~$650 Rig, First Time Builder, Few Questions

[gibtuck]

Hi, I'm looking to build a computer for around $650; I will be playing games such as SC2, Diablo 3, Fallout, newer FPS that come out, as well as doing light video editing/digital painting.

I have a preliminary build picked out based on the hundreds of threads that seem to be asking the exact same question I am, any feedback would be appreciated:

Case + Mobo
Antec 300 + Asus M4A785TD

Price: $99

Memory:
G.SKILL Ripjaw 4GB 1600

Price: $92

HDD:
Samsung Spinpoint

Price: $74

Processor
AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE

Price: $149

Optical Drive:
Random DVD Drive

Price: $17

GFX + PSU Possibilities
A)GTX 460 and 850W

B)HD5770 and 550W

A Price: $330
B Price: $205

TOTAL incl Shipping:

with GFX/PSU A - $765

with GFX/PSU B - $655


I realize the first build exceeds my price point by a lot, and the second one falls about right. I am wondering how to get the best bang for my buck out of the PSU/GFX category, what to buy in combos/separately. Should I spend less on the processor and more on the GFX card? What wattage PSU can I buy based on the card range I am looking at?

Thanks in advance

 

[patonb]

850W is more than you need, 550-600 would be just fine, however 850W will allow future upgrades. So while you pay more now on 1, you don't have to rebuy one again if you update.

You could drop to a 750tx Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
But the combo deal makes the 850tx nice.

The 460 and 850 is the better rig, but an inbetween would be a 750tx at 109 and a 5770, but you will suffer abit on the graphics end. Or save 20 bucks with a 460 786mb model.
I'd try to keep a psu with 4 pci-e cables as your upgrade right now, is dual cards, so a psu over 700W.

 

[Muffin Man]

here's another build:

cpu/motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
+
ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard

hdd/ram
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
+
OCZ Flex II 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3FXT1600LV4GK

gfx card/psu
GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-768I GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
+
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7

case/optical drive
RAIDMAX Quantum ATX-798WB Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
+
LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X 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 Burner - Bulk LightScribe Support - OEM

sub-total would be about $663 and you could get a total of $55 back in rebates.

 

[gibtuck]

muffin, that processor/mobo combo isn't available, do you remember how much it was? (edit: make that all of those combo deals)

paton brings up a good point, I think the way for me to go now is to get crossfire/SLI-ready boards and cards and then in the future, just throw a second card in. i'm checking the combos section for a SLI ready board paired with a processor, any idea what I should be looking for?

 

[iPROTechman]

Get an Athlon II X4 635. Like $60 Cheaper than the phenom and will be fine for gaming. + Put the extra budget on a card.

 

[gibtuck]

Update:

Tried to compare what everyone has said on this thread, came up with this:
Aim is to have an SLI-Able Card/Board/PSU, decent CPU (I dont think I'll miss the L3 Cache of the Phenom, at least not according to the feedback).

HDD: Samsung Spinpoint

GPU: EVGA GTX 460 Fermi (768MB)

Case/DVD: ANTEC 300, LITE-ON DVD DRIVE

RAM/PSU: G.Skill RIPJAW 4GB/Corsair 750tx

CPU/MOBO: Athlon II X4 640/ASUS M4A785TD

Total with Shipping, before rebates: $687

Your thoughts? Am I going to be able to throw in a second 460 in six months with no additional purchases? Anything I am overlooking? If this looks good, I will pull the trigger today.

 

[Muffin Man]

no, you can't have an sli setup on a board with an amd chipset. you would need one with an nvidia chipset.

cpu/ram
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Propus 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX640WFGMBOX
+
OCZ Special Ops Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3SOE1600LV4GK

hdd/case + some extra fans for it
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
+
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 BLUE LED LED Case Fan

gfx card/free game
EVGA 768-P3-1360-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
+
Nvidia Free Just Cause 2 Coupon Free with purchase!

motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS M4N75TD AM3 NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI ATX AMD Motherboard

psu
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC "compatible with Core i7/Core i5" Power Supply

optical drive
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

how 'bout this build? sub-total comes to about $667 before shipping and/or taxes.

 

[gibtuck]

That looks good.

What would the difference be between the Antec PSU that muffin listed and the Corsair 750tx that paton did. The prices are the same after rebate.

 

[Muffin Man]

the corsairs' got a 5yr warranty while the antec has a 3yr. the antec is modular while the corsair is not.

actually, i don't know why but i had forgotten about the corsair when i was making that list, but either of them would work.