First time Builder AM3 build w/monitor

[JustChrono]

Hello, this is actually my second topic after deciding to try building a new desktop rather than get a pre-built. After pricing considerations i decided to use an AMD build for my CPU and M. Board. I'm looking to try and save a few $$ on this build but i do want to keep the quality high. I'm new to this whole process so I'm especially interested in compatibility issues with the M. Board and it's chipset, does my PSU have the juice for this setup (does it have enough wires/connectors i've been a lil nervous after realizing most hard drives don't come with the wires)


APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAP/this week

BUDGET RANGE: Current list is within my budget,

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, nothing crazy high end but WoW and probably TF2, surfing the internet and watching videos

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I'll grab a mouse/keyboard and speakers separately

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: No real preferences, just want quality that will last

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, have to get it built and working but i think i grabbed parts that can handle it

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Like i said quality is big to me, i dont have to have the cutting edge stuff but i want a well balanced machine that's gonna last


CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

M.Board :GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102864

PSU:Antec EarthWatts EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320

CD/DVD Drive: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106335

Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

Monitor: Acer P235Hbmid Black 23" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009179

Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

Current Total is $966.86

Like i said my main concern is making sure everything is compatible and can hook up well and from there trying to save a few $$ if possible without sacrificing much quality.

 

[Silmarunya]

That will work perfectly. The HDD can be improved a little though. WD still doesn't use 500GB platters, which makes them slow. The Seagate 7200.12 500GB and especially the Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB are a LOT faster at roughly the same price tag. Other than that, there's little to improve on this build.

If you want to save a bit of money, a 500/550W PSU will be plenty for this build.

 

[JustChrono]

Sounds like a plan i'll switch to the Seagate HD then.

 

[JustChrono]

Just an update I went ahead and ordered tonight

I was able to get the Samsung Spinpoint F3 drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

as well as getting this CPU Cooler COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

I saw the ad on LogicBUY yesterday for the Logitech g500 mouse for almost half off so i jumped on that, now i'm trying to decide on a keyboard to go with it, either the Logitech 920-000914 Black Wired Ultra-thin Illuminated Keyboard, the G15, or the Saiteck Cyborg. It's hard to decide without being able to feel them first lol, i just want a wired keyboard that can really handle several key combinations being used simultaneously well and is comfortable.

I still cant believe i just ordered it lol....

 

[JustChrono]

Just a quick update, i ordered it with the HSF and the Hard Drive i mentioned in my last post, got a G15 keyboard too, recieved it today and after a good 6 hours of assembly (the HSF was way more of a pain in the ass than i thought) i hit the power switch, knowing i didnt have an internal speaker after a lack of a wire for one in the case but hooked up to a monitor it came up with a screen saying it couldnt boot from the hard disk insert a system disk, which i guess means i was successful and will be installing the OS tomorrow cause it was very tiring. The most helpful thing was the motherboard manual with all the plug information and connections.

Couple quick questions

on the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus there is a middle spring screw that goes right above the center between the heatpipes going to the cpu and the large heatsink block, but i couldnt figure out for the life of me if i had to do anything with it or it was for something else the bracket was designed to fit....

Since the Antec Illusion case came with 4 built in fans i made good use of the molex connectors from the PSU, but the fans had both socket and plug ends to their connectors, whereas the PSU only had sockets, so i plugged them into individual connectors (i had 6 from the PSU anyways), should i have linked the fan connectors to a single socket or should they be kept to individual sockets?


Thanks again for all the help this whole forum is awesome!

 

[JDFan]

The molex connectors on the fans are made as passthrough connectors so you can still use the same molex connector on say a HDD or DVD drive (so you do not run out of molex connections - having them on their own seperate connectors is fine but if you do need to use them as passthroughs just be sure not to use one on the video card (if using a molex to PCI-e adapter) as the video card should be a straight connection from the PSU to the card ( to ensure it can provide full power to the video card and not have to share the amperage over the wire with another device causing instability)