Parts advice

[neilganon]

My friend has a budget of $700, and wants to build a computer he can play games on.
He will be ordering from Newegg.
He is only reusing a keyboard, mouse, and speakers. (He needs a monitor)
He will not be overclocking.
He plans to order soon.

These are the parts he is considering:

Rosewill R5601-BK case ($50)
Seagate Barracuda 500GB HDD ($65)
Hanns-G HW-19IDPB 19" Monitor ($120)
ASRock A780GXE/128M Motherboard ($80)
Sapphire 4870 1GB ($225) -10 MIR
Thermaltake Purepower 500W Power Supply ($50) -20 MIR
G-Skill 4GB 1066 ($50)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Processor ($80)

Total $714


I was thinking he should go with a 512MB 4870 or a 4850, though I don't know what any money saved would be better spent on. I also don't know enough about the current lineup of processors to confidently tell him to go with AMD or Intel.

I do think he would be better off with ddr2 800 ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820220269
$50 -25 MIR

Thanks for your time and help.

 

[AstroManLuca]

That processor is going to bottleneck his 4870 and he won't get the full performance out of it anyway, so he may as well save a bunch of money and redistribute how much he's spending on those two components. He should get at least an Athlon X2 7750 with that motherboard, or go Intel instead and get an E5200 with a cheap Intel motherboard (G31 or something). The only reason to go for a 6000+ is if you have an AM2-only motherboard and can't get anything better.

For graphics, I'd go for a 4850 instead of the 4870.

Oh, and I'd ditch that power supply. You can get decent ones for a low price. Maybe not quite AS low, but the Thermaltake Purepower series is cheap disguised as gamer-oriented.

 

[Slugbait]

Besides, that PSU is wrong for the video card...the card requires two 6-pins, the PSU only provides one. That TT would be better powering this Asus 4850, which at $114 shipped AR and includes WoW, is probably the best deal for a 4850 at newegg right now.

Then take the money saved from the video card and apply some of it toward the PSU that will also be in his next machine...getting a PP&C 750W for $80 shipped AR is a pretty darn good deal (if you can stand the color red...)

I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but damn...I'd prefer saving 15 to 20 bucks and going with an Antec 300. That's just me...and I don't like Antec cases, either. If I'm going to pay shipping at that price, I'd prefer something a little more elegant or understated, like this Tuniq or a Soprano. Word to the wise...in this price range, just stay away from the Apevia cases. I have one, wish I hadn't spent money on it.

Yes, go with the 800 RAM. The 1066 RAM needs to be overclocked to achieve those rated speeds, and some mobos have a tough time with it. I speak thru personal experience, having started with Ballistix 1066 on my Bad Axe II, and now running OCZ Plat 800 instead.