Any advices on this AMD system?

[beatle]

Hello!

I'm trying to decide on components form my new PC, and would really appreciate any advice.

I'm on pretty tight budget here. $700 tops ($600 would be nice), besides, I live in Latvia and everything costs a

bit more here.

This PC would be used for some gaming ( I really would like to be able to play all games in enjoyable settings now

and for some time ahead too. My LCD resolution is 1280x1024. I guess I will have to stick to it for some time) and

various work of paralel fashion ( like Opera with some 50 tabs, smt from OpenOffice, EditPluss, Dev-C, some DB stuff

and couple other programs running simultaneously) and I really would like not to experience any lags.

I wont be able to fully upgrade for a couple years, so it would be nice, if this rig had some futureproofnes and

ability to have some bottleneck changed ( like the CPU or added RAM) when prices are down.

If this is too much to ask, how close can I get?


So far the plan is like this:

CPU: Phenom II x2 550 (Phenom x3 710 costs about the same here, maybe I should get it instead? Or does higher

clock speed of 550 and the lack of ability for programs to use more than two cores ( will this change soon? ) mean

that 550 is a better choice? I also like the BE thing for 550, I hope that it can bring some futureproof - in form

of OC when the system is getting to slow for new stuff.)

RAM: 2x 2GB of DDR2 800MHZ ram (Or should I go for 1066? I guess there isn't a big difference in price. Or may be DDR3

is a must now? But socket A3 mobo's are expensive, and I can not afford 4 GB of DDR3 with high enough clock rates

to overcome latency problems. But maybe socket A3 mobo + 4GB of 1066MHz DDR3 is a good choice, so I can improve

latter? )

VGA: HD 4850 512MB ( ~$140) (Or can I get away with smt cheaper? Maybe this card is too much for my LCD, rest of the

rig,smt else ? Could hd4830(~$115 or even hd4670 (~$70!) be enough? )

Mobo: I am rather clueless here. If I go for ddr2, then smt with 780G NB because I would like the integrated video

so that I can delay buying real VGA, when they are cheaper (or is this silly? )

case: As cooling can have a impact on component's life span, I think some good case is a must. Antec Three Hundred?

PSU: Some 400 W for this one? Which manufacturer should I prefer? Smt else to take into account?

Hdd: 500 or 640 Gb WD or Seagate. I have no idea,really..


So, is there smt obviously stupid here, or any place for improvements?

I will appreciate any advice, comments or personal experience on this.

Thank you, in advance.


EDIT: sorry for the typo in the title ( and other ones, that I have not noticed).

 

[r_manic]

You should also consider the budget machine of the May System Builder's Marathon: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-2-overclock,2310.html

 

[Outlander_04]

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz + ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX combo $190 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.205337


OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $68
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227293

antec 300 $70 { did I see someone say $50 at Frys? ]

WD 640 gig black $75

HIS H485QT512P Radeon HD 4850 512M $80 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W $50 [ after MIR ]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

Total is $533

You could add a cpu cooler

you could even add a second 4850 and have a system that rocks ... but you wont need to do that at your monitors resolution

its all the latest AM3/ DDR3 technology

EDIT : shipping to Latvia is going to be harsh

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ newegg don't ship outside North America.

 

[Outlander_04]

^ newegg don't ship outside North America.

I read the Latvia comment after I had posted .

:-(

If newegg did ship outside North America I would buy stuff from them

 

[Helloworld_98]

^ I wouldn't, shipping from the U.S.A. to other countries is very costly, and VAT exclusion usually makes parts from the UK cheaper than from the US, even when you exclude shipping.

 

[Outlander_04]

I ship [ well I used to b4 the recession ] to the US for under $50 US a cubic meter .

Im in New Zealand and currency fluctuations recently made our prices a little weird . We are such a small county that if an importer buys a single large order at the wrong time then retail prices can stay high for months , even after they have dropped every where else