# My First Build



## McFlips (Feb 26, 2009)

Hey everybody, I've been lurking around this forum and other internet resources for a while trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible, and considering I didn't know much if anything about computer building a month ago I'd say I've learned quite a bit. I'm looking to build a fairly basic computer to run a few games (probably mainly Counter-Strike). I'm looking to spend probably around $500 and there are a few things I'm having trouble with deciding on. First is what PSU I should get, secondly what motherboard and processor to get. 

I really apreciate anyone who can help me out here. I also recognize there must be several of posts like this posted a day but I just wanted to get over some first post fears haha. Thanks in advance


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## erocker (Feb 26, 2009)

What resolution does your monitor use?


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## McFlips (Feb 26, 2009)

erocker said:


> What resolution does your monitor use?



Actually I plan on upgrading my monitor, so I'm open to suggestions about that also, depending on the cost of my build I'd be willing to spend a few hundred dollars on that as well. I apologize for failing to mention that


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## Fleck (Feb 26, 2009)

How many new parts do you need?  Are you looking for PSU, RAM, Mobo, CPU, and vid card only?

Right now I'm thinkin $60 PSU, $60 of RAM, a $120 Mobo (I recommend any Asus/DFI/Gigabyte/MSI in this price range), $120 CPU (I recommend the E7400), and a $140 Radeon 4850.

$500.


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## Fleck (Feb 26, 2009)

And around $200 for a nice 20-21" widescreen LCD.


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## McFlips (Feb 26, 2009)

Fleck said:


> How many new parts do you need?  Are you looking for PSU, RAM, Mobo, CPU, and vid card only?
> 
> Right now I'm thinkin $60 PSU, $60 of RAM, a $120 Mobo (I recommend any Asus/DFI/Gigabyte/MSI in this price range), $120 CPU (I recommend the E7400), and a $140 Radeon 4850.
> 
> $500.



Yea those are really the only parts I need, the case and other misc. things I can figure out on my own depending on the cost of the build. Is there a specific PSU you would suggest?


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## Fleck (Feb 26, 2009)

McFlips said:


> Yea those are really the only parts I need, the case and other misc. things I can figure out on my own depending on the cost of the build. Is there a specific PSU you would suggest?



Actually since you need a case, I'd get an Antec case that has an Antec PSU in it.  I'd just go to CompUSA and get it, if you have one close.  A PSU is the most likely thing that'll fail and keep you from running your system, so think about getting it at Best Buy or CompUSA.


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## McFlips (Feb 26, 2009)

I've actually got a microcenter thats really close to where I live and work, ive been going in there almost everyday haha. They have some good cases, I'll see if they have any Antec cases. I just like going in there and looking at all the fun stuff and pretending I know as much as everyone else there.


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## Fleck (Feb 26, 2009)

McFlips said:


> I've actually got a microcenter thats really close to where I live and work, ive been going in there almost everyday haha. They have some good cases, I'll see if they have any Antec cases. I just like going in there and looking at all the fun stuff and pretending I know as much as everyone else there.



LOLOL, well that's good then, and good luck with your first build.

Just remember not to work in a carpeted area, touch the inside of your case to get rid of static so you don't blow any chips, and have the motherboard sitting on the foam it comes on while you install the CPU, HSF (heatsink and fan unit), and RAM and you'll be set.


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## lilkiduno (Feb 26, 2009)

McFlips said:


> Hey everybody, I've been lurking around this forum and other internet resources for a while trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible, and considering I didn't know much if anything about computer building a month ago I'd say I've learned quite a bit. I'm looking to build a fairly basic computer to run a few games (probably mainly Counter-Strike). I'm looking to spend probably around $500 and there are a few things I'm having trouble with deciding on. First is what PSU I should get, secondly what motherboard and processor to get.
> 
> I really apreciate anyone who can help me out here. I also recognize there must be several of posts like this posted a day but I just wanted to get over some first post fears haha. Thanks in advance





Fleck said:


> How many new parts do you need?  Are you looking for PSU, RAM, Mobo, CPU, and vid card only?
> 
> Right now I'm thinkin $60 PSU, $60 of RAM, a $120 Mobo (I recommend any Asus/DFI/Gigabyte/MSI in this price range), $120 CPU (I recommend the E7400), and a $140 Radeon 4850.
> 
> $500.




why would you suggest a 4850 and a e7400? both are a bit over kill for CS:S rite?


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## kysg (Feb 26, 2009)

why not 4850 is still a nice card, If I hadn't completely given up on gaming, I wouldn't be selling mine for 120$ right now.  same with my mobo.


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## Fleck (Feb 26, 2009)

LOL maybe I suggested what I did because it's powerful and fits his price range?  What if he wants to start playing COD4, or Modern Warfare 2?  I'd like to duel it out with him


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

Well this is what ive got so far using stuff microcenter has got:

Motherboard: Asus P5Q SE2 P45 775 ATX Motherboard
Processor: Intel Boxed Core 2 Duo Processor E7400
Video: Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCIe 
PSU: Antec Basiq 500 Watt ATX 
RAM: Corsair 4GB DDR2

Now keep in mind that it is very likely I've made some kind of error here in what would work well, I am new to this   How is this looking?


