Sub $1000 AMD Gaming Build. Requesting review for trimming fat and compatibility.

[Deringer]

Hello everyone. I've been watching the boards for weeks checking other people's builds and taking in the advice given. I'm hoping to convince my wife that we need a new computer in the next few weeks and was hoping you all could look over my projected build and make suggestions to trim a little fat back to lean down the overall cost. The only items I will not buy purchasing from NewEgg are a keyboard and mouse because I have a $50 Best Buy gift card and nothing else to spend it on there.

I plan on playing WoW, RIFT, Planetside:Next, Battlefield 3 and SWTOR. For comparison purposes, this will be replacing a Dell XPS410 C2D E4600 with 2GB of RAM running XP. I can currently play RIFT on the lowest settings, but I'd like to experience more.

So, without further ado...

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX

Mobo: ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G
Newegg.com - ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard

PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W
Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
Newegg.com - CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model TW3X4G1333C9A G

Vid Card: EVGA 01G-P3-1366-TR GeForce GTX 460 SE (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-1366-TR GeForce GTX 460 SE (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

HD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CD/DVD: LITE-ON Black 24X CD/DVD Burner
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

Case: Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Monitor: Acer G215HAbd-1 Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
Newegg.com - Acer G215HAbd-1 Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ACM 50,000:1

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - Operating Systems

Subtotal: $921.86
Mail in Rebates: $50.00
Total, before shipping: $871.86

The only thing I wished I could have done, but opted not to for cost cutting reasons, was upgrade the case to the Antec 300 Illusion.

I understand that nothing may be trimmed down, but I thank you for looking and I appreciate all the work you all do here on these forums.

-Mark

[Kidd]

It looks like you've done your homework on here. New builders are typically dinged for going cheap on PSU, HD, and motherboard.

ASUS boards are the primary recommended brand here, as are WD blacks. Antec Earthwatts PSUs aren't bad, but I'll let someone else comment on whether or not to go for a single rail unit.

I can't see any compatibility issues, and I personally like the Antec 300 case. for the price, it's very high quality and easy to work in.

As far as your gift card goes: Check their prices for monitors. Getting a monitor with dead pixels and having to RMA can be a pain. If you bring one home from the store and it doesn't work, you can drive back to the store and be up and running the same day.

[pam123]

I use Antec Earthwatts in my builds and it's a good, reliable power supply that will have no trouble with your components and which will give you upgrade room for the future.
As Kidd says, you've done your homework.

[Deringer]

Thank you for your feedback.

I hadn't considered that the Antec PSU I selected was a single rail unit. I'll need to do some research on the back end to determine if a single or dual rail is something I should be concerned with.

That's also not a bad idea re: monitors at a brick and mortar store. I should watch for open box/display model deals locally. I did order my last monitor 4 years ago from NewEgg and had no issues though.

One last request: Any comments on the vid card I selected? Is there something out there similarly priced (or less expensive) that will be better? I've always stuck with Nvidia cards, but I'm open to anything.

[birddog_61]

As far as vid cards, there is an evga model that cost about 15$ more that has a lifetime warranty. If that is something you are concerned with then just look at the model numbers, and any evga card that ends in AR has a lifetime warranty. Otherwise this card
Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
is cheaper after rebate, clocked a little faster, has a great cooler, and is from a great company.

[Kidd]

Originally Posted by Deringer I hadn't considered that the Antec PSU I selected was a single rail unit. I'll need to do some research on the back end to determine if a single or dual rail is something I should be concerned with.

The PSU you selected has 2 +12v rails. I'm not an expert on the topic, so I listen to what the experienced builders have to say. David M recently summarized this in a recent post:

Originally Posted by David M The advantage of a single 12 volt rail is that you do not need to worry about load balancing between multiple rails. The disadvantage is that you lose the isolation between loads where theoretically if one load goes bad it could take out another load. But in the big picture, if its a quality PSU it will come with smart circuitry to shut down and hopefully protect the other loads.

Follow that thread for more information about quality PSUs.

[David M]

Uh oh, now I'm being quoted. I better start being accurate from here on.

[Deringer]

Originally Posted by Kidd The PSU you selected has 2 +12v rails. I'm not an expert on the topic, so I listen to what the experienced builders have to say. David M recently summarized this in a recent post: Follow that thread for more information about quality PSUs.

Gotcha, I misunderstood your original comment. I took it as a single rail is bad, when that's not necessarily the case.

Originally Posted by birddog_61 As far as vid cards, there is an evga model that cost about 15$ more that has a lifetime warranty. If that is something you are concerned with then just look at the model numbers, and any evga card that ends in AR has a lifetime warranty. Otherwise this card Newegg.com - ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card is cheaper after rebate, clocked a little faster, has a great cooler, and is from a great company.

Thanks for the suggestion on the vid card. I chose EVGA because my current 8800GT hasn't failed me so I trust their products. The ASUS however will save me a little coin and is faster, exactly the advice I was looking for.


Now I just need to work over the wife so she'll let me skim a little off the tax return so I can build this baby.

[glc]

Dual rail PSU's are fine. HOWEVER, this one is a better unit and is the same price RIGHT NOW:

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

[Deringer]

I don't mean to resurrect a dead thread, but I had unexpected car repairs and wasn't able to build this machine.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.

[Kidd]

A few weeks is hardly a 'dead thread'. Life happens, PC builds get delayed.

Post again if anything changes; some prices will drop, or you may want to start a whole new thread based on newer technology when you're ready.

[Deringer]

Originally Posted by Kidd A few weeks is hardly a 'dead thread'. Life happens, PC builds get delayed.

No doubt. Also, it's amazing how expensive new tires are on a car

[glc]

Tell me about it - about the same price as a computer.

[David M]

Tires depreciate slower and take longer to become obsolete. They also don't get viruses, are much tougher and won't get you in trouble with your wife when you need new ones.

[xxiSsUEsxx]

Would it cost much more to use an Intel sandy bridge with a similar build to this? Or would you need to start changing a bunch of parts? This is about the cost I'd like to spend and has the same requirements that I'm also looking for.

[glc]

No issues - just replace the motherboard and processor. Everything else would be compatible.