Critique my budget build

[Crafty35a]

Hi all,

I'm currently looking to build a new PC without breaking the bank. My main concern is gaming. I game at 1920x1200, so I do need some decent hardware to manage that, but by no means am I an extreme graphics freak. I was still running an x1900xt until I upgraded my monitor and video card a couple months ago.

Here are the parts that I already have, and intend to use in this build:
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB
PSU: Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W
Monitor: BenQ G2400WD Black 24"
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling ACALP64PWM

And here are the parts that I'm intending to buy to complete the build, after some research:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz
Motherboard: ASUS M4A77TD AM3 AMD 770
RAM: A-DATA Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Case: Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower

The one part I'm not at all certain about is the motherboard, but I'm definitely open to suggestions on any part. Maybe I'd be better off spending an extra $20 for this MSI board (crossfire, newer chipset)?

I'm hoping to place an order this Friday or Saturday. Any advice is greatly appreciated -- thanks!

 

[Jd007]

Here's a same price level alternative to the ASUS motherboard you chose. However, if you can shell out $50 more, get this instead, which has USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps to future proof your system more.

Everything else looks pretty solid. Enjoy your build!

 

[Crafty35a]

Your second link is actually the same as the first. Coincidentally, that Gigabyte board you linked to was my second choice. Any thoughts on whether it is superior to the ASUS?

One further question -- what would be a good, inexpensive (SATA) OS/install drive? I'm not concerned about size (I'll pick up a 1TB drive for storage) -- just speed, and price.

 

[Jd007]

My first link is the Gigabyte GA-MA770T UD3P, second link is GA-790XTA-UD4. You probably clicked the links wrong?

Anyway, quality wise, I'd say that Gigabyte boards are on par with ASUS boards - they are both really high quality brands. I'd pick up the 790XTA-UD4 instead, for the 8x 8x CrossFire, USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support.

Any of the Western Digital Caviar Black drive is a very good and cheap OS drive.

 

[Crafty35a]

Strange, I tried a few times, but the link is definitely working now. I've decided to go with the better motherboard (GA-790XTA-UD4). The only other change is that I'm now buying this Rosewill case, and I'm also buying this Hitachi 1TB as a storage drive.

I've decided to hold off on buying a new OS drive right now. My current OS drive is a pretty old Sata 1.5GB/s (Maxtor 6L300S0). Would I be better off using that as the OS drive for my new build, or just creating an OS partition on the new Hitachi?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Jovec]

I've decided to hold off on buying a new OS drive right now. My current OS drive is a pretty old Sata 1.5GB/s (Maxtor 6L300S0). Would I be better off using that as the OS drive for my new build, or just creating an OS partition on the new Hitachi?

Thanks for all the help!

Just use the new Hitachi. HDD speeds are the biggest bottleneck in any computer, and you don't want to be using 1.5 Sata. Maybe use the old HDD as part of a basic backup solution to provide some protection.

The stock AMD heatpipe cooler (which is what I assume they ship with the 955) should be better than what you currently have and should provide enough cooling to a moderate OC. If you plan to go for a large OC they you may need something better still.

Even though this is a budget build (and the extra cache on the PH2s helps alot for gaming) something like a 620 will be very competitive in gaming (compared to the 955) and nearly equal at everyday tasks. Many users report getting over 3.0GHz on the stock cooler, which will help keep total system cost down.

Also consider picking up a 720 OEM for ~$110. You can put that $55 savings in your pocket or towards a new cooler and you have a decent chance of unlocking the 4th core. Just make sure you'd be ok having three cores in case it doesn't. Same logic on a 550 x2 for around $100 - you may end up with only 3 or even just the stock 2 cores.

My launch week 940 ran $275, while the 550 I got for my gf unlocked both cores, runs 150MHz faster at stock, and cost $110

 

[Crafty35a]

Interesting -- I hadn't thought that the cooler I have may not be any better than the stock unit. Still, I'm not a big overclocker, so I'm not too concerned about that, and the reviews seem to indicate that it is very quiet.

I considered downgrading the processor and hoping to unlock, as you suggest, but I decided I'd rather not take my chances. I'd like to future-proof myself as much as possible without breaking the bank, and the 955 seems to be the best shot at that in my price range.

I'll definitely take your advice on the OS drive. I know back when 3.0GB/s was new, common knowledge was that it wasn't much of an improvement in practice as it was in theory -- but I'm sure that has changed since then.