Help! Buying a barebones, Am i choosing correctly for my $360 budget?

[blackbaron1337]

Hello everyone, My name is Brandon and im new here! I hope im in the right spot!
Ive always been behind in the computing and gaming world because of my PC, Ive been playing world of warcraft since launch, been playing World of tanks lately and my computer is failing me im so tired of being behind and having such laggy framerates! If i could get an opinion on a barebone kit im thinking of buying that would be amazing!

Im currently struggling in raiding on world of warcraft and the new expansion is coming soon i need to upgrade. Also on world of tanks its to the point where i cannot even drive my maus around for fun anymore floating around 5-8 fps usually, my cpu is always bottlenecking.

My current computer. Try not to barf, i know =*(

Im planning on keeping my current video card for the new barebones. Also i cant afford windows 7 like i wanted yet, Is running my windows xp 32 bit an ok idea?


Board - Asus p5wd2 premium
CPU - Pentium(r) D dual core 3.00 ghz
Ram - 4gb's ddr2
Video - nvidia galexy gt 430 1gb ddr3
PSU - 380w
HDD - 150gb non-sata (i know terrible my old one fried)
OS : Xp home 32bit

And im on a budget of 360 bucks, i found this kit last night after talking it over with my cousins (they are abit better at these things) We were deciding on this.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.864937


board - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-D2H (REV. 3.1) AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (Model:GA-880GM-D2H (REV. 3)

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX (Model:HDZ965FBGMBOX)

Ram - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ (Model:F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ)

Video - I plan to keep my current card.

Hard drive - Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST1500DL003)

PSU - Rosewill R519-BK Black Computer Case 500W Power Supply (Model:R519-BK)

OS : Is it ok to keep my xp home 32bit?



Is this build going to get me by? Im terrible at estimating outcomes of hardware, i would like to run better than my low low settings, Is this going to work? Will i be over 30 fps consistantly?

Thank you for your opinions. All is welcome for input!

 

[blackbaron1337]

I know one of you have an opinion! Please share? =O

 

[zhihao50]

do you have retail version of xp or OEM version?

PSU is not too good quality and hard drive is bit big (and costly) for what you need.

 

[blackbaron1337]

I do have a retail version of xp, disc and keys are legal.

Ive been looking around and for the buck, that was the biggest bang we could find,(that we know of anyways) do you think ill regret buying this?

 

[Onus]

There's a mix of good and bad though. For the money, you'd be taking a pretty big step up from what you have. BUT...
1) The included Rosewill PSU is archaic, near-junk. You won't be loading it, so it may survive, but if your current 380W PSU is an Antec Earthwatts, use that instead as it is a much better unit.
2) Green drives are rather slow, BUT an eventual upgrade here fixes that.
3) There is no longer any price point at which Intel does not outperform AMD.

The following is a bottom dollar build that will outperform what you have selected. If you remove the video card and keep the one you have, performance will be lower (still better than what you have), and the cost will be around $340:

Rosewill R102-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:R102-P-BK
Item #:N82E16811147111
$29.99 $29.99
I've built in 5-6 of Rosewill's cheap cases, including this one. I've been satisfied with the quality of all of them. The included fans are decent, and move enough air.

ASRock H61M/U3S3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Model #:H61M/U3S3
Item #:N82E16813157236
$74.99 -$5.00 Instant $69.99
This basic motherboard includes USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s for if/when you upgrade your hard drive(s) or get a SSD.

HIS H667F1GD Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card with Eyefinity
Model #:H667F1GD
Item #:N82E16814161375
Mail in Rebate Card
$97.99 $97.99
Will blow your GT430 out of the water, even though many would consider it weak for games.

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...
Model #:EA-380D Green
Item #:N82E16817371033
$59.99 -$15.00 Instant $44.99
If your existing PSU is not modern (e.g. it has a little voltage switch on it), this is an inexpensive but solid replacement; my "go-to" PSU in basic builds for years. Check when you order though, because their may be a special on the 430W and/or 500W models, bringing one of them down to the same price.

Intel Pentium G630 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G630
Model #:BX80623G630
Item #:N82E16819116406
$79.99 $79.99
Will outperform what you have by a decent margin, and can apparently compete against the AMD quad in games. If you want to spend a little more, get an i3-2120 for $113 with a promo code.

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS
Model #:F3-10600CL9D-4GBNS
Item #:N82E16820231394
$22.99 $22.99
I prefer G.Skill RAM; I've never had to return any, for any reason, including DOA. It just works.

