Gaming Computer - 1st Build, All input welcome :)

S

Shard23

New Member
Ok, so after much research, this is what I came up with. I want to make sure all of the components work together well. Will run Vista. Don't want to spend more than $800, currently there at Newegg (with shipping I must say). All suggestions welcome.


1) Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model
2) Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
3) GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard -
4) SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
5) Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
6) Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339 -
7) AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor
8) Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3
9) Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


Couple thoughts, is it necessary to by 8GB of memory or can I wait a couple of months...

Any excessories needed besides thermal compund...

As to cooling, do i need to go aftermarket with heat sink or will I be ok with stock. The case has like four fans, but would hate to fry anything...

I've read lots of posts, done my research, i think all component match this would become a great gaming/all around performance machine. Price is an issue, so want to stay at the $800 mark...

Thanks
 
I gotta say everything looks perfect I can see you really have done your homework. 8GB of RAM is just a wast of money really unless you have extra to spend 4GB is enough for just about anything you could do. If you could get this RAM instead http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231180 it has heatsink which will help keep them cool and they have better timings which means it will preform better G-Skill is really one of the better brands.
 
Thanks, I made the change. As of now, Final Price with shipping at NewEgg is $832.25

One more thing, what's best sound card/speaker system for money and how bout affordable monitors. Haven't realy thought about those yet, but they are not going to be in initial purchase. I have a monitor from my Pentium II (circa 1999) i'm hoping to use initially, or borrow a friends for a while...
 
Shard23 said:
Thanks, I made the change. As of now, Final Price with shipping at NewEgg is $832.25

One more thing, what's best sound card/speaker system for money and how bout affordable monitors. Haven't realy thought about those yet, but they are not going to be in initial purchase. I have a monitor from my Pentium II (circa 1999) i'm hoping to use initially, or borrow a friends for a while...
Click to expand...

I think these speaker are the best for the money I have them and they are awesome http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121006. I probably not the best person to ask about sound cards but if I had to pick one I would go with this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001. What size monitor are you looking for this is one of the best monitors for the price http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145 this one is HD and is a great buy http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051
 
I think everything looks great and I can tell you've done your homework. If you end up saving money on the video card, why not use the savings on a quad core instead of a triple core CPU? I think it would be better to go with an X4 for future proof's sake.

I agree with everyone else...8GB of ram is overkill. Unless you're doing some crazy video editing, web design, extreme gaming, etc, then 8GB would be fine. 4GB at this point is perfectly adequate for what you want to do. Good luck!
 
First, Thanks for the suggestions. I have updated the build with your suggestions in mind. Want to pull the trigger soon, but still welcoming input. Price has climbed to 1100 with monitor, quad core upgrade but saved a few bucks with graphics card. Here it is...

1) Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B -
2) Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
3) ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor
4) GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
5) XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
6) Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
7) G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit 8) AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
9) Antec TruePower New TP-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE
10) Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Ok, so should I get the sound card immediately, Just Do It, or can I use the motherboard for a while... If so, best bang for the buck? And speaker seystem, same thing, best bang for buck. I am begenning to get over budget, but do want something to last.I can eat PB&J for a while, shall be worth it. Thanks all once again.
 
What cpu?

Dedicated sound cards arent really worth it unless that is your main area you want improvement, your see better increases in playability with an upgrade to a 4890 than a dedicated sound card;)

Whats the budget for speakers?
 
CPU => #8, mixed in (after) #7... As far as budget for speakers, going for best value, bang for buck per se. This whole build is basically that, parts that are the best value for the dollar amount spent. OK, so I will hold off on sound card, but will keep the graphics card as stated above #5
 
if you plan to play FPS type games than a sound card goes a long way in making you better.... being able to sufficiently hear oncoming opponents behind walls and behind you helps to offset being "killed" by a significant amount. From my experience with onboard sound, it doesn't give the sufficient warning a quality sound card does
 
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