Input on my build? Cheap and (seems) powerful!

[Reboh]

Oh, I just noticed the second one only works on Intel CPUs (or so it says).
The first would keep me safe in OC'ing from 3.2 to 3.5?

 

[mnewsham]

the one i linked doesnt fit your CPU (damn AMD) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835185143

that one does

 

[Reboh]

OK, I just calculated total prices and everything, and checked everything's reviews, and I decided it looked perfect.

Here is my current part list:

ASUS M4A88TD-M 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6077271&CatId=5539 
$99.99
[[[[[-----]]]]]
OR
[[[[[-----]]]]]
BIOSTAR TA880GB+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138197
$74.99

======

AMD HDZ955FBGMBOX Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Processor 3.2GHz (OC to 3.5)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
$139.99

======

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1333C8 XMS3 4GB DDR3 RAM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6044642&CatId=4524 
$52.99
[[[[[-----]]]]]
OR
[[[[[-----]]]]]
G.SKILL NS F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS 4GB DDR3 RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396
39.99

======

Seagate ST3500418AS Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4499974&CatId=2459 
$39.99

======

Coolmax CL-500B 500-Watt Power Supply 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250578&CatId=1079 
$39.99

======

Apevia Silver X-Cruiser Case 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1446793&CatId=1509 
$69.99

======

Scythe YASYA SCYS-1000 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185143
49.99

======

Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-RW 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6078414&CatId=89 
$19.99

======

TOTAL : $512.92
RAM = Corsair
Motherboard = ASUS

======

ALTERNATE TOTAL : $474.92
RAM = G.SKILL
Motherboard = Biostar

Any tips now? Or is it good enough? I'm excited.

NOTE: I will upgrade video card later, not now, as it would tip me over the budget line too far. I will consult with you guys again when the time comes.

 

[mnewsham]

looks goood to me

 

[Reboh]

Thanks for your help throughout this thread

 

[mfenn]

Please don't buy that PSU. The Antec 520C that I recommended earlier is much better. Also, you should definitely not waste $13 on the Corsair RAM. As for mobo, I would probably go ASUS myself, but some people are cool with Biostar.

Finally, you should price your build out at Newegg and see if it comes out cheaper.

 

[fffblackmage]

For the same price, the $40 Antec Neo Eco 520C is a significantly better buy over the Coolmax.

And why $13 more for ram? If you're going to pay more, you might as well get some DDR3-1600 running on 1.5V instead.

 

[Davidh373]

Please don't buy that PSU. The Antec 520C that I recommended earlier is much better.

:thumbsup:

 

[Reboh]

No no, I am getting the G.SKILL memory. I just keep it there in case I really have the urge to go back.

I will change the PSU to what you said then

I will also price it all out at NewEgg and see if it comes any cheaper.

 

[Reboh]

Oh, and I'm also decided NOT to overclock until I start actual gaming and not minecraft, so I will drop 50 bucks and go with stock cooling. It has to be good enough to run it, right?

EDIT: Since I am now at 424 USD, should I boost my PSU up to 600w or get a better GFX card or what?

 

[fffblackmage]

You need a beefier PSU for that godly HD4250 IGP?

 

[Reboh]

Eh, I can't tell if that was sarcasm or not, since you said it in a regular tone, but I do think it was sarcasm because the onboard HD 4250 is a 3 year old GPU.

But seriously, do I need to boost the PSU or not? If not, what should I bump up?

 

[mnewsham]

Your system only really needs a 250 watt PSU MAX. But th 520w Antec mfenn mentioned is the best deal atm.

 

[Reboh]

Thanks

I am tempted to get a 70-80 dollar GPU, but I am pushed away from that temptation because of the mindset that you cannot get a good one for that price. I want at least a gig of DDR5 on the GPU. Would it be possible to get at least that with 80 bucks?

P.S. I don't mean crappy card though, a decent enough one for basic gaming and high-quality YouTube video watching. I am not going to be a 3D GFX designer or anything anytime soon (AFAIK)

 

[mnewsham]

HD 5770 would be your best bet for moderate gaming.

 

[Reboh]

It won't fit my board.

I've just realized: my board sucks horribly. No PCI 2.1 slots or anything. I am going to bump it up to a HQ one and stick with it. If I remove the BioStar board, I come to 349 dollars. That gives me room for a 150 dollar board. Can you link me to a board with the following:

4 memory slots
1600 MHz RAM max
16gb - 64bit
Onboard video chipset (so I have something to keep me while I go for the one you mentioned)
AMD Phenom II support
NO MSI BOARD
Decent amount of PCI Express slots

Thanks

 

[mnewsham]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-631-_-Product

 

[Reboh]

Is it safe to get that? There are 61 one star reviews.

