$600 AMD gaming rig

[batuchka]

Ok my cousin has a need for a gaming rig but will be reusing 19" LCD, keyboard, mouse, optical drives, speakers, 160GB HDD and has the OS. He wishes to limit spending to $600 and under so i was thinking of a budget AMD gaming rig. What u guys think of this plan :

Motherboard: $97
http://www.directron.com/k9a2cff.html
MSI K9A2-CF

CPU: $112
http://www.directron.com/ado5000dswof.html
5000 Black Edition

Arctic-Cooling Freezer 64 Pro CPU Cooler: $22
http://www.directron.com/acfz64propwm.html

PSU: $73
http://www.directron.com/ens0555.html
Enhance 550W

Graphics card x 1 : $185
http://www.directron.com/pchd3850256mb.html
HD 3850

RAM : $53
http://www.directron.com/ct2k12864aa80e.html
Crucial 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2 800

Casing: $60
http://www.directron.com/vg7000bws.html
Thermaltake Soprano

Total = USD$602

So what u guys think?

MOD EDIT: Seems more appropriate in the General forum because it isn't a SFF, notebook, barebones or a pre-built.

 

[Brutus04]

Looks good! ...I might consider looking for a brand name PSU.

 

[batuchka]

Thanks for the heads up Brutus ^^ Ok shall be looking into Seasonic and other makes for PSU i guess.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Looks solid. However, is there a reason you must buy from directron? You can get the CPU at Newegg for up to $15 less (Not to mention it's also oos from DT). See This thread from hot deals.

For a better PSU the Antec Earthwatts is a solid inexpensive solution. 430W is more than enough for that system.

Browse the hot deals thread for cheaper RAM too. Other than that it looks great.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: Brutus04
Looks good! ...I might consider looking for a brand name PSU.

Say wha? Enhance is a HIGHLY reputable brand name. Their Enhance 5150GH on E-wiz was the king of price/performance for ages on these forums about half a year ago.

That particular PSU is rated for Dual Xeon servers. Coming with EPS connectors etc. Enhance has been at it for a while.

This PSU has numbers similar to the above Enhance but uses a 120mm fan with acoustic numbers similar to a Seasonic. The original one you have is a server PSU using an 80mm fan, and as such, while it will stay cooler, will tend to be annoyingly loud.

 

[Zap]

Motherboard: $100 MSI K9A2-CF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130138
($3 more at Newegg, but same or cheaper after stacked shipping costs)

CPU: $110 x2 5200+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103056
Same MHz as the Black 5000+. No unlocked multiplier but it is high enough that even lame boards can hit limits. What makes this the killer is double the cache for $10 more.

CPU Cooler: FREE, use retail box unit unless going after massive overclocks or silence

Graphics card x 1 : $190 -$30 rebate = $160 512MB Radeon 3850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814140086
Might even be factory overclocked according to manufacturer's web site, plus has a Zalman-esque cooler.

RAM : $43 -$15 rebate = $28 A-Data 2x1GB DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820211066
Standard JEDEC latencies and voltages just like the Crucial.

Case/PSU: $90 -$25 rebate =$65 Antec Sonata III with Earthwatts 500W SLI PSU
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/5178426
Don't know if your cousin was set on the Soprano case as cases are really an individual choice. However, the Sonata III doesn't look bad, is top notch quality, really quiet and comes with an awesome power supply that Newegg sells for $90 by itself, so pretty much getting the case for free. I know the Enhance PSUs are great quality, but that 550W unit is more of a server design meaning it will probably still be noisier no matter that it claims "low noise." Also, out of stock and in my experience (have purchased from Directron for years) they sometimes aren't too quick at getting stuff back in stock especially if it isn't a hot seller. The Earthwatts power supply is made by Seasonic and is pretty decent, plus has two 6 pin PEG plugs for dual GFX.

Total = $533, or $463 after rebates

That's just my take on this build.

 

[angry hampster]

Use Zap's case/PSU and GFX card. Go Intel instead of AMD.


E6750:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115029

P35-DS3L
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...813128059&Tpk=p35-ds3l

This should keep you under $600 still..certainly after rebates.

 

[Zap]

Alternately get that P35-DS3L board but the Intel E4500 CPU for $125.

 

[batuchka]

Whoa awesome pointer guys! I especially like Zap's idea of that casing and thanks for the advise on PSU guys i had no idea that the PSU i chose would be a bit on the noisy side hehe Well as it were my cousin had been an Intel dude all this while so he'd like to go AMD for his next rig with the option of crossfire in the future depending on games, budget, etc. Now from Zap's specs (and savings) i was thinking of splurging on an MSI K9A2 Platinum

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130136

-what u guys think? I was thinking that 5000 black could go 3+ Ghz on stock voltage but if 5200 Windsor would be a better gaming chip then i shall go with Zap's recommendation ^^ I could take a few weeks because i heard the AMD 780 chipset is scheduled to be released Jan 23 featuring new SB700? Maybe finalize after the outcome of that release i think. Sounds exciting!

