How is this budget build? -AMD-

[cruisx]

Hi guys whats up, what do you guys think about this budget gaming build? I think its pretty descent and that it should be able to run most games on good settings. The prices is around 710$ without Tax.

so what do you guys think?


MOBO - Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD770 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID 1394 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard

CPU - AMD Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition Triple Core Processor AM3 2.8GHZ 7.5MB Cache 95W 45NM Retail Box

Vcard - BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC MAXCORE55 590MHZ 896MB 1.998GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I Video Card

Disk Drive- Samsung SH-S223Q/BEBS 22X DVD+-RW SATA DVD Writer Black Lightscribe OEM

PSU- OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V 24PIN Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black

HDD- Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty

RAM- G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-8000 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit

Case- Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio

[panzerfan]

Go for unlock heaven on your phenom, me like.

I seriously think that you should buck up for the 1 TB drive. The costs are getting rather close for you to not do that. <100 bucks CDN is expected and all...
Other than that, this build is pretty solid to me. It will run Crysis easy with res of 1440x900 or 1680x1050.

[CMetaphor]

What about the cooling man? Fan, CPU HSF, etc...

[martin_metal_88]

Regarding to OCZ spec, it's a dual 18A PSU, It will be short IMO for a GTX260, the PSU will all the time run at like 80% or moer and be quit hot. look for an upgrade if possible.

Ask for more.

[cruisx]

Originally Posted by CMetaphor

What about the cooling man? Fan, CPU HSF, etc...

idk man...i am not planing on OCing right away and i think the build should be fine normally and stay at descent temps. I have a few fans lying around that i could use tho.

Also what PSU do you suggest? I am on budget so its kinda tight.

[CMetaphor]

In that exact price range I'd for a silverstone strider series instead of the low-end OCZ. Otherwise, if you can add $20 to your budget and dont mind MIRs, go for the Corsair tx750.

[clone63]

That PSU would probably handle the 260, its listed on newegg as needing 525W but that's for safety. A 4870 1GB would cost less and run on less power at near equal performance (better on some benches).

I also agree that for a pinch more the 1tb black is the way to go. Heck if you were patient and flexible and waited for good deals you could even fit a ddr3 board and ram into the picture. Anyway best of luck

[cruisx]

so should i stick with the PSU? or change it? This is getting pretty tight on my budget so if i can i would like to keep the current PSU.

[cruisx]

or how is this PSU

NCIX.com - Buy Coolermaster Extreme Power 550W ATX 12V V2.01 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan - RP-550-PCAR In Canada.

[SKYMTL]

No. Avoid that PSU.

A few points:

- The StealthXstream is anything but "stealthy".
- Make sure to get the newest revision of that mobo as the older revision doesn't support ACC (necessary for unlocking)
- Black Edition CPUs don't usually come with a heatsink so you will need to buy one. My vote is for the Cooler Master Hyper 212 PLUS