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKX 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD3200AAKX
Item #:N82E16822136770
$84.99 -$10.00 Instant $74.99
Will outperform any "Green" drive. Check around though, as hard drive prices finally appear to be coming down a little.

LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer - Bulk - Black SATA Model iHAS224-06 LightScribe Support - OEM
Model #:iHAS224-06
Item #:N82E16827106333
$18.99 $18.99
One optical drive is much like another. This one has Lightscribe.

Subtotal: $439.92
$340 if you re-use your video card (you can always upgrade later); back up to $430 if you need another copy of Windows.

 

[zhihao50]

I see jtt283 has put a system before me and I like intel systems

I think its well worth the extra $5
HITACHI Deskstar 7K1000.D 500GB $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145531

and maybe this psw
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 $45, $25 after mail in rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

 

[blackbaron1337]

Wow that is interesting! Thank you for your research! i do have a earthwatts psu btw! But then again its ancient

 

[zhihao50]

retail version works fine with new system. However if you are a student then windows 7 only cost $65 and can be a good upgrade.
http://www.microsoft.com/student/en-us/Deals/default.aspx#fbid=qq1VP25QU27

 

[Onus]

I'd take an Antec Earthwatts over a Corsair Builder any day. The Jonnyguru dissection of the Builder was good, but there was less-than-stellar selection of capacitors in it. It was built by Channel Well, and the Antec was built by Delta.
Hard to say on the HDD. I've heard some people curse Hitachi drives, but I've never owned one myself. With drive prices still high (but possibly moderating), you can get something smaller now, and add a bigger data drive later.

Edit: If your 380W Earthwatts is the original, non-"D" model, it was built by Seasonic. Keep it; it's a good one.

Edit2: If you re-use your case and PSU, that frees up money to get the i3-2120 and hopefully keep the HD6670, or even better (only $2 more, plus there's a rebate), here's a stronger HD6750: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161379

...multiple eyes looking for deals is why I ALWAYS post before doing a new build, even if I'm pretty sure of what I want (and why).

 

[blackbaron1337]

This is just for personal use, i pretty much only video game, so proformance is what im seeking. I just dont have the money for windows 7 currently =(

However i did see this barebone earlier, im just so hardware impaired i have a hard time comparing, my cousins had a similar problem also but we were trying to make due.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1858584&CatId=5205

 

[blackbaron1337]

Another question, will xp make much of a proformance difference? i know i wont have directx 11, ill have to deal with dx9 if i keep my xp-32

 

[blackbaron1337]

So wait that intel cpu you linked will out preform the AMD Phenom II X4 965?

 

[zhihao50]

not really. Xp should be even less resource intensive then win7. Personally I like the better graphic looks in win7 and thats most of the reason for me to have it. There are some new features like aero snap that I find helpful but XP will still perform essential function very well.

 

[blackbaron1337]

Im sorry sometimes i have problems understand things in different wording, xp wont hurt the proformance of my computer compared to win7 and not having directx for my games?

 

[zhihao50]

No, it won't hurt performance.

 

[Chaz21]

Another question, will xp make much of a proformance difference? i know i wont have directx 11, ill have to deal with dx9 if i keep my xp-32

Between your above options I'd go with the tiger-direct kit. The 2100 alone would be a giant step up from what else is being offered.

 

[Onus]

There are two huge problems with the TigerDirect bundle. First, the motherboard is a bare minimum, stripped-down model. It doesn't have USB3.0 or SATA 6Gb/s. Neither may matter much initially (especially with a mechanical hard drive, which will not saturate even a 3Gb/s SATA port), but they impose immediate caps and guarantee near-term obsolescence. More importantly, it contains a Diablotek PSU-shaped object. These devices should NEVER be attached to computer equipment if there is any possibility they will be plugged into a source of A/C power at the same time. Of course, you can always use your Earthwatts instead. Still, it means you will have wasted money. The bundle doesn't include a graphics card either. I know you say you want to re-use your GT430, but with a more capable CPU, that card will become an immediate and obvious bottleneck. Of course, you haven't told us the resolution of your monitor. If it is something like 1280x1024 or 1366x768, you may be temporarily satisfied with a GT430.

 

[blackbaron1337]

1280x1024 is what im currently using, im got a crappy monitor (something else on the to buy list) but obviously not a "have to have" atm