My potential first build, low budget gamer

[johnnyblazzwa]

Hi guys, Building my first pc, let me know what you think. It is gonna be a base budget gamer700-800, doesn't need to run anything better then 720p- 32 bit however i want it to be very upgradeable in the future when i got cash to goes balls out and a 1080p widescreen, this is why i'm opting for a real badass liquid cooled case that i will build in for years. Originally i was gonna go pII 965be(with a crap40$ case) but i've changed my mind and instead will be buying a base budget cpu and plan on doing my first overclock which my liquid cooling should help keep cool. I'm also more comfortable placing a 80-100$ cpu in the MB socket over a 200$ cpu on my first build. Gpu isn't gonna be much but that will likely be the thirst thing i upgrade in the future, plus 32 bit isn't that demanding in the first place .

case: 225$ Thermaltake Kandalf LCS Black ATX Tower Case Thermaltake Kandalf LCS Black ATX Tower Case BUILT-IN Liquid Cooling System 3X120MM Rad Window No PS - DirectCanada

power:Coolermaster Elite Power 460W ATX Power Supply 12V V2.3 20/24PIN 120MM Fan 37$ Coolermaster Elite Power 460W ATX Power Supply 12V V2.3 20/24PIN 120MM Fan - DirectCanada

MB:ASUS M4A77TD ATX AM3 DDR3 AMD770 SB710 PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI IDE 6SATA Sound GBLAN Motherboard 78$ after rebate ASUS M4A77TD ATX AM3 DDR3 AMD770 SB710 PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI IDE 6SATA Sound GBLAN Motherboard - DirectCanada

CPU:AMD Athlon II X3 425 2.7aka RANA 82$(could go 2.9) AMD Athlon II X3 425 Triple Core Processor Socket AM3 2.7GHZ 1.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box - DirectCanada

ram: Patriot Viper Extreme Performance 4GB DDR3 2X2GB PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 CL 7-7-7-20 100$ Patriot Viper Extreme Performance 4GB DDR3 2X2GB PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 CL 7-7-7-20 Memory Kit - DirectCanada

hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 250GB 44$ Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 250GB 3.5IN Hard Drive SATA 7200RPM 8MB OEM - DirectCanada

OS win 7 base-120$

cd- LG 16x crapola special 18$ LG 16X DVD-ROM Optical Drive SATA Black OEM - DirectCanada

gpu :EVGA E-GEFORCE 9400GT 550MHZ 512MB 800MHZ 64BIT DDR2 VGA DVI-I HDCP HDTV 52$ EVGA E-GEFORCE 9400GT 550MHZ 512MB 800MHZ 64BIT DDR2 VGA DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card - DirectCanada



Let me know what you guys think, any don't do's in there? everything campatable?besides the fact that the graphics card is crap,will be my first upgrade. keep in mind that i hope to overclock and unleash this crappy cpu(heard you can even turn them into quad's). i'm hoping the case last's me for many builds to come, that is why i'm going all out with the case

appreciate any insight

[Fox]

Motherboard:
ASUS M4A785TD-V Evo 785G Socket AM3 DDR3 2PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI Video Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard
Price: ($99.98)

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Dual Core Processor Socket AM3 3.1GHZ 7MB Cache 80W Retail Box
Price: ($106.98)

RAM:
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
Price: ($98.24)

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc SATA 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM 5YR MFR Warranty
Price: ($61.46)

PowerSupply:
Antec Earthwatts 500W Power Supply ATX12V V2.2 Active PFC 80-PLUS 80MM Fan
Price: ($59.99)

Graphic Card:
XFX Radeon HD 4850 625MHZ 512MB 1.99GHZ DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card
Price: ($128.29)

DVD Rom:
LG 16X DVD-ROM Optical Drive SATA Black OEM
Price: ($19.99)

OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
Price: ($113.99)

Total At this Point: 688.92
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Case:
Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio
Price: ($49.79)

Cooling:
Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA775 LGA1156 120MM
Price: ($23.65)

OR

Cooling:
Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50 High Performance CPU Cooler System LGA775 LGA1366 LGA1156 AM2 AM3
Price: ($87.99)

Total w/ 212+: $762.36

Total w/ H50: $826.70

I don't think it's worth it at this budget level for you to WC. Buying a bunch of cheaper components that you plan to upgrade soon so you can get a WC'ing case doesn't make much sense to me. Going with a cooler like the 212+ is a amazing performance for the price cooler, and if you are so mind set on water cooling a self contained unit like the H50 offers basic self contained water cooling for a cheaper price.

