Advice Building System

[josephdcoleman]

So I am in the market for a new system. I have been out of the system building market for the past few years, so my knowledge is a tad bit rusty. I got a budget of about 1000 and looking to purchase everything through Newegg.com(they have the best deals that I have found). I think I have laid out what I want, but would like some additional thoughts on it.

Processor:
AMD Phenom 9650 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD9650WCGHBOX

MotherBoard:
ASUS M4A78 PRO AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

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

Monitor:
ASUS VK266H Black 25.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor

I think I am good as far as compatibility. Also the motherboard is expandable up to 16gb of RAM. I am going to go with the on board video card which is ATI Radeon HD 3200. From what I can read online, it looks like it will play most current games such as Crysis. I can always get a better video card if it does not perform well. The big chunk of money is coming from the ASUS 26inch Monitor.(It seems like a really good deal, I read some pretty good reviews). I checked the the video card and it appears to support the resolution.

With the above items and a few others like keyboard, mouse, DVD/CD Burner, and Case w/Power Supply the total is going to be approx, $940. It looks like I will get about $90 bucks in mail-in rebates so out of pocket total will be just under $900 bucks. What do you guys think?

 

[Yami]

I am going to go with the on board video card which is ATI Radeon HD 3200. From what I can read online, it looks like it will play most current games such as Crysis.

No onboard can play Crysis, unless you like 10fps at medium @ 800x600, or so.

 

[josephdcoleman]

What about everything expect for the possibility of the new video card? Do you guys think I am getting a good future upgradable system for a good price? BTW, the case I am getting has a 500W power supply, is that sufficient for now, and would I possibly need to upgrade that in the future?

BTW, I am also getting Vista 64-bit for System Builders for $99.99. I know this can only be installed on one machine, but that should be all I need for the foreseeable future. I already included that amount in my total price in my first post.

Thanks,

Joseph

 

[Yami]

Which version if Vista are you planning to get? Home Premium is best, Ultimate isn't worth the money. Also, power supplies which come with cases tend not to be very good, which case are you getting? I've heard Antec power supplies aren't too bad.
I don't really know much about AMD CPUs so I can't comment.

 

[Evolv]

It's not a good idea to use power supplies that come with cases, unless its a antec.

You should get this processor instead:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Overall it's better than the one you picked. It has newer tech, more cache and better gaming performance, if that's what you're into. Check it out:
AnandTech: The Phenom II X4 810 & X3 720: AMD Gets DDR3 But Doesn't Need It

If you don't want to spend a lot on a video card, you could consider one of these:
Newegg.com - ASUS EAH4830/HTDP/512MD3 Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
It can handle crysis at decent settings.

 

[veg1992]

No onboard can play Crysis, unless you like 10fps at medium @ 800x600, or so.

Dude the HD 3200 is the second best Onboard out there...

It can play Crysis 640 on Medium-Low and do 15 FPS at stock...

OC it to 750Mhz core (like I did before) and it does 20, 800x600 Medium-Low

If you want to be safe though, consider buying a cheap 8600GT or 8600GTS/ HD 4650

 

[alexsabree]

To be honest you should spend more on your GPU and less on your monitor, because if you use on-board you would have a hard time finding games that you could play at your native resolution. No point in spending that much in a monitor if you cant use it properly. Everything is fine except for the GPU, take a little money thats invested in your monitor put it towards gaming performance and get a Radeon HD4850 or something similar. You will get FAR superior frames and be able to play Crysis at full resolution on higher settings.

HD Radeon 4850
1080P Acer Monitor

With the budget your at, going past 1080P is not a good idea if you plan on playing newer games.

Good luck man! Hope you get it all straightened out.

 

[josephdcoleman]

I am getting Vista 64 Home Premium. I change some thing on my order with the case and PS.

Case: RaidMax:
Newegg.com - RAIDMAX Tornado ATX-238WG Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Power Suppy:
Newegg.com - hec X-Power Pro 600 600W Continuous @ 40°C ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply - Power Supplies

There are my Video Card choices in my price range, which one is the best?

HD Radeon 4850
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

GeForce 9800 GTX(G92)
Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[veg1992]

Well the 9800GTX isn't as fast as the HD 4850....

the 9800GTX+ on the other hand is as fast as the HD 4850

 

[Pinscher]

I have never heard of that PSU brand.

Get a PC P&C Newegg.com - PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies. Its a little bit more expensive but its not going to die and take the rest of your parts with it.