 

[mnewsham]

And 312 4 and 5 star reviews.

If you get a bad board you just need to RMA there are warranties on these things.

 

[Reboh]

OK, I changed it. It seems absolutely flawless now (of course after a 40 post long thread ), and it seems ready to go after.

Final list:

ASUS M4A88TD-M 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6077271&CatId=5539 
$99.99

[[[[[-----]]]]]

OR

[[[[[-----]]]]]

ASUS M4A89GTD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631
$149.99

======

AMD HDZ955FBGMBOX Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Processor 3.2 GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808
$139.99

======

Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1333C8 XMS3 4GB DDR3 RAM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6044642&CatId=4524 
$52.99

[[[[[-----]]]]]

OR

[[[[[-----]]]]]

G.SKILL NS F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS 4GB DDR3 RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396
$39.99

======

Seagate ST3500418AS Barracuda 500GB 7200RPM
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4499974&CatId=2459 
$39.99

======

Antec NEO ECO ATX12V 500-Watt Power Supply 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
$39.99

======

Apevia Silver X-Cruiser Case 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1446793&CatId=1509 
$69.99

======

Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-RW 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6078414&CatId=89 
$19.99

======

TOTAL : $512.92
RAM = Corsair
Motherboard = ASUS

======

ALTERNATE TOTAL : $499.93
RAM = G.SKILL
Motherboard = ASUS (2)

NOTE: I will more than likely go with the ALTERNATE TOTAL choice.

EDIT: Is everything I have crappy quality or something? This seems too cheap to be true: RAM = 40, 500 GB HDD = 40, etc... I would figure it would cost more for something like that.

 

[mnewsham]

I dont like the case, but that's up to you.

You can get this cd/dvd drive for less.

and finally
This hard drive is much better quality (or this one at 1TB)

 

[f4phantom2500]

there are a lot of good am3 boards at/under $100, no reason to drop $150 unless you want/need usb 3 and/or sata 3, especially since that board won't support bulldozer. furthermore, i dunno why you're looking to drop $140 on a phenom ii x4; it's really not worth it seeing as bulldozer is right around the corner :\. there is really not a good reason to drop $300 on a platform that's on its last legs. i would really say try to tweak your build so that you can get an i5 750/760, but since you've got a hard on for amd there are 2 options i would suggest to you:

1. just wait for bulldozer (idk if it'll be out by may, but the way i understand it, it will not)
2. buy a cheap(er) amd mobo/cpu now that won't depreciate too much by the time bulldozer comes around, then sell the combo and use that cash plus the cash you save now by buying the cheaper stuff in the first place to upgrade to a bulldozer cpu/mobo.

quick look at combo deals on newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.592418

solid processor, definitely enough for gaming at 1280x768; i used to have a 435, which is the 2.9ghz version of this chip, and it is indeed a very capable cpu. since this combo is the exact price of the cpu you are/were looking at, this option would save you the cost of the motherboard you're looking at, ~$150, that you can put toward a bulldozer upgrade. and, i know i'm risking being a heretic here, but honestly there isn't THAAAAT much of a difference between an athlon ii x3 and a phenom ii x4, at least in my experience (unless, of course, you're doing a lot of heavy multitasking). *especially* compared to the difference that bulldozer is going to bring.

you could save more money by buying a used cpu/mobo here on anandtech, but i understand it's just not quite the same as buying new parts.

also here's a $15 cheaper case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066

 

[Reboh]

That brings me to a total of 511.94 USD. I got the SAMSUNG 500 GB Hard Drive you mentioned, and the Lite-On DVD-RW drive you mentioned.

Now, is it OK (besides the case)? Did I forget something (seeing as this is my first build-by-myself-computer)?

EDIT: The Athlon is long gone now, the Phenom II x4 955 is good enough. I hate Intel though, and never plan on getting anything from them until they learn price is important. I don't know what Bulldozer is either. Is this build bad or something? It seems a shitton better than my current P4 2.4 GHz.

 

[mnewsham]

That brings me to a total of 511.94 USD. I got the SAMSUNG 500 GB Hard Drive you mentioned, and the Lite-On DVD-RW drive you mentioned.

Now, is it OK (besides the case)? Did I forget something (seeing as this is my first build-by-myself-computer)?

Maybe a cpu cooler at some point if you going to OC.

 

[Reboh]

I just looked up the Bulldozer CPU, and I am wondering: Is it supposed to be an 8 core? Or another generation of 6 cores? And is there any confirmed price?