I'd honestly consider going with a cheaper case and getting better components else-ware, say you keep the same build but instead of the Kandalf you went with the 300 & 212+;with the $150 you save, you could be put $100 toward a better CPU (955 BE for ~$175), and that CPU air cooled would be a hell of a lot better then a x3 425 that's liquid cooled, and you'd have $50 left over. I wouldn't recommend that, but instead upgrade the rest of the stuff a little. But that's just my opinion.

Edit: Also keep in mind that the Win7 OEM is activated with a motherboard and must remain on that motherboard. You buy a new motherboard you need a new copy. There have been reports of people calling up Microsoft and saying that their MB died so they had to replace it, and having the license transferred over, but apperently that's hit or miss so I wouldn't count on it.

[johnnyblazzwa]

thanks for your input/advice bro

eventually i do plan on upgrading, that is why i'm going all out on case as i will use it for years. If i get a cheaper case i'm probably going thermaltake saprano because i love the look Thermaltake SopranoRS 101 Mid Tower ATX Case Black 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT No PSU Side Window - DirectCanada This is my first build and i'm extremly comfortable puting in a 80$ cpu in place and overclocking it rather then spending 175 on a 955. eventually i'll probably buy that 3.6 gig BE coming out in 2010, but with many games now starting to utilize multiple cores, i think 'll be fine with a x3 rana 2.9 or 2.7. Its cheap and supposedly can have its fourth core unlocked. here's GTA4 cpu benchmarks and both rana's are ahead of pII x2 3.1 and near the wolfdale's http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2....0.3,1402.html

thanks for the heads up with the motherboard/OS, was there anything wrong with the asus i chose? ddr3, can overclock, 16gb, seems alright for me no? also don't want to pay an extra 20 bucks for 40 watts of power, buy the big daddy when i'm ready. also don't want to spend more then 60 on a gpu right now, will spend 300 for a big daddy when ready, nothing in between.
also keep in mind that shipping is free with direct canada who i was planning on using, big bonus

[MarkOne]

Originally Posted by Fox

Total w/ 212+: $762.36.

I really like the build Fox suggest ,

[Bond007]

I think the case is far too much of your budget, but if you like it that much and want it for future use then go for it.

Would definitely change out the power supply. Go for something corsair, seasonic, or as mentioned above, the earthwatts aren't too bad. The wattage is not the only deciding factor in a power supply.

The motherboard looks good (only negative is lack of crossfire support, but excellent for the price)

Phenoms are generally better gaming CPUs than athlons because of the L3 cache, but that processor will likely serve you well for what you want.

The hard drive is fine, but you can usually get the 500GB version for just a few dollars more (I have one I got for $59).

Definitely change out the GPU. There was another thread last week about budget graphics, and I will again recommend the same thing. If you have to keep cost way down on graphics go for an HD 4670 and if you need the cost to be lower than that go for an hd 4650. Good article from tomshardware for best gpu/$

^^^also agree that the build Fox put up and his recommendations are excellent.

[MarkOne]

a 4650 for gaming ?????.. better cut other place and get a better card.

[johnnyblazzwa]

another thing i should point out, that motherboard is 113$ the pIIx2 is 123$, HD 70$, perhaps your using american prices. should have said canada as i just assume most are canadians from the site name

[johnnyblazzwa]

Originally Posted by MarkOne

a 4650 for gaming ?????.. better cut other place and get a better card.

i can see garbage cards like the 4350 running games on youtube near the specs i need, 32 bit 720p. Its really not that demanding, plan on spending 60ish on this first video card and will upgrade to a boss hog 300$ one when richer, at a time when i have a 55 inch 1080p widescreen lcd in front of me

[johnnyblazzwa]

appreciate all input here guys, thanks , good for reference

[johnnyblazzwa]

found a mb with crossfire for 94 on CD ASRock M3A785GMH/128M AMD 785G SB710 mATX AM3 DDR3 HDMI Sideport CrossFireX GBLAN Motherboard - DirectCanada

that should do the trick eh?
just educated myself as to what crossfire support actually is, thanks once again