Feedback on $500 build

[Alexgz]

I'm just looking for a little help on my proposed system build.


Approximate Purchase Date: Within 2 weeks


Budget Range: less than $520


System Usage from Most to Least Important: Adobe Illustrator and Dreamweaver work, Gaming, Surfing, Movie watching and Word Processing.


Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor, OS, Speakers. And I'll be reusing my DVD optical drive.


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com or an equally reliable site.


Country of Origin: United States


Parts Preferences: an AMD Cpu


Overclocking: Probably. Looking to get most bang for buck.


SLI or Crossfire: No


Monitor Resolution: 1440x900 or 1600x1200


Additional Comments: I prefer an ATX midtower.


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What I've managed to pick out so far...



Rosewill DESTROYER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147144


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181


ASRock 770 EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157195


GIGABYTE GV-N450OC-1GI GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125341


XIGMATEK ACXTNRP-PC502 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817815008
I'm not too sure about this power supply, but i do like the pirce. Has anybody used this?


A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model AX3U1600GB2G9-2G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211409


AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846


COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065


Does this look good?

 

[WR2]

Hello alexgz;
Do you plan on using the ASRock 770 EXTREME3 to unlock a couple extra cores on the Phenom II X2 555 and then overclock with the Hyper 212+ CPU cooler?

Will you be crushed if that doesn't happen? You'd need to get lucky 3 times. 1 for each core to unlock and run stable. And a 3rd time for the unlocked cores to run stable when OC'd.

An alternative would be to add the price of CPU & cooler together $123 and kick in an extra $17 to get the X4 955 3.2Ghz CPU and use the stock CPU cooler to OC'd to 3.5Ghz with no drama.

 

[WR2]

I could not find any independent reviews on the XIGMATEK 500W PSU. The NewEgg customer reviews were mixed and don't really shed much light on the PSU quality.

The GTS 450 has a recommended minimum PSU suggestion of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 22 Amps.)
One available 6-pin PCI-E power dongle

With that in mind I think I'd suggest a CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W $40 & $10 rebate +12 Volt current rating of 28 Amps
Review - Corsair CX430 430W power supply

 

[JoshWS]

I could not find any independent reviews on the XIGMATEK 500W PSU. The NewEgg customer reviews were mixed and don't really shed much light on the PSU quality.

I used to have a XIGMATEK PSU and a case by them aswell and would have to say they both worked fine. The PSU provided good constant amount of power and even kept the PC running when it was using over 500w (Not much over-I don't recommend this !)
Just to let you know I didn't get rid of it due to it blowing up or the like; I just didnt think using my PC after the ground floor got flooded and the PC had a foot of water in it was a good idea.<--- That was an expensive PC repair

 

[guerilla_logic]

Quick heads up on the case, my buddy just built in it. It works great but the fan lights are bright and the fan itself can be loud. Something to think about if its going in your bedroom like mine is.
Best of luck with your build LOGIC.

 

[Alexgz]

Hello alexgz;
Do you plan on using the ASRock 770 EXTREME3 to unlock a couple extra cores on the Phenom II X2 555 and then overclock with the Hyper 212+ CPU cooler?

Will you be crushed if that doesn't happen? You'd need to get lucky 3 times. 1 for each core to unlock and run stable. And a 3rd time for the unlocked cores to run stable when OC'd.

An alternative would be to add the price of CPU & cooler together $123 and kick in an extra $17 to get the X4 955 3.2Ghz CPU and use the stock CPU cooler to OC'd to 3.5Ghz with no drama.

Your totally right, going with a 955 makes alot of sense.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Alexgz]

I could not find any independent reviews on the XIGMATEK 500W PSU. The NewEgg customer reviews were mixed and don't really shed much light on the PSU quality.

The GTS 450 has a recommended minimum PSU suggestion of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 22 Amps.)
One available 6-pin PCI-E power dongle

With that in mind I think I'd suggest a CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W $40 & $10 rebate +12 Volt current rating of 28 Amps
Review - Corsair CX430 430W power supply

I noticed that psu also, i just liked that he xigmatek had 80 plus bronze certification.
But ill probably be better off going with a solid brand like corsair.
Thanks

 

[Alexgz]

Best answer selected by alexgz.