTAL...............................................................................................................$396 - $20 MIR = $376

I just used the uATX version of the case/psu and proc/mobo to build a system, works great with a 9600GSO video card.

I wouldn't worry about the single power plane thing, the 940 I've got on that board is fine and uses CnQ perfectly.

Edit: please don't hamstring the system by buying such a terrible hdd when for only a few dollars more you can do MUCH better. The mobo is excellent for overclocking and/or undervolting. The system I mentioned above only reaches 49deg C under full load in a 80deg F room after undervolting to 1.25v and that's with a 9600gso in the case. You can also OC to 3.3 Ghz at that voltage.

edit again: Oh sorry didn't see you wanted to buy all from one place, I have revised it

 

[Eeqmcsq]

Western Digital Caviar Blue 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Your link points to a deactivated item. Time to choose again!

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: deputc26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.205339 $210 - $20 MIR Phenom 940 and Biostar 790gx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...tem=N82E16811147132 $40 (with code RW25CLR) Micro ATX case with 400w psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145184 $45 4gb ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827151171 $26 optical drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...tem=N82E16822136319 $75 640Gb Caviar Black.

TOTAL...............................................................................................................$396 - $20 MIR = $376

I just used the same case/psu and proc/mobo to build a system works great with a 9600GSO video card. uATX is really the way to go for this sort of system and the case looks great!

I wouldn't worry about the single power plane thing, the 940 I've got on that board is fine and uses CnQ perfectly.

Edit: please don't hamstring the system by buying such a terrible hdd when for only a few dollars more you can do MUCH better. The mobo is excellent for overclocking and/or undervolting. The system I mentioned above only reaches 49deg C under full load in a 80deg F room after undervolting to 1.25v and that's with a 9600gso in the case. You can also OC to 3.3 Ghz at that voltage.

edit again: Oh sorry didn't see you wanted to buy all from one place, I have revised it

case/psu link is broken or dead

 

[deputc26]

Ya sorry I messed it up while editing from uATX to ATX (missed "upgradability" in initial reqs), the link should be back up.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: deputc26
Ya sorry I messed it up while editing from uATX to ATX (missed "upgradability" in initial reqs), the link should be back up.

still doesn't work

 

[deputc26]

AAAAH!-pologies, there it is; double checked, sorry for the fumbling nature of my contributions.

 

[Amra123]

Thanks for all the help guys . It seems newegg no longer offers the biostar + 940 combo and asus m4 + x3 720 combo went up $30 bucks !!!! I guess I 'll have to go with the 940 + ECS combo for $180 ( After rebate) . What is the consensus in terms of the quality of ECS motherboards ? Also I chose a 600 w OCZ pSU could I get a 400W OCZ and be okay ? It would save me another $20 .

Well anyways here is my new build with input of you kind people .

AMD Phenom 2 x4 940 Deneb 3.0 GHZ BE + ECS A780GM-A Ultra Am2+ Motherboard Combo $180.00 (after20 rebate )


Lite-on SATA dvd burner
$26

Rosewill R226-P-BK 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$30 ( free shipping )

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W PSU
$60 (after 10 rebate )

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
$46

HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
$45 (after 10 rebate )

$387 total and $367 if I go with a 400w PSU . What do you guys think ?

 

[Amra123]

I see the Biostar + P2 X4 940 combo is back on at New Egg so I will go with that one instead of the ECS combo . I just need to know what PSU would be better for this rig which will eventually include 1 top of the line ati or NVidia PCI-e card . I got 295W with a Nvidia 9800 and an Over clocked CPU of 3.4 GHZ on the Antec PSU calculator . I guess I could get a OCZ Stealth 400w or a corsair 400w and save some dough . I will never run Crossfire or SLI . Any opinions ?

BTW how is stock over clocking with the x4 940 ? Can I get it to 3.3, 3.4 or will I need an after market cooler ? If I do , please suggest a few budget ones .
Thanks Again !

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

I don't trust Biostar or ECS. The motherboard is a pretty important component, and I think I wouldn't go for anything less than an Asus or Foxconn in that department. Consider this setup:

$85 - Antec mid-tower case/PSU combo
$58 - 500GB Caviar Green
$54 - Foxconn mATX board
$45 - 4GB OCZ memory ($10 MIR)
$25 - Samsung DVD burner
TOTAL: $267 ($257AR)

Plus whatever CPU you want.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

I would not feel comfortable with 400w on a quad core system with a top of the line gpu. Get this case/psu combo instead since it comes with an Antec 500W EarthWatts with 2xPCI-E.

 

[brblx]

that's a great deal. i noticed they marked the 300/EA500 combo up to 120 bucks. i might feel a little iffy with the 380w (though it would probably still work fine) but the 500w will be more than enough for sure.

edit: wait is he even putting in a discrete card? the 380 would definately be plenty, but you're getting the 500w for like 20-30 bucks with that case deal, since that's about on par with the $60 300.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: brblx
that's a great deal. i noticed they marked the 300/EA500 combo up to 120 bucks. i might feel a little iffy with the 380w (though it would probably still work fine) but the 500w will be more than enough for sure.

edit: wait is he even putting in a discrete card? the 380 would definately be plenty, but you're getting the 500w for like 20-30 bucks with that case deal, since that's about on par with the $60 300.

Yes, he said he'd put a top of the line card so I recommend getting the 500W.

