AMD build help

[zphdbblbrx]

I am thinking of building a new PC.
My idea so far
AMD Athlon II X4 620
AM3 mobo with good onboard graphics + ddr3

I would be using my old 250gb SATA HDD, NEC DVD RW, Liteon DVD ROM

I would like to build it using a decent microatx case so that it is reasonably portable(considering using it as a part time htpc, and may also use it to do casual gaming with my TV). I would also like to be able to add a dedicated GPU down the line.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

PS: built my previous build in early 2006 with guidance from this very forum. Still going strong, except that it is outdated (P4, AGP video, DDR ram )

Edit - Been doing a little more reading. Now I'm unsure if I want to go with the Athlon II X4 or the Phenom II X2.
I will be doing some light gaming and would like to be able to easily edit HD home videos.

[Masaki 7-11]

You are probably going to be better off with a Athlon II X4 over a Phenom II X2; it will be more futureproof, works well for gaming and has better performance in multithreaded apps like video editing. What kind of budget do you have? Do you need an OS?

[zphdbblbrx]

I have Win 7, so no OS needed.
Budget - under 300.
I would like to get a good motherboard that would give me reasonable control if I wanted to overclock (haven't been down that road in over a decade)
And as I said, would prefer a mini-atx case and suitable PSU that would be good for an additional graphics card and maybe a tv tuner down the road.
I may spring for another hdd if budget permits.
I have not been keeping up with changing trends, so I'd like to know whether this config would be reasonably future proof where I would just have to change processor in a few years' time.
Sorry if this is confusing, and thanks for the suggestions.

[glc]

Who knows what upgrades will be available in a few years' time. The socket may or may not still be supported. You are best off buying at the sweet spot for "now". I do not follow AMD at all so I am not qualified to give you my opinion on specifics - I'm just mentioning this as a general piece of advice.

[zphdbblbrx]

thanks for the suggestion glc.
reason i want to be at least reasonably future proof is that in my last build I chose ddr ram, agp video card, etc. So now I am having to do a major upgrade as opposed to a minimal one.
Of course, my computer has served me well for almost 4 years now.
It is sound advice to "live in the now"

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx I have Win 7, so no OS needed. Budget - under 300. I would like to get a good motherboard that would give me reasonable control if I wanted to overclock (haven't been down that road in over a decade) And as I said, would prefer a mini-atx case and suitable PSU that would be good for an additional graphics card and maybe a tv tuner down the road. I may spring for another hdd if budget permits. I have not been keeping up with changing trends, so I'd like to know whether this config would be reasonably future proof where I would just have to change processor in a few years' time. Sorry if this is confusing, and thanks for the suggestions.

I don't think you'll be able to stay under $300 budget for case/PSU, processor, motherboard and ram. The cost of the processor is about $100, the case/PSU will cost at least $90 (a good portion of that is for a good power supply), the motherboard is around $90 and the ram is around $70 (Both DDR2 and DDR3 cost around this much for a 2x2GB kit). The total cost before shipping and taxes would be about $350. In order to stick to the under $300 budget you would have to go with an Athlon II X2 and 2x1GB ram.

[zphdbblbrx]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 I don't think you'll be able to stay under $300 budget for case/PSU, processor, motherboard and ram. The cost of the processor is about $100, the case/PSU will cost at least $90 (a good portion of that is for a good power supply), the motherboard is around $90 and the ram is around $70 (Both DDR2 and DDR3 cost around this much for a 2x2GB kit). The total cost before shipping and taxes would be about $350. In order to stick to the under $300 budget you would have to go with an Athlon II X2 and 2x1GB ram.

That should be fine. Budget is secondary compared to value for money. I was hoping for a good mobo-cpu combo deal around 150-160 and a case with built-in PSU for around 60-70.
Going a little over to get quality parts is absolutely fine.

I am not in a huge hurry and would like to get this done by the end of the year. Would like to get an idea of good parts that would go with each other so that I get a good picture of the full system and can start looking out for deals between now and black friday.

I really appreciate the patient responses.

Edit - Found my older request from 2006.
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=153460
Shows that I was as confused then as I am now. Only, now I am not trigger happy.

[Masaki 7-11]

Here is a parts list for a MicroATX case, PSU, motherboard (with good onboard), quad core processor, and a 4GB kit of DDR3 ram:


COOLER MASTER Elite 341 RC-341C-KKN1-GP Black Steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119193
$44.99

ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131406
$94.99

Antec Basiq BP430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.2 Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371023
$39.99

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT25664BA1339
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148262
$69.99

AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model ADX620WFGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706
$99.00

Subtotal: $348.96

[zphdbblbrx]

thanks for the suggestions. Will start looking out for deals now. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

[zphdbblbrx]

I like the appearance of these cases, but the reviews of the PSUs leave a lot to be desired.
I'd like to use something like this with the PSU you suggested.

APEVIA X-QPACK2-BL/500 Black/ Blue Aluminum Body/ Front Mask MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144144

APEVIA X-QPACK-RD/420 Black/Red Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144113

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx I like the appearance of these cases, but the reviews of the PSUs leave a lot to be desired. I'd like to use something like this with the PSU you suggested. APEVIA X-QPACK2-BL/500 Black/ Blue Aluminum Body/ Front Mask MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144144 APEVIA X-QPACK-RD/420 Black/Red Aluminum 1.0 w/ ABS plastic front panel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 420W Power Supply - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144113

I've used a few of these cases and they are pretty good; just make sure you use a different PSU.

[glc]

Admin note - we have a strict one account per person rule here - I have merged your 2 accounts.

[zphdbblbrx]

Originally Posted by glc Admin note - we have a strict one account per person rule here - I have merged your 2 accounts.

sorry about that. i kept trying various username password combinations and couldn't figure it out, hence created the new id.

