Almost done with my first build, advice?

[blakehanson]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Thinkin today...

BUDGET RANGE: Wanted less than 700......but, its looking 800 (please recomend some parts to make it cheaper)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Movies,

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Which ever is cheapest

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 19 in Widescreen 1680 x 1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:


Heres the parts:

Acer X193W+BD Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2000:1 (ACM) - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009127

RAIDMAX APEX ATX-802B Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156202

LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM

Couldnt find the retail drive, for the better software, with sata connection. Let me know if you see any retal versions for same price and have same features.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153

Rosewill RG530-2 530W 80Plus Certified, ATX12V v2.3/EPS12V v2.91, SLI Ready, Active-PFC Power Supply, UL,FCC,CE,TUV,ROHS - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182160

ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366R

SAPPHIRE 100245HDMI Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103649

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3P13334GK - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227287

WESTERN DIGITAL WD3200AAKS 320GB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Hard Drive Bulk

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005615&prodlist=celebros

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488



Right now the price is about $791. Any one have any suggestions either for lowering the price but not decreasing the performance of this build or increasing the build?

Im pretty much done with everything. Just wanted some last minute pointers.

Also, how do you think this build will perform?

Thanks alot!

 

[Helloworld_98]

no on that PSU, try corsair, PCP&C, BFG or silverstone, and swap the 4850 for a 4770, since they use 50w each and their performance is very close to that of the 4850's.

 

[blakehanson]

Is the 4850 better? Even by the slightest? Only ask because the 4850 has hdmi output which I really like. Or will the 4770 be better?

 

[xthekidx]

The 4850 is a little better than the 4770.

But definite no on the PSU. Take a look at this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012

You might want to stick another case fan in there:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150070

Otherwise your build looks fine. I would be skeptical of the MB being an open box though. Sometimes you won't get the manual or some cables, so you have to spend extra to get those. Its a dice roll.

 

[blakehanson]

Will def change power supply.
You think 500 watts will be enough for this build?

Will also put that case fan in. Will the 120 mm fan fit? Also, theres a spot in the front of the case under hard drives, how do i know what size fan to put in there??

Oh and the Mobo being open box is kinda skechy. It is saving me 45 dollas. I can do with out the manual, but what wires would it come with it so i can replace those, just in case. Also, where would I be able to get the driver in case the driver was missing?

Speaking of wires...what wires would I need to purchase for everything? For hard drives, dvd rom, video card, etc??



Thanks!

 

[xthekidx]

120mm is pretty standard, I think the fan should fit. It looks like a 120mm spot to me.

The 500w PSU should be fine. If you want to step it up a notch, take a look at this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010
or this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022&Tpk=ocz%20550w

 

[blakehanson]

I think ill stick with the 500w power suplly unles you think i should go for more power?

What do you think?

Also, will thismotherboard be decent? It isnt an open box so everything should be there. But, will this be a good mobo for my buld or not powerful enough??

What do you think?

Thanks!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

 

[xthekidx]

That motherboard would be alright, but just be aware that you cannot add another GPU in crossfire, and it uses the SB710, which won't allow for as good of overclocking as the SB750. Otherwise I like that MB for a cheap AM3 build.

I think that 500w PSU will give you room to spare. It should be fine.

 

[blakehanson]

If I stuck with the original mobo what cables would i need to purchase, just to be safe since its an open box? Also, where would I get drivers and such? (this is if open box mobo doesnt already have those)

Thanks!

 

[xthekidx]

You would have to get drivers from the ASUS website.

Cables, probably a couple Sata cables. You can buy that HDD in a combo with a sata cable if you like: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.175889 Its basically free for the sata cable.

 

[blakehanson]

Also, with that power supply we talked about how many fans would it power along with everything else? Estimate?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012

 

[xthekidx]

I think you could hook 4 extra case fans to it if you needed to, but your case will only take one more so I don't see the point...

Fans can be hooked up to molex connectors, as well as 1 or 2 can be hooked up to the MB, assuming your MB has a fan header (most have 1 or 2).

 

[blakehanson]

I was planning on taking a dremmel to the case and working a little magic.

How would i know if my mobo has the fan hook up?

Also, does that slow my mobo down at all?

 

[xthekidx]

You just have to look at the MB. I can see a CPU fan header and 2 case fan headers on it, at the top of this picture on either side of the EATXPWR connector.

It shouldn't have negative affects on your PC from hooking up fans to the MB.

 

[blakehanson]

Thanks alot for all the help! I really appreciate it!!!!!

 

[croc]

I might be mistaken, but I think that CPU will also run on an AM2+ MB. This will save money on MB and RAM, at the expense of a bit of future-proofing.

 

[xthekidx]

All AM3 CPU's to be released this year will be backwards compatible with AM2+

 

[croc]

All AM3 CPU's to be released this year will be backwards compatible with AM2+

I was being polite... Here in AUS that's a large bit of change saved. Enough to get a better GPU...

 

[Prescott_666]

I'm thinking about doing a build using the ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard. I want to build something better than what I have now, but I want to upgrade it next year using next years Phenom II processors. But I don't want to spen $120 on a throwaway processor.

AMD will be releasing Athlon II processors next month. Prices have not been announced yet, but are expected to be around $70. I'm going to wait for the Athlon II and then upgrade again next year.

 

[xthekidx]

I was being polite... Here in AUS that's a large bit of change saved. Enough to get a better GPU...

Same on this side of the world. I think that the 955 is a waste of money when you can get the 940 which overclocks just as high and costs about $80 less for the MB+CPU+Ram. The 955 has a slightly higher bus speed, but in addition to that it has a higher stock voltage, it doesn't use better silicon or anything. I don't see a good reason to get the 955. If you will spend that much on the 955, then its just a small step away from an i7.