(Another) 1st PC Build

cmschlatt

New Member
Hey all, my laptop just isn't cutting it anymore, so I have decided to put together a desktop. I know some basic info, but really not as much as is needed to just buy this stuff without asking. The hardest use this computer will see is playing WoW or something of the sort at highest settings on a monitor with a movie playing on a 40" 1080p LCD through HDMI port. I want to stay below $700 because I'm a poor college student :(

Here is what I have so far (prices include all rebates):

Case - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

PSU - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ700SXS 700W ATX12V Combo'ed with ODD comes out to $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.418937

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103809

Memory - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600 - $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

GPU - MSI R5750-MD1G Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 - $115
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127494

MOBO - GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD - $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443

Hard Drive - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache - $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Optical Drive - Combo'ed with PSU

Total Cost - $640

If you know of any better deals or parts PLEASE let me know :)

Thanks,

Chris
 
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CPU - if you overclock, get Phenom II x4 955 instead.
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3/ ASRock 770 EXTREME3 support SATA 3.0, USB 3.0
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB/ SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB seems to provide better value.
 
CPU - if you overclock, get Phenom II x4 955 instead.
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3/ ASRock 770 EXTREME3 support SATA 3.0, USB 3.0
HDD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB/ SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB seems to provide better value.

I don't plan to OC and if I do, it will be waaaay down the road. Out of those two MOBOs, which would be better? One has a bunch of reviews and one doesn't have any.

Thanks on the HDD.

Anybody else have suggestions?

Thanks,

Chris
 
The 5750 isnt the strongest of graphics cards on the market, but for the budget its about as good as it gets, although, i saw you posted that build in a thread by another user(your friend is teamhex i assume).

What you could do is this:

Drop the case down to something cheaper, such as this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...119203&cm_re=elite_310-_-11-119-203-_-Product

Drop the CPU to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...cm_re=Phenom_II_X4_925-_-19-103-656-_-Product

And use that towards a 5830:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161327&cm_re=5830-_-14-161-327-_-Product

Which, i think that should keep you under $700, didnt add everything to cart but i think it should be close.
 
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Excellent.

Last question, will the PSU and MOBO allow me to upgrade other things for a while?

I did edit my post, not sure if you saw it.

That mobo and PSU should keep you a decent upgrade path in the future.

Also, this combo could save you some cash:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.408084

Edit: Just added this mobo/cpu combo, the gpu, and case i suggested earlier to cart with the rest of your build and it came out to $733.93 before rebates or coupon codes. Coupon codes($15 off hdd), and rebates ($20+$15) would put you under $700;)
 
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Actually, his post reminded me that my roommate had commented on the GPU. The more I think about it, the more I realize that my video card really won't be used for anything more than WoW and streaming things to my TV. So I think the 5750 will probably suffice.

As for the case, I chose it because of the high reviews and all the places to put fans :)

I was actually thinking of just getting the 955 BE in case I decide to OC in the future. It's only $20 more.

Also, what coupon do you use to get $15 off HDD?

Thanks for all the help :)
 
Actually, his post reminded me that my roommate had commented on the GPU. The more I think about it, the more I realize that my video card really won't be used for anything more than WoW and streaming things to my TV. So I think the 5750 will probably suffice.

As for the case, I chose it because of the high reviews and all the places to put fans :)

I was actually thinking of just getting the 955 BE in case I decide to OC in the future. It's only $20 more.

Also, what coupon do you use to get $15 off HDD?

Thanks for all the help :)

Its listed on the caviar black's newegg product page(the one linked to in your first post).

I'd suggest just getting the 925+msi motherboard combo i suggested earlier, as when you are overclocking on air...the black edition chips may be slightly handy, but $30-40 would be better spent on a heatsink;)
 
Turns out the PSU I was thinking about getting has some pretty bad problems on newegg. I am considering
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171036

Has anybody had any experience with Cooler Master and modular PSUs?

Edit: Found a combo with a sweet case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.422476

The silent pros are great units, a nice single rail unit as well.

OCZ Power supplies are fine units though, i've run quite a few of them for years. Based off of a quality platform, although they do have a bit higher ripple than some units, but far within ATX spec.

Also, this drive is $1 cheaper than the samsung:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148395

(As far as newegg reviews...take them with a grain of salt)
 
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Also, I was looking around at the MOBOs and compared MSI 870A-G54 ATX AMD Motherboard to GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 ATX AMD Motherboard

Under the specs I noticed that the Gigabyte one said: DDR3 800/1066/1333/1600 (OC)

Does this mean that I have to OC something if I want to use 1600 RAM?

And the MSI board is cheaper so I am considering that.

Edit: I keep finding deals :P So probably getting this MSI 870 + Phenom II X4 955 BE combo. Keeps me right around the same price :)
 
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