Help with a build

[Tabooo]

I don't claim to be a computer guru, so before my friend buys the parts for his new computer, I thought it best if some more trained eyes looked over what I picked out.

It will mostly be used for general pc use: internet, word, etc. The only exception is that he will probably do some light gaming on it.

So, first, would all these parts actually work with each other? I want to know if the parts I chose aren't compatible. Then, second, of course would be if you have any suggestions, such as maybe toning down the cpu to something else?

Thanks in advance!

Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

Newegg.com - HIS H657H1G Radeon HD 6570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - Operating Systems

Newegg.com - XION XON-CBX01-RD CyborGX Gaming Black w/ Red LED Light Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 AMD Motherboard

Newegg.com - ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Newegg.com - ASUS VS Series VS228H-P Black 21.5" 5ms HDMI LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 50000000:1 (ASCR)

Newegg.com - Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Speakers

Newegg.com - Antec EarthWatts EA-500D Green 500W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

[jdeb]

For the same money you could get a slightly better card unless you prefer the passive cooling
SAPPHIRE 100326DDR3L Radeon HD 6670
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100326DDR3L Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card


Very nice build. Everything looks good but maybe a little overkill for what you are using it for but if you can swing the price, it is a high quality build.

[Tabooo]

He told me his budget is about $1000, so I went in knowing it was probably going to end up as a bit over what he might need. And I'm hoping this pc will make him switch from Xbox to pc gaming. Not that there is anything wrong about Xbox, its just that he thinks every pc game is... for lack of better words... a piece of poop.

[Tabooo]

And thanks for showing me that one video card, I'd feel better with a fan on it to help with the cooling.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Tabooo He told me his budget is about $1000, so I went in knowing it was probably going to end up as a bit over what he might need. And I'm hoping this pc will make him switch from Xbox to pc gaming. Not that there is anything wrong about Xbox, its just that he thinks every pc game is... for lack of better words... a piece of poop.

If the computer is going to be used for gaming, might as well get a good graphics card, the HD6670 is ok for media and such but for games, you won't really be able to push past medium settings. With everything in the cart I came to $875.89 before shipping. Depending how much more you can spend on parts I would go for a HD6770 (which is almost double the performance of the HD6670): Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100328L Radeon HD 6770 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card.

[Tabooo]

Doh, knew I would forget something. Also getting a keyboard/mouse package that he wanted for around $80. So the actual total is about $1000 with shipping. Even after I doubled checked it, still I forgo something. *Sigh* Triple checking for now on.

Here is the keyboard and mouse.
Newegg.com - Logitech MK550 Black USB RF Wireless Ergonomic Wave Combo

And the only games he would be playing are Stronghold 2/3, Half-Life 2 Source games, and I think possibly Sims 3.

[glc]

Get him something with good onboard video, and tell him if he needs better game performance, then he can buy a video card and put it in.

[birddog_61]

I know were not supposed to try and sway someone to another brand, but in this case if he is honestly just light gaming to see what he thinks of it then a sandy bridge with the hd graphics 3000 would be well suited for that.

[glc]

As would one of the newer AMD boards with integrated graphics. The 890GX chipset uses Radeon 4290 graphics and the A75 with the new AMD APU's is supposed to be pretty good too.

[David M]

CPU magazine said the new AMD onboard graphics are better than the sandy bridge onboard graphics but the processing power is much weaker than the sandy bridge's. They said it's an ideal thing for portable devices.

[Tabooo]

May change to one of AMD's APUs and then purchase a Radeon later. I think I read you can crossfire with the APU and a normal graphics card, is it actually possible? I assume you need the correct motherboard if it is true.

[glc]

You also need a compatible card - not all Crossfire cards are compatible with the APU.