Need a gaming rig ~ $700

[hagoo]

So I've been doing a bit of research into AMD and I've compiled the following list. It's going over by $75, but I think it should be worth it. Please tell me if this all looks compatible, or if you have some suggestions on parts where I can save money let me know!

Buy ASUS [M4N98TD EVO] ASUS M4N98 Evo ATX AM3 NVIDIA NF980A DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI Sound GBLAN 1394 Motherboard

Buy AMD [HDZ555WFGMBOX] AMD Phenom II X2 555 Dual Core Processor AM3 3.2GHZ 6MB L3 Cache 80W 45NM Retail Box

Buy eVGA [768-P3-1362-TR] EVGA GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked Fermi 763MHZ 768MB GDDR5 Dual DVI Mini-HDMI PCI-E DX11 Video Card

Buy G.SKILL [F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM] G.SKILL F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL8-8-8-24 Core i5 Memory Kit

Buy Seagate [ST31000528AS] Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA2 3.5IN 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Hard Drive OEM *3YR MFR Warranty*

Buy CORSAIR [CMPSU-650TX] Corsair TX650W 650W ATX 12V 52A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

Buy AZZA Technology [CSAZ-201] Azza Orion 201 BLACK/SILVER ATX Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT 120MM LED Fans Window No PSU

This comes up to a total of $776.05. It's a bit over my budget, but I'm willing to starve myself for a few weeks for this. Apparently this motherboard makes unlocking cores easy, which should be ideal for Phenom II X2 555, which I hear is actually a quad-core with two locked cores. Plus, I can get a second graphics card at a later date.
Haven't really left any room for a monitor, but I intend to get one within a few months when I have more money anyway

Thoughts? Will these parts work together? Will this handle games at 1920x1080 and 1080p movies? And does anyone have experience shopping from BestDirect.ca?

[_dangtx_]

that mobo will do sli,on amd. very few ordered it, including some dude from puerto rico. tell us how you like it.

Buy AMD [ADX250OCGQBOX] AMD Athlon II X2 250 Dual Core Processor Socket AM3 3.0GHZ 2MB Cache 60W Retail Box

Buy Gigabyte [GV-N460OC-768I] Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 Fermi 715MHZ 768MB GDDR5 2XDVI MINI-HDMI PCI-E DX11 Video Card

or wait for a sale on the 1gb(199-219)

nice psu but overkill for you

Buy Silverstone Technology [PS04B] Silverstone Precision PS04B ATX Black Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS

sister company of ncix, good to pm there :)

[Bond007]

^^^

Looks pretty good except one area (IMO). You are spending more on a motherboard in hopes that the x2 555 unlocks. If it does its great, but otherwise you only have a dual core (not that its a bad processor). Personally, I would spend less on the motherboard, and invest it into a better case and grab a guaranteed triple core x3 at bestdirect where you were looking (it saves a few bucks as well).

EDIT:
or spend less on the motherboard, grab the case mentioned above, save a few bucks on a slightly cheaper power supply (that is a great PSU, but as stated, more than you need) and put all that toward a 955...just another option.

[YukonTrooper]

I just put together two near identical builds for my brother's friends and I went with this board which unlocked the Phenom II X2 550's to quads no problem; however, I ended up sticking with dual-core mode and clocked the CPU's to 3.4GHz since they were on stock cooling.

[_dangtx_]

very good board right there. ive used its sister and got a healthy 300htt overclock whenever the chip/ram could do it as well.

you see, this is a great forum. you have the cheap guys(me) throwing in ideas, then you have the heavier hitters like mr trooper up here who builds stuff worth 2-3 or more k :)

[Bond007]

^I am a cheap guy as well. I am always scanning for bang for buck.

[hagoo]

Okay, I think I'm nearing the final version of my list, here's how it goes, tell me what you think:

Buy ASUS [M4N75TD] ASUS M4N75TD ATX AM3 DDR3 nForce 750A SLI 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 2PCI 6SATA Sound GBLAN Motherboard
Buy AMD [HDZ955FBGMBOX] AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor 3.2GHZ AM3 8MB Cache 125W Retail Box
Buy Gigabyte [GV-N460OC-768I] Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 Fermi 715MHZ 768MB GDDR5 2XDVI MINI-HDMI PCI-E DX11 Video Card
Buy G.SKILL [F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM] G.SKILL F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL8-8-8-24 Core i5 Memory Kit
Buy Seagate [ST31000528AS] Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA2 3.5IN 8.5MS 7200RPM 32MB Hard Drive OEM *3YR MFR Warranty*
Buy BFG Technologies [BFGR550WGSPSU] BFG GS-550 550W Power Supply ATX V2.2 EPS12V 24PIN 6PIN & 8PIN PCI-E 140MM Fan 1 Year NCIX Warranty
Buy AZZA Technology [CSAZ-201] Azza Orion 201 BLACK/SILVER ATX Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT 120MM LED Fans Window No PSU

This comes up to exactly $699.69. Albeit that figure does not include tax, I feel I've been able to maximize my potential with all your help. I took some suggestions and saved on the PSU and GPU, allowing for a better CPU. I found this mobo has everything I need aside from USB 3.0, which I'm hoping will be available as a PCIe addon at some point in the future.
My finger is poised over checkout

For anyone who is curious: with tax, free ground shipping, and full shipping insurance coverage, this all comes up to exactly $802.51. Found a nice refurb 23" Acer monitor for 160 after rebate at Canada Computers too .

[_dangtx_]

dont think you need a quad right now, get the 1gb version of the card.
that psu is not exactly the king of the hill :)
case looks flashy but its not that great, in that price range.

the 23 incher will be decent, 5ms 50k:1? :)

[Bond007]

I only suggested the 955 if budget allowed, but I think you are taking too much of a hit on the power supply to get it (was just giving you some options). Also...that case is made to look fancy, but I doubt it cools very well. Your just a few tweaks away from a nice build.

[YukonTrooper]

The power supply would hold up perfectly fine with that build.

You could save some money on the mobo and go with either of the two Gigabyte options that were suggested in this thread. I actually would have went with dangtx's suggestion for my brother's friend's builds myself since it's a bit cheaper, but NCIX no longer carried it and that's where I purchased all my parts from. I have always felt that Gigabyte offers better value for money over Asus.

Also why not go for a Phenom II X2 550 and try a quad-core unlock? At just under $100 I feel it's a great value for a gaming chip.