New Rig

sozin

Distinguished
Aug 19, 2008
6
0
18,510
Hi guys,

I posted in the general homebuilt forums about a possible upgrade/new build, and based on the replies, lurking, and expanding my budget a bit, I figured I would just go with a mostly brand new system. I found a couple of builds on here that I thought would be a good starting point. I would like to get impressions/suggestions on it with consideration to my 'needs' listed below. Thanks!

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: The sooner the better

BUDGET RANGE: US$600-$850

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, photo editing, surfing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, but open to others

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe -- down the road

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe-- down the road

MONITOR RESOLUTION: syncmaster 205bw w/ 1680x1050 native--- should I upgrade?

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: plan on using windows 7 OS

GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378

AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227297

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153


All comes out to about $830 without the MIR's.

Anything I can improve upon?



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If you want to replace the 20" monitor, it would have to be a 24" or 25.5" (1920x1200) to be worth it IMO, and those are still expensive.

You are proposing to spend $330 for CPU/MB/RAM together. Can you afford an extra $52 for this combination instead?

$325 Phenom II 955 + GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.190735
Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 $57
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785

 
Thanks for all the replies, guys. The order has been submitted and, hopefully, all parts should arrive in a few days.

Been a while since I've done this.. arctic silver still used, I assume?
 
Update.

I wanted to give it a couple of weeks before I came back to give a report.

My new rig, with specs listed above, has been up and running since a day or two after previous post. I have to say this was probably the easiest build I have ever done. I suppose in the 5 or 6 years since my last build that technology, and instructions, have gotten a lot better... it surely wasn't due to my expertise!

The build took a couple hours in an afternoon and it started right up first power push. ZERO issues! Loaded up a vista version i had laying around just to get it to boot, but decided to keep it after all.

I am loving this new puter. Sooooo much better than my nforce rig that it replaced! It more than meets my needs for what I want to do and has actually gotten me away from my XPS gaming laptop.

This thing rocks! Thanks to everyone here :)

Cheers