Thoughts on my build

[na7han00]

I'm basically upgrading my Vaio VGC-RB30. I'm getting a new case, vid card, memory, processor, and mobo and I'm keeping my hard drive and CD/DVD Drive from my Vaio. So essentially I'm building a new PC. This is my first build/upgrade and I wanted to get some insight on my picks. I want to game, I don't care if I have the most maxed out settings and like 150 ping in all the games, I just want to game comfortably on high settings with steady 100 ping.

Okay enough about that here's the build:


COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119068
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$49.99


ASUS M2N-MX Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131040
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$69.99


XFX PVT73GUGF3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150185
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$119.99
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate


Rosewill RP500-2 ATX 2.01 500W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817182016
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$59.99
-$10.00 Instant
$49.99


Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100009
Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy

$4.99


A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K - Retail
Item #: N82E16820211066
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy

$144.99
-$30.00 Instant
$114.99


AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO4800DDBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103778
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

$133.00


Subtotal: $542.94

Plus a 10$ coupon on the memory so it's 104.99$


What you think?

[Kilauea]

The first thing I notice is the Rosewill PSU, it is not a great brand which explains why it is on these forum's bad list http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195
I would suggest a Corsair 520HX, it seems to be quite popular around here or the Antec NeoHe 500

Not too sure if that suits you or the games you play, but maybe you could consider getting a DX10 card, while the 8800 are quite pricy, they might be good... the 8600 can go as low as 170 on newegg.

Not sure if you need thermal compound or if its already there... and I don't know if everything will work since the mobo is micro-ATX, someone else will have to check for that.

As for the AMD, some people will suggest that you go with Intel, I don't disagree, but its a matter of choice and depends how tight on budget you are I guess.

[na7han00]

ABIT KN9 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

72.99$


Would that be a good choice?

[freakitchen]

Would suggest this for an AM2 system:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131022

I know it's a little more expensive, but the motherboard virtually determines system stability, so it's important to get the right one. It has the newer nForce5 chipset - that ABIT only has nForce4 which isn't recommended for AM2.

Nothing wrong with buying a DX9 card at the moment, and the 7600GT is a decent choice. I'd look at an eVGA card, though - XFX is a division of ECS, which isn't a great thing in terms of quality.

If you do go for this card, a quality 450w power supply would be sufficient:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104954

I'd also recommend Corsair XMS RAM over A-Data.

[na7han00]

Yeah I don't really care for the dx10 right now. I'm just going to probably do the sli.

What about these mobos?

ASUS M2N-E SLI Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 500 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
94.99

ABIT KN9S Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 550 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
79.99

ASRock ALiveNF5-eSATA2+ Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 520 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
79.99

[freakitchen]

I'd think again about SLI. For many, it's nothing more than a marketing gimmic. For me, I say that it's really only beneficial if you've got a virtually unlimited budget and want to create one of the best gaming systems money can buy. When you consider that one more powerful card will outperform two lower powered cards in SLI, it seems rather pointless to me. Even as an upgrade solution, by the time you come to buying another identical card, you'll be able to find something that's streets ahead of it for the same price - such is the fast paced nature of the hardware world.

For that reason, I stick with my suggestion for the M2N-E. Of the three boards you list, the only one I'd actively avoid is the ASRock for quality reasons.

[jer888]

dont know if your set on AMD, but core 2 duo 's are a much better bang for the buck and preform alot better then any of AMD's chips right now. You will be alot happier with a core 2 duo setup then with a budget AMD. But if you need a computer right now and can't get any more money then defiantly dont worry about sli and you will want to change your list according to freakitchen's suggestions

btw- i have a X2 4800 and a 7600GT also (my sig) and it can run things on decent settings NOW, but don't expect much from it in a year

[na7han00]

Yeah basically my plan is to get a decent gaming machine for now and then next year sell my vid card (7600GT) and get an 8 series card for dx10 games. I dont want anything over the top now i just want things that i can play fear on high settings or bf2 with good fps.