Gaming Build

[harryboss]

Building a new computer. Mostly for gaming. Already have case, OS, Monitor etc. This fits into my budget with room to spare, but not much.
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 16MB 500GB
Ram: Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 PC10600/1333MHz CL9 4GB
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD6850 Fan HDMI DisplayPort Dual-DVI 1GB

Questions: Is more expensive ram worth getting?
Is the 965 worth getting over the 955?
Do I need a CPU cooler? (I plan on maybe overclocking, not really sure yet)
Is there anything I should change?

 

[warhead0]

1) Ram only affects FPS in-game by a very small amount, by about 2-6FPS, so it's really up to you to decide.

2) Both are great CPU's the 955 is probably the better value for money.
Also AMD are very close to launching the new "Bulldozer" CPU's it might be better to wait a few weeks so you can get the latest and greatest.

3) YES!, a third-party cooler is essential to getting a decent over clock.

4) Overall it is a decent system and should perform well on most of today's high end games.

Hope this helped out

 

[AdrianPerry]

Id recommend looking into 1600MHz RAM CL9, the price difference is only a small increase on 1333MHz. G.Skill or Corsair Vengeance are popular choices.

HDD - If the Samsung SpinPoint is cheaper/the same price, id recommend going for that, if not the SeaGate will be fine.

You also haven't listed a PSU, not sure if you already have one or not? But for a 6850 build about a 450w PSU is recommended.

 

[mosox]

Get a mobo with the new socket

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128521

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

 

[AdrianPerry]

The mobo he listed was a AM3+......

http://uk.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_AM3Plus/M5A78LM_LX/#specifications