Help for first time builder

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discretions

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I am a first time builder with a low budget. I have been researching for the last few days and came across this economically feasible build.


Motherboard
Asus M4A79XTD EVO Motherboard ($100)

CPU

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor ($140)

RAM

Corsair XMS3 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM ($50)

Video Card

Sapphire 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 Video Card ($120)

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 500 GB ($55)

DVD Burner

ASUS DRW-24B1ST DVD Burner ($25)

Case

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower Case ($35)

Power Supply

Thermaltake TPX-775M Toughpower XT 775W Power Supply ($70)


TOTAL COST: $595 (USD)

I would like to know of any possible problems I would run into with this build and any modifications that could be made. I can spend a bit more than the amount here and thought about switching out the graphics card for the ATI Radeon 6850. Additionally, I would like to know if upgrading parts at a later date would be an easy task.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.
 
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mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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Well the sapphire HD 5830 is $109 on newegg currently.

I don't know about thermaltake's quality when it comes to PSU's. This OCZ one is semi modular and is only 59.99 with a promo code:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022&Tpk=Ocz%20fatal1ty

and also if you didn't know first time buyers from newegg can get an extra 10 dollars off with a promo code. I forgot what it was so you'll have to look it up if you want it.

Right now isn't really a good time to be building an AMD system even in the budget realm.
 
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discretions

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Any suggestions on what I should do to replace the AMD parts?
 
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discretions

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That is another question I have, for a first time builder would it be better to buy the parts at a store for ease of return if something may go wrong or buy them online from a site such as newegg.com or tigerdirect.com.

Any other problems with this build or is it good to go?
 
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mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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I love newegg.com, they consistently have slightly lower prices than the competition and they are always quick to ship. The only thing that bugs me is when I buy something and a week later I find it on there for like 10 or 20 cheaper. Just buy from wherever you can get the parts cheapest newegg, amazon, tigerdirect, and rarely walmart.com.

Like the other person said if your building AMD than get a AM3+ ready M/B.

The LG 24x DVD burner is only 19.99 on newegg right now. And if you can squeeze out a little more money you can get a G skill 2x4Gb ddr3 1600Mhz kit for 75.99 with a promo code till 5/19 (newegg also).

You should post up your choices for final review/revision also.
 
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discretions

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Motherboard

GIGABYTE GA-870A-USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard ($150)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131631

CPU

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor ($140)

RAM

Corsair XMS3 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 RAM ($50) or G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?nm_mc=AFC-TechBargains&cm_mmc=AFC-TechBargains-_-NA-_-NA-_-NA&Item=N82E16820231314

Video Card

Sapphire 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 Video Card ($120)

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 500 GB ($55)

DVD Burner

LG 24x DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177

Case

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower Case ($35)

Power Supply

Thermaltake TPX-775M Toughpower XT 775W Power Supply ($70)


I posted the URL's to the other parts to make sure I have the right ones. Also, I would like to know of any suggestion for a graphics card that is better and can handle games that will be coming out later this year, such as Battlefield 3.
 
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mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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You should consider the samsung f3 from amazon for a few dollars more you get double the storage and very similar (if not better) performance.

The sapphire HD 5850 extreme for $149 (amazon) is about the most GPU you can get in your price range.
 
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gkay09

gkay09

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^ +1 for the HDD,...
Here is a build from newegg,...

CPU + Graphics
X4 955 + HD 6850 - Even the 5850 Extreme would be a good option
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.642012

Mobo -
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-USB3 AM3+
New socket ready for 32nm AM3+ CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128490

RAM - Crucial 4GB DDR3 - IMO a solid RAM for the price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148262

CASE - The V4 has $10 coupon along with $10 in rebates as well
$10 off w/ promo code EMCKEJG36, ends 5/19
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133179

OCZ Fatality 550W
$10 off w/ promo code EMCKEJC32, ends 5/23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

Samsung F3 1TB
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-3-5-Inch-Internal-HD103SJ/dp/B002MQC0P8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1305778335&sr=8-2

DVD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Total - ~$594 Including coupons not including rebates,...
 
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discretions

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Thank you for the response. Now that I have this solid build, can someone explain to me what the purpose of AM3 is, just for some understanding.
 
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discretions

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Ok thank you for all the help so far, I know this is quite stupid but I just want to survey my options. Is there an Intel build that I can get around the same price? I have looked at the processors and think the i5 2500k is extremely tempting but I cannot find parts that would keep the same price or just a tad bit higher.
 
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mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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HDD 58.52:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-HD103SJ/dp/B001U3S5S0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305835999&sr=8-1

Cheaper 500gb HDD option (perfomance sacrifice) $43.32:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Seagate-Barracuda-SATA-500GB-Hard-Drive/16419669

Case $39.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133179&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1158w2gl7x3i5

GPU HD 5830 $109.00:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102878&cm_re=HD_5830-_-14-102-878-_-Product

Ram 4Gb ddr3 1600Mhz 1.5v small heatsinks $47.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193&cm_re=4gb_ddr3_1600-_-20-231-193-_-Product

Cheaper ram option ddr3 1333 ultra low profile $38.99 fits under larger coolers like the hyper 212 a little better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139398&cm_re=4Gb_ddr3_1333-_-20-139-398-_-Product

HSF hyper 212+ $34.99:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-Sleeve-RR-B10-212P-G1/dp/B002G1YPH0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1305836470&sr=1-1

PSU semi modular 550w $59.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022&cm_re=ocz_power_supply-_-17-341-022-_-Product

DVD/CD burner $19.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136236

CPU and M/B options $369.98 (much nicer board) or $329.98:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.652041
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.654386

Total(s):
Better board (excellent parts):$740.45
cheaper option just the lesser M/B:$700.45
Cheapest selection:$676.25
 
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discretions

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Thank you so much for the help, it is honestly quite unbelievable. While looking at this Intel build I found the GTX 460 for 114 dollars here- http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-PCI-Express-Graphics-01G-P3-1366-TR/dp/B004DKWLB4 would that be a step up and would it be compatible? Also while researching people do not mention network cards, does it not matter what kind I get? Once again thank you for the help mlCaouette.
 
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mlcaouette

mlcaouette

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Your M/B has a great gigabyte wired LAN connection (which I prefer for both speed and reliability). I believe the GTX 460 1Gb should be about on par with a HD 5850 and on intel builds you can run crossfire or sli so it would be compatible even with two cards. On AMD builds if you use their chipset you can only run crossfire or a single nvidia card.
 
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discretions

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I believe I will go with the intel build and hope I do not make mistakes in the building process. Thank you for all the help I have received from this forum, it has been amazing.
 
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