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/c...ay/20071016170229.html

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: batuchka
i was thinking of splurging on an MSI K9A2 Platinum

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130136

Wow, what a sexy looking board! Looks almost overkill. I'd suggest spending the extra money on a Radeon 3870 instead of this board - will make for better gaming performance.

Originally posted by: batuchka
-what u guys think? I was thinking that 5000 black could go 3+ Ghz on stock voltage but if 5200 Windsor would be a better gaming chip then i shall go with Zap's recommendation

More cache = better performance even at lower clocks. The 5200+ will need a tiny bit more Vcore and a better cooler to hit 3GHz, but that speed isn't unheard of. Indeed the fastest AMD chips (6000+, 6400+) use Windsor cores and not Brisbane like the Black 5000+.

 

[BOLt]

Originally posted by: batuchka
Ok my cousin has a need for a gaming rig but will be reusing 19" LCD, keyboard, mouse, optical drives, speakers, 160GB HDD and has the OS. He wishes to limit spending to $600 and under so i was thinking of a budget AMD gaming rig. What u guys think of this plan :

Motherboard: $97
http://www.directron.com/k9a2cff.html
MSI K9A2-CF

CPU: $112
http://www.directron.com/ado5000dswof.html
5000 Black Edition

Arctic-Cooling Freezer 64 Pro CPU Cooler: $22
http://www.directron.com/acfz64propwm.html

PSU: $73
http://www.directron.com/ens0555.html
Enhance 550W

Graphics card x 1 : $185
http://www.directron.com/pchd3850256mb.html
HD 3850

RAM : $53
http://www.directron.com/ct2k12864aa80e.html
Crucial 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2 800

Casing: $60
http://www.directron.com/vg7000bws.html
Thermaltake Soprano

Total = USD$602

So what u guys think?

MOD EDIT: Seems more appropriate in the General forum because it isn't a SFF, notebook, barebones or a pre-built.

case: a matter of preference. i'm sure the thermaltake is fine.

ram: there's cheaper value ram out there. i think there's some a-data from newegg that'll run you $30 for 2gb after $10 mail-in rebate. i saw some corsair xms for ~$50-60 that'll give you some overclocking/low-latency headroom.

video card: that graphics card is good for the money. i have a sapphire version.

psu: i'd go with a seasonic or antec earthwatts (anandtech's reviews have been favorable). also consider the 450w corsair psu (made by seasonic). it's supposed to be pretty inexpensive with enough juice to power any non-sli system and good build quality and reliability. anandtech has some good psu round-up articles you should check out.

cpu cooler: that should work just fine. i had a arctic cooling unit for my s939 build. worked well.

cpu: the same thing is $99 at newegg. good proc from what i hear. good luck on the stepping if you're into overclocking, btw.

mobo: don't know much about that motherboard, sorry.

newegg has better prices on a bunch of these items, btw.

 

[BOLt]

Originally posted by: Zap
Motherboard: $100 MSI K9A2-CF
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813130138
($3 more at Newegg, but same or cheaper after stacked shipping costs)

CPU: $110 x2 5200+
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103056
Same MHz as the Black 5000+. No unlocked multiplier but it is high enough that even lame boards can hit limits. What makes this the killer is double the cache for $10 more.

CPU Cooler: FREE, use retail box unit unless going after massive overclocks or silence

Graphics card x 1 : $190 -$30 rebate = $160 512MB Radeon 3850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814140086
Might even be factory overclocked according to manufacturer's web site, plus has a Zalman-esque cooler.

RAM : $43 -$15 rebate = $28 A-Data 2x1GB DDR2-800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820211066
Standard JEDEC latencies and voltages just like the Crucial.

Case/PSU: $90 -$25 rebate =$65 Antec Sonata III with Earthwatts 500W SLI PSU
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/5178426
Don't know if your cousin was set on the Soprano case as cases are really an individual choice. However, the Sonata III doesn't look bad, is top notch quality, really quiet and comes with an awesome power supply that Newegg sells for $90 by itself, so pretty much getting the case for free. I know the Enhance PSUs are great quality, but that 550W unit is more of a server design meaning it will probably still be noisier no matter that it claims "low noise." Also, out of stock and in my experience (have purchased from Directron for years) they sometimes aren't too quick at getting stuff back in stock especially if it isn't a hot seller. The Earthwatts power supply is made by Seasonic and is pretty decent, plus has two 6 pin PEG plugs for dual GFX.

Total = $533, or $463 after rebates

That's just my take on this build.

good suggestions.