Budget gaming build. Is this a good system?

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promoth

promoth

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May 20, 2009
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This is my first build in four years, and first post here! So here goes :) Thanks for any help.

I'm planing to build a basic overclocked 64bit windows 7 computer for gaming and interwebs. I have two main questions.
First, with the parts listed at the bottom, is this a good computer setup for $365, or would different hardware suit my needs better? I can spend a bit more if it would make an impressive difference.

Question 2, I already have a five year old power suply. Can I keep it? Should I?
Video card specs say I need 450 watts (min. 24 amps on +12V)
http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine says I only need 300 watts.
Antec true430. rated as +5V@36a +12V@26a +3.3V@28A 410 watts max
http://www.antec.com/specs/true430_spe.html

Finally, is the stock heatsink alright for going from 2.5 to 3ghz on the 65watt processor?

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-7 days
BUDGET RANGE: US$350-450
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, internet surfing, phtotshop cs3,
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS
PREFERRED WEBSITE FOR PARTS: newegg.com
PARTS PREFERENCES: high performance to price ratio.
OVERCLOCKING: yes SLI OR CROSSFIRE: maybe later.
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024, may get larger monitor for this down the road.

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $105

A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $46

EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $115

Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail $70






 
I take it you already have the OS, case, hard drive, cd drive, etc.? Personally I'd get a new power supply. Something with more power like a cosair 650 or something similar. Also, if you are overclocking, you'll probably want an after market cpu cooler like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

Also, don't forget to check the combo deals on newegg. For instance here is your mobo with a psu:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.190260

and even better, your mobo with a better gpu for the same price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.187864

Good luck
 
+1 For getting a new PSU, -1 for 650w..500 should be more than enough.
Personally I prefer ASUS mobos, I had better experience with them, but I believe your suggested build is OK.
The stock cooler should be enough for the OC you mentioned, unless you live in a very hot climate, or you are terribly unlucky so your chip will need 1.5 v to reach only 3Ghz!! The latter is extremely rare.
 
^+1...
But adding $50 more could get you an extremely potent gaming machine...
CPU + Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.190738

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

Graphics Card -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161259

Total - $383 with $30 Mail-In-Rebates...
And a good and decent PSU for your need - About $40
Though it is not as good as the Antec earthWatts or the Corsair but for that price, it has very good quality...
http://www.provantage.com/bfg-technologies-bfgr550wgspsu~7BFGT03K.htm
 
Thanks for all your help you guys.

I have been wanting to play COD:WaW that is bundled with the 9800gtx+
It's a $50game free, but I have been seeing that the 4850 is overall a bit faster.
This post said that the 512MB gtx+ is better than the 1GB gt.
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/256807-33-9800-9800

Now that I know I need a new PSU. I guess I should get a case/power supply combo so i can keep this system going.
If I get a decent cpu heatsink and tower, How far should I be able to OC the E5200? I would guess that room temp range when operating is 60-70F %80 of the time maxing out around 90 less than a week a year.
 


Good ideas.
Wow, I think you are totally right about the extra $50 for the AMD Phenom II X3 720/ mobo combo
Much better potential for upgrading down the road too. 😀
 
:) Glad it helped...
And as for the case, take a look at the Antec 300...Cost about $55 and is a very good case with LED fans...
But most important, it has sufficient room and has many fan slots...
 
The phenom II 720 is a socket AM3, Can I use this AM2 heatsink on it?
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125

It's more than I had hoped to spend,
Antec 300 case and 500w power combo. Can I get away with less, or is this what I need to go with? 94$ with shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.193752
Now I'm wishing I had kept my huge Antec case from college. I was not thinking clearly after finals and thought it would cost too much to ship. 😛
 
^ Just a piece of advice...Never skimp on quality of the power supply as that is one the most important part of the PC...If it is not a good quality one, then it would lead to continuous crashing of PC, maybe even worse...So looking to save $10 or $20 on the PSU, can lead to a bad outcome...
That BFG is a good quality PSU and is more than suffice for that setup...
But I would suggest if it would be better for you if you could get atleast the Antec EA500...
 
Actually you can put on hold the CPU cooler for now and invest in a good Power supply...The stock does a decent job at stock and for slight overclock too...
So later save some cash and when you have enough, you can get the CPU cooler and overclock high...
 
Oops, that's NOT the new BFG PSU that has gotten excellent reviews; it's an older one (see the voltage switch on it? No Active PFC).
Antec Earthwatts are good units. Tom's used a 380 to power a system with a 4850 in it, although I think a 430 or 500 would be a safer choice. Or, get the 380 and use a 4770.
 
hey guys was just wondering if this is a good gaming pc build.

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
EVGA 01G-P3-1280-TR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0
Antec EA-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready
OCZ Gold AMD Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit

thx for takin a look any feedback would be nice :)
 
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