[zphdbblbrx]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 I've used a few of these cases and they are pretty good; just make sure you use a different PSU.

any similar cases without psu? hate to pay for the psu and not use it.
how bad is the stock psu on that case? can i use that for my older p4 system? that is an atx tower, though.

[glc]

Apevia power supplies are only good for bench testing units in my opinion. However, they sell a lot of them.

[zphdbblbrx]

One more question - Does this configuration provide enough for the addition of a video card down the road? And can you suggest any good budget cards to consider? Thanks.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx One more question - Does this configuration provide enough for the addition of a video card down the road? And can you suggest any good budget cards to consider? Thanks.

The configuration can handle the addition of a video card so long as it's not very large and doesn't have very high power requirements. The HD4650 and HD4670 provide a lot of bang for the buck, have pretty low power requirements and aren't very large.

As for case, here is one that might interest you:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163112

[zphdbblbrx]

Thanks for the links.

[zphdbblbrx]

Masaki, I have looked at a lot of cases, but keep coming back to the coolermaster. I thought I wanted a snazzy looking case, but this looks classy and understated and the reviews are great too. Most likely will end up with that.
This supports a regular ATX power supply, right? I am thinking of holding off on it to see if there are any good deals. I've been seeing a lot of deals for OCZ psus. Are they good?

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx Masaki, I have looked at a lot of cases, but keep coming back to the coolermaster. I thought I wanted a snazzy looking case, but this looks classy and understated and the reviews are great too. Most likely will end up with that. This supports a regular ATX power supply, right? I am thinking of holding off on it to see if there are any good deals. I've been seeing a lot of deals for OCZ psus. Are they good?

The Coolermaster supports regular ATX power supplies (I don't think it supports anything else though; it's basically a normal ATX case that has been reduced in size a bit so it only works with microATX boards and weighs less/has a smaller footprint). I've used a good amount of OCZ PSUs (around a dozen) in the last year or so and they all have worked well; OCZ did have some problems with some of their PSUs, but that was all fixed December 2007, so anything made after that is good; if buying from newegg, there is virtually no chance of getting an old OCZ PSU made before Dec. 2007.

[zphdbblbrx]

ordered the case on amazon, found it cheaper there.
Saw these two oczs on newegg

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
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341016

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-NA-_-NA-_-NA

How're these?
I see that these have their fans on the top, but the coolermaster case doesn't have a vent to facilitate it. Would that cause a heating issue?

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx ordered the case on amazon, found it cheaper there. Saw these two oczs on newegg 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 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341016 OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-NA-_-NA-_-NA How're these? I see that these have their fans on the top, but the coolermaster case doesn't have a vent to facilitate it. Would that cause a heating issue?

Newegg just shows the PSUs upside down to show the fan; you'll be installing the power supply with the fan facing down in the case, so there shouldn't be any problems with that. The ModXStream has modular cabling (meaning you can add/detach cables from the PSU as you need), whereas the StealthXStream is not modular and has less cables, but is a bit quieter; I have used both and they have about the same performance. If they are both about the same price, I would go with the ModXStream.

[zphdbblbrx]

Alritey then. Ordered one. Thanks.
Now, only mb,cpu and ram left.

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 Newegg just shows the PSUs upside down to show the fan; you'll be installing the power supply with the fan facing down in the case, so there shouldn't be any problems with that. The ModXStream has modular cabling (meaning you can add/detach cables from the PSU as you need), whereas the StealthXStream is not modular and has less cables, but is a bit quieter; I have used both and they have about the same performance. If they are both about the same price, I would go with the ModXStream.

[zphdbblbrx]

RAM sold out in newegg. Nothing else available for anywhere near the price.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx RAM sold out in newegg. Nothing else available for anywhere near the price.

Are you referring to the Crucial memory I linked to above? If so, it says sold out beside it when searching for it, but when you click on it, it doesn't say sold out and you can put it in the card. Not sure if that is a mistake or they actually have it in stock again. If you don't mind losing dual channel capability (not that much of an improvement in performance anyway; only a few percent at most), another option is a 3x1GB kit that is less expensive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148245

[zphdbblbrx]

How does this mb compare with the original suggestion?
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128399
This has 128mb sideport memory included for the same price. Also comes in a combo with the cpu for $10 less.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx How does this mb compare with the original suggestion? GIGABYTE GA-MA785GPMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128399 This has 128mb sideport memory included for the same price. Also comes in a combo with the cpu for $10 less.

In terms of features, performance and quality they are pretty much identical. Both have the same chipset, same ports, and both have 128MB of DDR3-1333 Sideport memory. The quality on both is about the same (very similar parts). The main difference between them is the audio chip; the Asus has a VIA chipset, whereas the Gigabyte has a Realtek chipset; either one will work fine and there isn't too much a difference between them.

[zphdbblbrx]

Oh, just took a look at the specs of the ASUS after you mentioned that it has the sideport also. Thought I read in one of the reviews that it doesn't have it. I am partial to Asus though, as it is the only brand I've used (4 builds in over 10 years, so not a great number). Would like to continue the tradition if it doesn't make a difference.
Wouldn't mind another brand if it agrees better with my budget without compromising on quality though.
Thanks for the clear response, by the way.

[glc]

Gigabyte boards are decent - they are now owned by Asus. However, they have a different support structure.

[gordintoronto]

Originally Posted by zphdbblbrx One more question - Does this configuration provide enough for the addition of a video card down the road? And can you suggest any good budget cards to consider? Thanks.

I recently included an MSI GeForce 9400 GT in an AMD build. I'm quite happy with the performance at this price. It has an HDMI connector, and someday I will see how it works with my TV....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127412

I run Ubuntu, so I prefer nVidia boards over ATI.