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[riley454]

This is the shopping list I have come up with so far. Total cost is around $670 AUD which suits my budget, but I am interested in opinions of these parts and whether I can cut costs by getting different brands or changing specs a little. I haven't shopped Australian websites properly yet, so no doubt I will save some there and keep in mind that some products costs vary to those overseas.

ASUS_P8P67_LE_B3_Revision_LGA1155_Dual_DDR3_2200%28OC%29_Intel_P67%28B3%29_Chipset_4x_SA
Intel_Core_i5_2500_3_30GHz_Quad_Core_Socket_LGA1155_95W_TDP_4x256KB_L2_6MB_L3_Ca
Avexir_4GB_%282_x_2GB%29_Standard_Memory_DDR3_PC3_12800_%281600MHz%29_CL9_Dual_Channel_1
HIS_Radeon_HD_5450_Silence_Video_Card_1024MB_64_bit_GDDR3_RAM_650MHz_1000MHz_Clo
Microsoft_Windows_7_Home_Premium_SP1_64_Bit_DVD_Single_Pack_OEM_%28GFC_02050%29
Aywun_Soho_Series_S01_Mid_Tower_Case_0_6mm_SECC_4_X_5_25%22_&_2_X_3_5&quo
Samsung_SH_222AB_BEBS_Internal_22x_DVD_Burner_SATA_OEM_Black
Western_Digital_Caviar_Green_WD10EARX_1TB_IntelliPower_64MB_Cache_SATA_6_0Gb_s_3
Aywun_MEGA_POWER_450W_ATX_Power_Supply_80PLUS_ECO_Series_140mm_Ultra_Quiet_Fan_2

Is there anything I have forgotten or are there other costs to allow for?

Wasn't sure when including PSU as there is a lot of variation in pricing for what appeared to be the same specs, and I didn't know how important the number of outputs were too. Most case specs don't say much about the PSU except for its watts, so I decided against the bundled option.

 

[jonnyp11]

i'm gunna look around sum cuz that isn't gunna work too well really.

 

[jonnyp11]

this is going to be slightly slower cpu wise but still a great performer and going to have wayyyyy higher quality parts that won't fail, and if they do they are from much better companies so support will be better too.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11301

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18195

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17538

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15023

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12711

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17003

and a case choice, these are way better quality, looks, and have ood/great cable management too

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_31&products_id=11207

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_30_394&products_id=16684

if you want something classier since these are showier then let me know, and btw the second is from a better brand, but both are reviewed greatly for all their features.

 

[riley454]

i'm gunna look around sum cuz that isn't gunna work too well really.

Where did I go wrong with my selection of parts?

Originally you recommended the 5450 which will more than satisfy my needs at a third of the price of the 6670 you now suggest, as there isn't much hardcore gaming or video requirements.

Apart from cost, what is the benefit of going for the M5A97 mobo and AMB chip instead of the P8P67/intel option that I had listed?

As far as cases go, I don't need looks or anything fancy, as long as it is functional. I can't see me using bays other than for DVD and HDD so an extra 1 or 2 bays is plenty.

The new setup you suggest will cost more but reduce performance a bit, but I am interested to know why my setup was no good so I know what to look at(and what not to look at) in future. Thanks for your help.

 

[jonnyp11]

i had just gone back to the op and looked at what you wanted and saw the gaming and thought you might want a little more than next to the bottom settings in everything more than counter-stike: source, but if not then i guess look at this, and i still rec those 2 other cases but these 2 are also decent, with cases you can get a dheaper one but these will allow you to run all the cables around the back of the mobo tray for mainly airflow and functionality, but it also created a much cleaner look, and easier tinkering/swapping

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16531

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18275

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=15023

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17405

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12711

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11487

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17003

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_733&products_id=16318

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_238&products_id=13468

and this motherboard supports the use of your i5's integrated intel HD3000 gpu which for what you're saying should be plenty of power, it will run any video at full 1080p and can play most games at lower settings a little less than the 5450.

 

[riley454]

Still curious what was wrong with the setup I put together that you said wouldn't work well. It has more than I need and is well within my budget.

 

[jonnyp11]

main prob was the case, psu, and the hdd (that's a storage drive, 5400rpm=SLOWER), also the ram is an off brand and unknown quality too.

 

[riley454]

Ok thanks for that. If everything else is fine, I will look at alternative parts for those you just mentioned. I think you posted some other brands in this thread. Thanks again for your help.