Finalizing my first build (complete)

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1

I've been tweaking teksyndicate's latest 500$ build from the video for a couple days now... What I'm currently worried about is how much I can overclock *without* the currently selected aftermarket cpu cooler, I want to save as much as I can with this build. I'm also worried that I could be over or underspending on the PSU. again, I am very new at this.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/J6hS (check below for final)

The selected CPU cooler is optional, I want to overclock a lot, or not at all.

The graphics card currently comes with tomb raider and bioshock inf. I was considering buying tomb raider before, so I consider 50$ saved there.

I already have a win7 disk and usb cd drive that I should be able to boot from.

I also already have keyboard/mouse/speakers and 1080p moniter from other computers.

---Just read that my selected memory needs to be manually clocked from 1333 to 1600 in BIOS, that's not difficult, is it?

2

You can get a Phenom II X6 1045T for $99 and they are known to go over 4GHz just with adjusting the bus speed and leaving the core voltage, so you can readily get it to 3.5 GHz on stock cooling, however, that isn't something you should skimp on.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/J7Vc

I do really dislike recommending builds that are noticably more expensive than the original.

3

Thanks Mndless for finding that 45% off toshiba 1TB. Also the video card you recommended looks great. Both have been ordered.

I haven't switched to the case motherboard or CPU you recommended yet, as I'm not sure why you went more expensive on each... But here is how my build looks now.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jnfj (hard drive is just a stand-in 55$ drive; I got the 1TB 7200RPM toshiba on sale)

I'm waiting for the X4 955 or X4 965 to go on sale before purchasing either of those, and I've switched my previous RAM to the 1866 speed (highest the board supports).

 

Any other thoughts on the case I've seleced? The PSU? EDIT:changed PSU from corsair to XFX

4

500w psu is fine but leaving room for overvolting your not. You might add 10-20 on the build but not having enough wattage is a crappy way to go.

Heres one for ya and its a corsair

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx750

Its like HDD pay 90ish for a TB or 120ish for a 2TB kinda thing.

5

The case: honestly, for most builds, the case doesn't really matter that much so long as it holds all the requisite components and has at least some idea of air flow. i like the Source 220 from NZXT because it is relatively inexpensive and gives you some cable management, mouting points for lots of fans, and it looks nice. But the Gamma is also a fairly nice case, and it's cheaper. If you can live with the appearance, I see no problems with saving the money.

The Processor: If you are already going with a Phenom II series processor, you really ought to go with an X6 as they do have six cores. The clock speed isn't really an issue because you can readily overclock these to over 3.5 GHz just by adjusting the bus clock. No need to tweak core voltages or anything. And being $99, the Phenom II X6 1045T is a steal of a processor. I would highly recommend it, and I intend on purchasing one when I go to upgrade my system (assuming AMD doesn't release the next greatest thing that is actually worth paying extra for.) A side note, the Phenom II X4 series never go on sale. Ever. Buy the X6 at the current price, it's a really good deal.

The Motherboard: The 960 chipset is simply inferior in just about every concenivable way to the 970, plus the MSI 970 board that I recommended supports natively SLI and Crossfire. So it is worth that little extra money to get. It also supports much faster RAM and is powered by MSI's military grade components, which will give you some tighter tolerances. Although I still wouldn't suggest overclocking things if the overclock requires noticeable voltage increases. Things might die if you do.

RAM: I like recommending really fast RAM because when you raise the bus rate, it will also raise the clock rate of your RAM. This isn't an issue with the Phenom II series processors because the RAM bus multiplier is seperate and can be adjusted to allow you to keep the RAM at a stable speed. The only thing is that it works so much better when you don't even have to bother about it. Plus, Patriot Viper 3 2133 MHz RAM is absolutely GORGEOUS and it's really cheap. Buy it while you can.

The PSU is sufficient for overclocking that doesn't adjust the core voltages, and it can also handle the graphics card you ordered.

6

Just checked newegg's review on the previously selected PSU... Not looking good at all... lots of people saying it blows out after 6-12 months. Checking the build video again to see he recommended the XFX 550. How much voltage does overclocking take? the site said the total build only uses 339W.

Thanks for you guys' help so far!

EDIT:Mndless, you really like pushing my budget, don't you? :P

7

first of all, no I don't like pushing the budget, but I do like letting people know that there are better components to be had. The only problem being that when you improve the quality and, subsequently, the price of several things by small amounts, they tend to add up to noticeable amounts. 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jnv1

I checked out the reviews for this one and it seems to be much better than its first iteration. So Corsair probably got its act together after getting feedback from the initial one. Anyway, cheaper build because I ditched the aftermarket cooling. I wouldn't normally recommend this, because reasons, but the Phenom II X6 series processors are actually not horrible at running with an overclock on stock cooling. I would obviously suggest that you buy a different cooler at the earliest convenience, but if you can get a stable overclock without adjusting the voltages, then it will run much cooler than if you had tweaked them and with stock cooling.

Also, the motherboard is an investment since you can actually crossfire Radeon 7850's. So if you spend $20 now, you don't have to replace a still functional graphics card later, you can just buy a matching one when they're cheap. 

Also, sorry about the budget, I do really hate recommending builds that are more expensive than the original, because I know how much of a pain it is to look at the build you want to make and not be able to afford it. Hell, look at my rig on my page, that is an excellent example of my intentions for greatness running out of money.

It is much better though, I have found, to not waste money on mediocre products when a really good one is only a little ways off. It makes future upgrades far more costly when you cheap out now. Look at my current rig, then look at my forum topic about an upgrade. I want to build this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ILwD

And I've got to replace every single part from my old one.

EVERY SINGLE PART.

I prefer to save people from themselves by providing them with information. Ultimately, it doesn't matter what I think or say because I can't force you to do anything.

8

Thanks for all your help! I definitely understand all the benefits that come from this MB upgrade, and I think I'll go with this as my final build.