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Please review / rate: New Build

blundquist

Junior Member
Hello all,

I've been trolling the forums the last couple of days to come up with an entirely new build for my brother, and below is what I came up with. Things such as the OS, Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor will be purchased locally or reused.

I am most concerned to ensure compatibility between parts. I also spent more in certain areas to ensure that the software / firmware updates are as accurate as possible. I don't know if SATA II is supported on the motherboard, which appears to be needed for the SSD.

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12

Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)

Motherboard: ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X

Processor: AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA

SSD: Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX 2.5" 80GB SATA

DVD-Burn: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner

Graphics: MSI R5770 Hawk Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit

Grand Total: $1,006.35

http://detonator.dynamitedata.com/c...com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
 
if you want four cores, just spend the extra bux - otherwise, don't be too disappointed if it unlocks but is unstable 🙂 (if it could have been an x4 it prob would have been binned as x4 🙂 )

you may be able to save some $$ with athlon IIx3/4 with OC fsb @3.4g - I dont believe the L3 made too much diff for those games...

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-6.html
 
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yeah, there is a difference there 🙂 I would say trawling.... =)

So should i get a different processor, either downgrade to a dual core or upgrade to a quad?

x3 is fine, just don't count on the unlock. Consider it a "free gift". Oh, and I just noticed that you had the OEM version of the processor. You will need to buy a separate HSF.
 
If you're looking to save a few bucks. Newegg currently has a Antec NEO ECO 620W and Antic Six Hundred Case combo for $90 after rebate.

Nothing wrong with the case and psu you picked out (the corsair PSU is a very very good deal), but this could save you $70. You can use that $70 to upgrade to a Thuban or put in a bit more and get a 5850 instead of 5770 (the upgrade game can be played all day 😀)

You should also consider buying an aftermarket hsf. The retail hsf is fine for stock speeds, and it's even okay for some mild overclocking, but the fan will be going at a very noisy 4k-5k rpm at load. That defeats the purpose of spending the money on quiet MSI Hawk 5770.
 
cool, thanks guys...went with the 1tb with a $20 rebate.... $69 for a TB isn't bad 🙂

Question regarding: Antec NEO ECO 620W and Antic Six Hundred Case combo ....I can't tell from reading the description, but will this support crossfire? I know I currently only have one gpu selected, but future upgrades I believe i'm going to direct my brother buy another card and use CrossFire.

I'm considering the graphics card upgrade....not sure though....
 
Please review / rate: New Build

I've been trolling the forums the last couple of days to come up with an entirely new build for my brother, and below is what I came up with. Things such as the OS, Mouse, Keyboard, and Monitor will be purchased locally or reused.
Before I endeavor to rate the list of parts for your brother's new machine, I must know exactly what OS he'll be using as well as what resolution his monitor supports.

If you've been trolling here very long at all, then you should be aware that these are things we need to know, in order to proffer an informed opinion.
 
cool, thanks guys...went with the 1tb with a $20 rebate.... $69 for a TB isn't bad 🙂

Question regarding: Antec NEO ECO 620W and Antic Six Hundred Case combo ....I can't tell from reading the description, but will this support crossfire? I know I currently only have one gpu selected, but future upgrades I believe i'm going to direct my brother buy another card and use CrossFire.

I'm considering the graphics card upgrade....not sure though....

Yep the spec lists 2 pci-e power connectors. It can provide 48A on 12v, so that's 576watt. It will easily power two 5770 (~100watt each) and most likely two 5850 (~170watt each).
 
Windows 7 64 - not 100% sure on the monitor resolution. I know he has a flat screen, so I want to say 1920 x 1080, but i'm not sure. i'll find out shortly though

And thank you for checking jchu14 =)
 
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