Please review this build plan

[vespid]

I figured it's about time to replace my old system. It's old enough that there are no PCI-E slots, uses an AGP vid card, and has a P4 2.80 Ghz CPU. I run business software, putz with a few graphics programs, and am only a moderate gamer. While I game a lot, I stick to just a few low-demand programs. Thus, ANYTHING will be a huge improvement and I like the idea of building my computer for the first time so I can upgrade more easily as desired down the road. I've upgraded my current system far beyond what really made sense (I even found a 1GB AGP vid card!)

My current plan is to keep my current 550W power supply, a CD drive and a CD/DVD combo drive, LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse. I have a case fan or two available if needed, too.

Here are my current choices at newegg:

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z Black SECC / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

(ON HAND) Broadway Com Corp OKIA-BLACK-550 550W ATX Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817162018

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Phenom II X2 545 Callisto 3.0GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor HDX545WFK2DGI - OEM - Model #:HDX545WFK2DGI

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) ECC Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit Server Memory Model CT2KIT12872BA1067

MSI N220GT-MD1GL/D3 GeForce GT 220 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Total cost is just over $500. Is there anyplace where adding a few bucks or cutting a few makes more sense?

Any comments or suggestions??????

Thank you for your time and I look forward to tapping your expertise...

 

[Muffin Man]

that cpu is oem so it doesn't come with a cooler. when you total in the extra cost of some generic cooler for it, you might as well just get a new retail cpu
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto 3.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - C3 Revision HDZ555WFGMBOX
since it's retail it also has a longer warranty, comes with a cooler, and this is a black edition too which will come in handy if you want to OC it.

you can get it in a combo with that mobo too, saves $10
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!

you need to change the ram, you listed server ram, and for some reason it costs quite a bit more for the amount you get...
Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
get that, it's cheaper for twice as much ram.

and that gfx card sucks for what you're paying, even if you're just a moderate gamer. you could get this for the same price
Newegg.com - XFX HD-567X-YNF3 Radeon HD 5670 512MB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card with Eyefinity
it's faster , it's a little cheaper after the rebate and it's got a lifetime warranty.

lastly, i would suggest you ditch that psu. you're spending all this money on new hardware but reusing your old psu, and a crappy one at that.
Newegg.com - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W Continuous Power ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
this one atleast would be much better.

 

[vespid]

Thanks, muffin man, for the comments so far. I hate to complicate things, but I've done some further looking over at TigerDirect and have an even cheaper plan for your perusal:

Asus M4A785-M Motherboard w/ AMD Phenom X3 8850 Processor Bundle

Ultra Gladiator Black ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB, FireWire and Audio Ports

Western Digital WD5000AAKS Caviar Blue Hard Drive - 500GB, 7200rpm, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM

Kingston 2048MB PC5300 DDR2 667MHz Memory

Cooler Master Hyper N520 CPU Cooler - Socket LGA 775, AM2, AM2+, 1156, AM3, 1366

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD, English

Thinking about trying this without a separate vid card at first and see if I really need one for what I do (since they will "crossfire" if I do decide to add one). Is there really a reason to dump my "crappy" power supply? It seems fine and seems to have more than enough power, even if it is a little overstated.

 

[Muffin Man]

Thinking about trying this without a separate vid card at first and see if I really need one for what I do (since they will "crossfire" if I do decide to add one).

what do you mean? you don't have to have a crossfire setup, that asus mobo doesn't support it anyway.

those parts look ok except for the cpu. it's an old last gen cpu now, there are better cpus that you should be able to find for a similar price.

if you take a look back at newegg, there's this combo
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, LED LCD TV, Digital Cameras and more!
includes the same asus mobo, with a faster cpu for the same price.

ram is also cheaper at newegg
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ

you can reuse the psu, but i still wouldn't suggest it. how long was it in your old pc? internally it will have degraded just from time so it won't be the same as when it was new. not that it would've been that good when it was new anyway since crappy brands tend to use crappy parts to offer them at cheap prices. if it decides to die on you, it could be a simple psu failure or it could take one or multiple other parts out along with it, and might end up costing you more in the long run. that was just my suggestion, up to you though.

 

[vespid]

OK, it's a bit later and I now have a chance to come back to this. Here is my current wish list at Newegg - please comment:

ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX

GIGABYTE GV-N240D5-512I GeForce GT 240 512MB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (x2?)

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Thermaltake V3 Black Edition VL80001W2Z Black SECC / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

My current 550W power supply is less than a year old, and I also plan to reuse my CD/DVD drives.

Thank you for your time

 

[vespid]

bump

any suggestions from you fine, knowledgeable folks would be appreciated.

Thanks