New Desktop Budjet Gaming Build

[Aviaf]

So this is my 2nd vrsion of my gaming build I wish to get. The original budget was $1000 but that's not possible in Canada with what I want to get especially since some nice things are on newegg.com but not .ca

So overall, I want a machine that can play games for a while to come and will be damn good at it while still being close to 1200-1400 max.

I need a 24 inch screen minimum. My largest dilemma right now is deciding between an AMD X2 3.1 Ghz AM3 or a AMD X4 3.0Ghz AM2+ for $100 dollars more. But I don't know what going from AM3 to AM2+ does since I'm not so knowledgable about that, is it a good upgrade? (since im not paying 200 more for the AM3 quad core).

Also, I'm having trouble finding a recommended video card in canada without being overpriced, it used to be on newegg.ca but it says discontinued. It says in the explanation that it may be permanently discontinued or they may be searching for another supplier, but its still available on newegg.com

Finally, I have no clue whether the PSU is a good one and whether it can support what I need

Here are my components:

1) SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L - OEM
BestDirect.ca $22.13 plus 3.00 shipping

1) Antec Sonata 300
Newegg.ca $59.99 plus 14.00 shipping

( I really want this case because it has a lot of cooling which is definitely needed according to the vid card reviews)

1) Western Digital Caviar GP WD5000AACS 500GB 5400 to 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
BestDirect.ca $69.24 plus 3.00 shipping

1) BenQ E2400HD 24IN 16:9 Widescreen Black LCD Monitor 2MS 1920X1080 10000:1 Senseye HDMI DVI VGA
DirectCanada.com 259.99

1) XFX HD-487A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150352
****Can't find it in Canada at reasonable price, but I did find this:
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/21...FX/HD487AZHFC/

but it doesnt say ZDFC, so is their a large difference?

1)Kingston HyperX T1 4GB 2X2GB PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory
newegg.ca $64.99 (cheaper than an equiv. kingston RAM)
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/204734/Kingston/KHX8500D2T1K2_4G/
$68.00 plus 3.00 shipping

1) AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103680
BestDirect.ca $121 plus 3.00 shipping

**OR**

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail
Item#:N82E16819103471
BestDirect.ca $218 plus 3.00 shipping


1) ASUS M4A78 Plus AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131381
BestDirect.ca $89.65 plus 12.98 shipping


1) OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
Item#:N82E16817341016
$63 at newegg.ca after rebate until june 30th only OR
$76 at bestdirect.ca


My largest concern after finding a good vid card and monitor is that my power supply is adequate. This power supply has 25 A on most of the lines but I don't really know much about power supplies so I'm looking for some advice.

Also, I've done some shopping for the cheapest prices and bestdirect beats newegg msot times by some and then some in shipping since most additional items are just 3.00

Lastly, I feel like having a quad would be nice, is 100 worth the upgrade and what changes when I go from AM3 to AM2+?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Aviaf]

bump

 

[kookooshortman55]

For the PSU, I would recommend going with either the Corsair 650TX or the 750TX. Both are very quiet and should have no problem powering that system.

As for the processor, the only difference between AM2+ and AM3 is the RAM that's associated with it. AM2+ = DDR2. AM3 = DDR3. Considering your budget, I would stick with DDR2. Is there a lower clocked AM2+ Phenom quad that you can get instead? You can always overclock it yourself.