New Build

[kerwoo]

It's been about 5 years since I built a system for myself. I've done systems for others and numerous upgrades on my own. In reality this will be just another upgrade, since I will be reusing numerous parts. OK here's the list. Opinion and comments welcome.

Parts I'm keeping:
Thermaltake Soprano Case
Corsair CMPSU-550VX PSU
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 SATA 3.0Gb/s 500GB 16MB Cache x2 Hard Drives
LiteOn SHD-16S1S 16X DVD-ROM
Also keeping Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers and Monitor.

Parts I,m purchasing:
Asrock AOD790GX/128M Motherboard, $105.00
Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5 G PC2-6400 4GB,$58.00
AMD PHENOM II X2 550 BE CPU, $119.00
LG GH22LP20 IDE LightScribe Black 22X DVD-Writer, $31.00

Basic Office computer plus Photo shop etc.

[Gameplaywarrior]

Oh an office computer then try this out: you can get a AMD Phenom II X3 710 for about 10 bucks more; when you get that CPU you can get Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1600 for $95; and you can get the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P for $97. That would be my advice.

[CMetaphor]

Originally Posted by Gameplaywarrior

That is not to bad but judging by what you said if you are going a long period with out planing to upgrade this PC you may want to start thinking along the lines of an i7 based system.

Obviously you didnt read the part about "Office computer".... i7 is massive overkill for most people excluding enthusiast gamers.

Looks like a nice system Kerwoo! My only suggestion would be to swap out the Asrock board for something a little bit more reliable from Gigabyte or Asus, and possibly upgrade the CPU to a tri-core or quad-core, since Photoshop can benefit from more than two threads (I believe).

[kerwoo]

I've seen some good reports on the Asrock Motherboard. Also just for fun, I might try and unlock the other 2 cores in my spare time.
Don't really want DDR3 and integrated video should be fine.
Thanx Guys

[wonton1017]

Originally Posted by Gameplaywarrior

Oh an office computer then try this out: you can get a AMD Phenom II X3 710 for about 10 bucks more; when you get that CPU you can get Corsair XMS3 DDR3-1600 for $95; and you can get the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P for $97. That would be my advice.

I'd suggest this over the OP's choices as well, you're pretty much paying ~$40 more for 1 more core (more future-proof) and a much faster RAM. Plus, Asrock motherboards aren't that great compared to any other motherboards.

[kerwoo]

How come everybody is so against Asrock. Good reviews and less failure rates then some big names??

[rapmaster]

get the 710, imo, the extra core is worth it. Get this motherboard
Gigabyte MA790GP-UD4H AMD790GX ATX AM2+/AM3 Sideport 2PCI-E Sound GBLAN HDMI CrossFireX Motherboard - DirectCanada
or
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H AMD780G mATX AM2+/AM3 PCI-E DDR2 SATA2 Video Sound GBLAN HDMI Motherboard - DirectCanada

depend on your budget.

Go DDR2 over DDR3, it cost more for 2-3% overall performance that you won't even notice.

Don't go with the 770 motherboard the others suggested since you have to buy a video card, the onboard of the 780G or 790GX is more than enough for office or Photoshop.

[kerwoo]

Great suggestions on Gigabyte. If the 790GP has ACC I might try it.

[DrPepper]

well, you could look into getting a cheap video card...like an 8600gt...$40-50 after rebate

[Silvgearx]

Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P F5 bios has ACC

When it comes to board its all about personal choices.

unlocking is no guarantee tho, but good luck