Questions about first build

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dylthedude

New Member
I am building a new desktop PC, primarily for gaming, on a tight budget.

These are the main parts I'm looking into:

CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE
............... 3.4 Ghz
............... AM3

GPU: ATI Radeon HD 7770
............... PCI express x16
............... specs

RAM: 2 x 4GB DDR3

OS: Windows 7 (+ various Linuces)

Motherboard: one of the following two:
ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3.0
............... AM3+ socket
............... 4 slots DDR3
............... PCI express x16 slot
............... specs

GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3.0
............... AM3+ socket
............... 4 slots DDR3
............... PCI express x16 slot
............... specs

I have some questions about the system and how these components will work together:

1) Which motherboard should I go for?
They seem fairly equal to me, but am I overlooking something?

2) Are all of these components definitely compatible?
I have checked that the motherboard has the required slots (PCIe x16 and AM3(+) socket), but what else (if anything) should I look at?

3) Which of these components will limit the system? Are any of the components overkill compared to the others (eg. is 8GB RAM too much)?
For the RAM bare in mind I like to multitask a fair bit.

4) Is a 500W power supply enough to power these components? Or should I go for a higher power?

5) Do different types of RAM have different performances (eg. Kingston vs Corsair), or should I just look at the speeds?

6) Are there any things I should consider when running linux on this build?
Probably none, but I want to check.

Sorry for the long post - just trying to organise things so it's easy to read.
Thanks in advance for any responses. - Dylan
 
If you can get an ATX board - better for upgrading in the future. The ones you listed are mATX.

Forget about the X4 965, get the FX-4300 or the FX-6300 if you want AMD (will work on am AM3+ board).

What case and hard drive are you going to use?

A Corsair CX 500 will be a good power supply to buy for this setup.

8GB of RAM is the sweet spot right now. If anything is going to limit your system, I'd say it'd be your GPU. The 7770 is a pretty decent performer for the money though. A 7850 would be a nice though.

With RAM, look for the lowest timings and the highest frequencies. Corsair, Crucial, G.Skill and Kingston are good brands to buy from.
 
Why are ATX better for upgrading in the future? Is this just due to more space for cards etc.?

How much better are those two processors? They seem somewhat more expensive. I've never done any overclocking and the thought scares me :D, but I'm sure I'll manage if I put my head to it.

I'm not sure about case/HDD, the case will have to have good airflow and volume, but surely the HDD won't make a difference to gaming, other than loading screens?

Thanks, that PSU looks pretty good.

The 7850 looks a little expensive, but maybe I can shift about some of the other components...

Also something I've noticed is that full tower cases cost a lot more than midi towers. Why is that? Surely they're the same, but one has more metal?
 
Yes you are right, ATX is better for upgrading because they have more PCI slots.

I wouldn't even consider getting the old Phenom these days when the FX-4300 and the FX-6300 are newer and faster. Overclocking the FX processors is very easy indeed because they are multiplier unlocked.

You can see a direct comparison between the X4 965 BE and the FX-6300 here http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/102?vs=699

Case wise, the Fractal Design Define R3/R4, NZXT Phantom 410 and Corsair Carbide 300R are good choices. I wouldn't bother with a full tower case really - too big. Mid-tower is big enough for most people. :) And cheaper too.

And if you can spend the extra, the 7850 would be a nice card to buy, but the 7770 will certainly do. :)
 
The FX-6300 seems worth it I think.

The 7850 seems a bit too expensive, but I'll keep thinking about it.

If I do end up choosing the 7770, should I get worse other parts to match, seeing as it'll limit the whole systems capabilities anyway? Or does it not work like that, as CPU and GPU cover different areas of gaming, as it were?

Also how do I look for a motherboard? I know to look for relative CPU and GPU "slots" depending on the CPU/GPU I choose, and I know to look for future-friendly specs, but what else should I look at? Do different motherboards have different transfer rates between mobo and GPU/CPU? or is it standardised for each type of connection? I have no real idea about how motherboards work and what they do (other than the obvious: providing communication between the other components) as I'm much more of a software guy.

Thanks for the help and the speedy responses :)
 
That motherboard is double the price of the two mATX ones I mentioned, if it's worth it I'll get it, but I'm curious as to why it's more expensive. Is it just due to it's larger size and extra PCI(e) slots?
 
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