Review This Build

[sir daniel]

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - Retail

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM

Verbatim 8.5GB 2.4X~6X DVD+R DL 3 Packs Disc - Retail

Subtotal: $691.88
Tax: $66.04
Shipping: $32.09
Real total: $790.01

I also need to add a video card / tuner card or buy a TV. I haven't decided on which one I want to do yet. I also need to add an LCD monitor. I have an old one at the moment that flickers every time I scroll up/down and hate it.

Feel free to change out a part if it's a better deal, not a good choice, or something like that.

 

[Proximon]

Better CPU cooler:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004&Tpk=Sunbeam%20CCTF

I can't say on the video card or PSU as I have no idea what you want to do with this build.

Everything else seems fine.

 

[xthekidx]

You need to give us a clue as to what you want out of this build if you want our opinions. If this is for gaming, then you should pick the GPU first, then the PSU and monitor. If this is just home use, internet, email and microsoft word ect then you don't even need a video card, you can just use onboard video.

The HDD you picked is slow, the Caviar black drive is what I would go for.

 

[sir daniel]

I'm interested in a computer for entertainment purposes at home. I spend my time on the computer surfing the web, listening to music, watching movies and TV shows online, and playing Internet based video games. Mostly Arcanists at the moment, which is a game that will play on the computer I have now, unless I want to multitask or even listen to music at the same time.

I could actually, probably get by with cheaper/slower components than what I've picked out. I purchased a motherboard with an integrated Radeon 3200 HD card not too long ago, and it handles what I need it to do (though I'm only able to use it on weekends), so integrated video should do fine.

What's your opinion on a way to get TV? So far, the options I've found are buy a TV tuner card + monitor, a TV that's good enough to be a monitor, or TV + monitor.

 

[xthekidx]

How about a monitor that is good enough to be a TV?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001280

I don't think you need that CPU, I would go with a PII 720. Seeing as how you can play your game using integrated graphics, I doubt it uses more than 1 CPU core, so you still have 2 extra cores to do your other tasks while playing.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

I think you should get a discrete GPU, something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102822

 

[swifty_morgan]

It never ceases to amaze me how people seem to want to cut their throats when it comes to getting an adequate power supply for the system they are building.

 

[sir daniel]

I have a question about Hyper Transport. The CPU says "3600MHz" and every motherboard on newegg I've seen says "2600MHz" or less. Does that mean that the CPU will be running 1000MHz slow?

 

[Helloworld_98]

2600mhz(5200MT/s)HT or less, that cpu runs at 2000mhz(4000MT/s)HT

 

[aln688]

Speed is not an element in your system build that matters, however two areas I would not go cheap on are (1) the PSU and (2) the LCD monitor. For the PSU I would not go below 500 watt to be safe, and would only go with Seasonic, Corsair or PC Power & Cooling.

I would get a good TV tuner card, look at the reviews on Newegg since all your links are on that site. For monitor look for one with good contrast ratio and response time, even with monitor I wouldn't go too cheap unless avoidable. I wouldn't consider "all-in-one" components, such as a monitor with tuner built-in either.

One more tip, avoid Newegg if you're in CA or TN, the sales tax certainly adds up, especially now since it increased on April 1st, and that's not an April fool joke. I would try vendors such as Amazon (great customer service), Tiger Direct or Motherboard Pro. Do a search in Froogle.com.

The money you save not paying tax could get you better components, just an idea.

 

[hp19]

good advice aln688, this topic is helping me out, my build is similar to this, and also more for entertainment purposes then for games. I'm hoping newegg comes out with a good mobo+cpu combo deal i can advantage of.

 

[Helloworld_98]

Another PSU that people seem to go with is the OCZ Fatal1ty 550w.

 

[sir daniel]

Should I change anything this time?

I looked up the Samsung hard drive (below) on this site, and it's faster than the Western Digital Black edition.

I picked out a good PSU, but then that guy posted a modular one with the same specs. 😀

Will I notice the difference if I swap to the cheaper CPU? (AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz)

What if I get a motherboard that supports the AM3? I'd be able to upgrade the CPU later on. (This motherboard instead of the one below).

Is AM3 backward compatible with AM2+?

COOLER MASTER Mystique RC-632S-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum/ SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 1800 MCE Kit 1128 PCI-Express x1 Interface - Retail

Verbatim 8.5GB 2.4X~6X DVD+R DL 3 Packs Disc - Retail

LG W1953T-PF Black 18.5" 2ms(GTG) 16:9 Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

SAPPHIRE 100265HDMI Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor Model HDZ940XCGIBOX - Retail

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

SAMSUNG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model SH-S223Q - OEM

Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail

 

[WR2]

GA-MA790XT-UD4P supports ONLY AM3 Phenom II CPUs - not AM2+ CPUs and costs $10 more.
GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H supports AM2, AM2+ and AM3 CPUs and costs $10 less (see CPU supported list)

You can save $20 (a/r) and get a slightly better PSU with BFG Tech LS SERIES LS-550. You will give up modular cables but in a large well ventilated case like you choose it's not a concern.
BFG LS-550 & OCZ Fatal1ty 550W compared

 

[xthekidx]

I didn't see the OCZ fatal1ty in that review, just the modxstream 500w.

BFG LS PSU is very good.

 

[jbarr]

+1 OCZ Fatal1ty OCZ550FTY 550W

You got to love the modular cables….makes cable management a breeze !

 

[WR2]

I didn't see the OCZ fatal1ty in that review, just the modxstream 500w.

Whooopsie;
I should have pointed out that the OCZ Fatal1ty (400 & 550) and OCZ ModXstream are both SirTech built PSUs and that is why I'd favor the BFG LS-550 - expecting the OCZ Fatal1ty 550 to perform like the ModXstreams.

 

[xthekidx]

I've seen several a pretty decent reviews of the 700w version of it, so I think the 550w is probably similar in quality. I think its at least safe to say its not a bad psu. Unfortunately the 550w version seems to get overlooked a lot, but the 700w is represented quite well.
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/704/1

 

[WR2]

I think the Fatal1ty 700 is made by Impervio and "a brother under the skin" OCZ EliteXstream as that linked article points out.
Fatal1ty 700 = OCZ EliteXstream
Fatal1ty 550 = OCZ ModXStream