My first build: suggestions please! Are there any glaring errors here?

[joakcbasse]

This is my first build.... ever. So please help a newbie out, guys. Any ideas or glaring errors in the setup?

Usage: I'm gonna use for mostly movie-watching, music listening, and general internet surfing. The rare game (I want to play Starcraft 2 sometime), but otherwise, I usually use my PS3 for games.

I know that you're usually supposed to put bigger hard drives on a Movie/Music build, but hard drives get cheaper with time, so I figure I'll add that in later, and get the better processor/motherboard/case/power supply now?


CPU: AMD A8-3850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A75-UD4H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128515

Case: Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

RAM: G.Skill 4 GB (2x2GB) DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231425

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

Power Supply: Seasonic X Series X650 Gold (650 Watts)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

WiFi Card: Haven't researched, but i'll need one of these.

Monitor: Asus 21.5''
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236067


I'm trying to keep this under $800 right now. By my current calculations, it's around $770, give or take $20.



Things I'll add later: Optical Drive (Blu-Ray drive)


Specific question: Is this build a little TOO overpowered for my purposes? Could I cheap out significantly? (because, to be honest, this price tag is near my upper limit of tolerance. If there's any good stuff I can get cheaper, please suggest!)

 

[sadams04]

Pretty good... My only suggestion for that build is to swap the Seagate drive out for a Samsung F3.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=f3%201tb

Also, for agruement sake, the total cost of the FM1 system you put together is $260 for CPU, MB and GPU. For that price you can get into an AM3+ system that would fair better on the graphics side. The HD 6670 is a great budget gaming card, plus it shines in an HTPC application. Both of these systems have plenty of power to do what you are after, but the HD 6670 would give you a leg up while gaming. Just something to consider...

Athlon X4 3.0GHz - $100 => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103871
MSI AM3+ MB - $85 after rebate => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130608
XFX HD 6670 - $74 after rebate => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150542

 

[sadams04]

Also, you chose a GREAT power supply, but it is overkill. 450w is plenty of power for either setup above. Stick with Antec, Seasonic, XFX or Corsair.
Antec 430w => http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034

You can also cut some costs by going with the Antec Three Hundred case instead of the Nine Hundred...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

 

[michxymi]

HUGE PSU! Get a 350-400W one!

 

[joakcbasse]

Okay, guys, I've adjusted my build a bit.



CPU: AMD A8-3850 ~$140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103942

Motherboard: Biostar TA75M ~ $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138333

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ~ $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf%20912

RAM: G.Skill 4 GB (2x2GB) DDR3 ~$30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231425

HDD: Samsung 2 TB ~ $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

Power Supply: Corsair CX430 V2 430Watts ~ $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

WiFi Card: TP-Link TL-WN722N ~ $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

Monitor: Asus 21.5'' ~ $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236067


Total = $640
(I would've liked a $550 price point, but i can live with this)



For a system that will mostly be multi-tasking, internet surfing, movie-watching, music-listening, and a rare game (Starcraft 2 is the only game I can think of that i want to run, currently), how is this system?

Also, how does the AM3+ system compare to this system, in terms of what I'm gonna use it for? I cut down on the MOBO, so it's a little pricier now... would be it worth the upgrade.

 

[joakcbasse]

actually, more adjustments:

New build:
CPU: AMD A8-3850 ~$140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-A75-UD4H ~ $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128515

Case: Antec 300 ~ $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

RAM: G.Skill 4 GB (2x2GB) DDR3 ~$36
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB ~ $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

Power Supply: Corsair CX430 V2 430Watts ~ $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

WiFi Card: TP-Link TL-WN722N ~ $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

Monitor: Asus 21.5'' ~ $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236100


Total = $626

 

[darkside_gamer7]

ummm...just to lay down a pt that sys wont run starcraft 2 except on med to low settings...most likely low

 

[sadams04]

...still think you are better off with an AM3+ system solely to meet your gaming requirement.

MB - ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz AM3 125W Quad-Core - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

MEM - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 1.5v - $34
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

GPU - XFX HD 6770 - $120 - $20 MIR = $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150551

HD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 2TB - $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245

OPTICAL - LG Black 12X BD-R 4MB Cache LightScribe Support - $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136226

PSU - XFX Core Edition PRO550W - $70 - $20 MIR = $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

CASE - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $70 - $10 MIR = $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

$614

 

[joakcbasse]

i'm sorry and i appreciate the effort, sadams, but that overshoots my budget by quite a bit.

my original budget had included the monitor, which your build didn't. that makes your build about $160 more than mine.

and i'm actually not looking to build towards gaming.... just looking to build towards general everyday tasks (internet browsing, HD videos, music-listening, multi-tasking). Basically, paying for about $250 for Starcraft 2 (which is what adding an extra GPU + buying the game), is not something i'd be interested in. It would have been nice to be able to play it, but in the end, i've realized i'm not looking to completely make a whole system for it.


I'm also thinking about just building a i3-2100 system, and not using a discrete GPU with that (or, just leaving an open possibility of a future upgrade, but not right now). It would cost about the same, with only the CPU/MOBO options changing in my build.... what does everyone think about that?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

here's a possible kit you could consider for $349. Add the $149 23" Acer monitor and its $500 exactly. add a 6570 or 6670 that will integrate well with the onboard. and it's $560-$575

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.719548

AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU AD3650WNGXBOX
ASUS F1A75-M LE FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3K2/4G
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWR460 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case RS-460-PSAR-J3, Elite 460W Power Supply
LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

the case & PSU are a little weaker, but aren't *bad*

 

[joakcbasse]

yeah, i've looked into a A6 build as well, as it would be more budget-friendly...

my main head-scratching decision right now is A8/A6 vs Phenom II X4 w/GPU vs Phenom 555 w/GPU vs i3-2100 w/GPU.

The thing about the separate GPU options is that i can probably use integrated graphics (in the case of i3-2100) for a lot of my purposes for the time-being... but then get a discrete GPU later IF i want to game later. It allows for expandability in a way that the Llano models don't quite, i think (cuz then the separate GPU options would be more powerful than the Llano models, given a separate GPU).

....what do you guys think about that line of thinking? i dont know, theres just so many options right now, its hard to wrap my head around all of them.

So, I guess I want my budget to be around $650 right now, including a good monitor (~$150). I can roll with that for awhile and add a discrete GPU for gaming later, if i feel it's necessary, i guess.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

the Llano integrated graphics will be the best no-GPU graphics. It will also Crossfire with a low-end GPU (6450, 6570, 6670) to act like something akin to a 5750, plenty for gaming.