Looking at it, it only gives 17A each on 2 rails. That doesn't seem like very much. I'm not sure about it.

This looks like a better deal with 4 rails at 20A. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.205235 And don't be so quick to judge because it's a Rosewill. It's rated at 80plus effiency.

 

[Amra123]

@hurtstotalktoyou :
So I guess Biostar motherboards aren't trusted . I haven't read any complaints on this particular Biostar motherboard . Need some feedback on the BioStar 790GX if somebody owns it or can tell me about its reliability . It seemed like such a no brainer deal .

I really like the OCZ memory you picked out . I will go with that !

@WaitingForNehalem

The PSU/Case combo you picked looks very nice , but Rosewill gets such a bad rep from people . I don't know if I should pick it over corsair , ocz , antec , etc .



I am really stuck on this build . So far I know that the AMD P2 x940 is the CPU I want in this build , but the motherboard selection is giving me headaches . I really thought it was going to be simple !

BTW my brother intends to purchase from Newegg via money order do they hold items for a couple of days until payment arrives ? It would be a sad state of affairs if I were to order all the parts and receive only the hard drive and memory !
Again ! Thanks everybody for your help !

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: Amra123
@hurtstotalktoyou :
So I guess Biostar motherboards aren't trusted . I haven't read any complaints on this particular Biostar motherboard . Need some feedback on the BioStar 790GX if somebody owns it or can tell me about its reliability . It seemed like such a no brainer deal .

I really like the OCZ memory you picked out . I will go with that !

@WaitingForNehalem

The PSU/Case combo you picked looks very nice , but Rosewill gets such a bad rep from people . I don't know if I should pick it over corsair , ocz , antec , etc .



I am really stuck on this build . So far I know that the AMD P2 x940 is the CPU I want in this build , but the motherboard selection is giving me headaches . I really thought it was going to be simple !

BTW my brother intends to purchase from Newegg via money order do they hold items for a couple of days until payment arrives ? It would be a sad state of affairs if I were to order all the parts and receive only the hard drive and memory !
Again ! Thanks everybody for your help !

The motherboard is fine. There are many other good brands than ASUS and especially GIGABYTE. Biostar and the ECS will both be just fine. The PSU is up to you.
Antec deal is dead.

 

[Eureka]

Originally posted by: Amra123
@hurtstotalktoyou :
So I guess Biostar motherboards aren't trusted . I haven't read any complaints on this particular Biostar motherboard . Need some feedback on the BioStar 790GX if somebody owns it or can tell me about its reliability . It seemed like such a no brainer deal .

I really like the OCZ memory you picked out . I will go with that !

@WaitingForNehalem

The PSU/Case combo you picked looks very nice , but Rosewill gets such a bad rep from people . I don't know if I should pick it over corsair , ocz , antec , etc .



I am really stuck on this build . So far I know that the AMD P2 x940 is the CPU I want in this build , but the motherboard selection is giving me headaches . I really thought it was going to be simple !

BTW my brother intends to purchase from Newegg via money order do they hold items for a couple of days until payment arrives ? It would be a sad state of affairs if I were to order all the parts and receive only the hard drive and memory !
Again ! Thanks everybody for your help !

Biostar and ECS are trustable brands. Gigabyte is also another big brand as well. I have no clue what the other poster was talking about.

Newegg holds shipment until payment is cleared.

And the EA500 is a plenty good power supply. I run my 4890 on a EA500 with no hiccups.

Hitachi 1TB drives are probably the best deal for drives, good gb/$, and acceptable performance (and good read/write times). WD Blacks have slightly better performance but much more expensive.

Rosewill isn't the best brand, but we're talking about the case... doesn't have to be super-good to do its job. I'd spend a little more and find an Antec 300 or Cooler Master 590 thats cheap, though.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: Eureka

Originally posted by: Amra123
@hurtstotalktoyou :
So I guess Biostar motherboards aren't trusted . I haven't read any complaints on this particular Biostar motherboard . Need some feedback on the BioStar 790GX if somebody owns it or can tell me about its reliability . It seemed like such a no brainer deal .

I really like the OCZ memory you picked out . I will go with that !

@WaitingForNehalem

The PSU/Case combo you picked looks very nice , but Rosewill gets such a bad rep from people . I don't know if I should pick it over corsair , ocz , antec , etc .



I am really stuck on this build . So far I know that the AMD P2 x940 is the CPU I want in this build , but the motherboard selection is giving me headaches . I really thought it was going to be simple !

BTW my brother intends to purchase from Newegg via money order do they hold items for a couple of days until payment arrives ? It would be a sad state of affairs if I were to order all the parts and receive only the hard drive and memory !
Again ! Thanks everybody for your help !

Biostar and ECS are trustable brands. Gigabyte is also another big brand as well. I have no clue what the other poster was talking about.

Newegg holds shipment until payment is cleared.

And the EA500 is a plenty good power supply. I run my 4890 on a EA500 with no hiccups.

Hitachi 1TB drives are probably the best deal for drives, good gb/$, and acceptable performance (and good read/write times). WD Blacks have slightly better performance but much more expensive.

Rosewill isn't the best brand, but we're talking about the case... doesn't have to be super-good to do its job. I'd spend a little more and find an Antec 300 or Cooler Master 590 thats cheap, though.

We're talking about a Rosewill PSU. I think it'd be fine.