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## lilkiduno (Feb 27, 2009)

kysg said:


> why not 4850 is still a nice card, If I hadn't completely given up on gaming, I wouldn't be selling mine for 120$ right now.  same with my mobo.



im not saying that it's not a nice card, I would rather get the 4850 then the 4870 save a few bucks and just overclock it to the 4870 specs.



Fleck said:


> LOL maybe I suggested what I did because it's powerful and fits his price range?  What if he wants to start playing COD4, or Modern Warfare 2?  I'd like to duel it out with him



yes it is a powerful card and the E7400 is a powerful chip but wouldn't a E5400 be in his price range a little bit more and with it being a wolfdale it should have some overclockabilty, as for the CoD4 the 4850 would be a great card, i was powering thought it with a AMD 6000+ and a eVGA 8800GTS (G92) 

I'm just trying to look out for him with a tight $500 budget, expectully if he wants to get a new monitor


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## RevengE (Feb 27, 2009)

You really don't need 4gb of ram or a 4850 if your playing games like CSS, 4830 and 2GB will serve you well..but again if you are going to be running a nicer monitor than get a 4850.


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## Fleck (Feb 27, 2009)

McFlips said:


> Well this is what ive got so far using stuff microcenter has got:
> 
> Motherboard: Asus P5Q SE2 P45 775 ATX Motherboard
> Processor: Intel Boxed Core 2 Duo Processor E7400
> ...



You've done well young Padawan.


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## Fleck (Feb 27, 2009)

True that if you want to save some money just get 2GB.  On the '4GB of RAM' thread I probably made 3+ posts telling people over and over that almost nobody needs 4GB of RAM so I'm a strong supporter of this message.


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## RevengE (Feb 27, 2009)

I use 4gb of ram and really it's overkill for me, that's just how I am though..but I photoshop and edit as well so the extra ram helps in that aspect.


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## Fleck (Feb 27, 2009)

lilkiduno said:


> I'm just trying to look out for him with a tight $500 budget, expectully if he wants to get a new monitor



To quote the man himself: 'Actually I plan on upgrading my monitor, so I'm open to suggestions about that also, depending on the cost of my build *I'd be willing to spend a few hundred dollars on that as well*.'

I hope he wasn't expecting to get the hardware he needs for any less than $500, that would be pushing it.


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## Fleck (Feb 27, 2009)

What monitor do you have anyway McFlips?


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## lilkiduno (Feb 27, 2009)

well if your running 64-bit then 4gb of ram is almost a must.


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## RevengE (Feb 27, 2009)

lilkiduno said:


> well if your running 64-bit then 4gb of ram is almost a must.



It's more of a want than a need, like I said I never use 4gb unless I'm photo editing etc.never in games.


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## lilkiduno (Feb 27, 2009)

Fleck said:


> To quote the man himself: 'Actually I plan on upgrading my monitor, so I'm open to suggestions about that also, depending on the cost of my build *I'd be willing to spend a few hundred dollars on that as well*.'
> 
> I hope he wasn't expecting to get the hardware he needs for any less than $500, that would be pushing it.



you can build a nice gaming PC that will run all games out for $500 you just have to shop around for the best deal on your hardware. even so if you can cut a few bucks on your hardware by not getting the new generation hardware then you can save a you ca actully spend more on a monitor!

and this monitor is great full 1080P, 20000:1 contrast ratio, HDMI, DVI, VGA, and built in speakers!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009157


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

I was just testing the waters on 4gb of RAM. 2gb will be just fine. Right now I have an old Dell POS monitor from a comp ages ago. I am planning on getting a new monitor, the cost of which I do not include in the purchasing of the hardware. I'm on a budget but i'm willing to take the hit on a moderately nice monitor.

P.S. I really apreciate everyone's help.


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## RevengE (Feb 27, 2009)

Your a fellow Ohioan I see..I am from Cleveland.Welcome to TPU.


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

xRevengEx said:


> Your a fellow Ohioan I see..welcome to TPU.



Thank you, nothing like a few days of mid-50s weather to break up the endless weeks of snow and sleet


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## RevengE (Feb 27, 2009)

It's almost spring. I hate our winters anymore they get worse and worse.


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## kysg (Feb 27, 2009)

there is a ton of you guys from Ohio, no joke, half the stuff I've sold ends up going to Ohio

maybe it just sucks to be in arizona, or cali


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## lilkiduno (Feb 27, 2009)

kysg said:


> there is a ton of you guys from Ohio, no joke, half the stuff I've sold ends up going to Ohio
> 
> maybe it just sucks to be in arizona, or cali



or Kansas! lol


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

kysg said:


> there is a ton of you guys from Ohio, no joke, half the stuff I've sold ends up going to Ohio
> 
> maybe it just sucks to be in arizona, or cali



It definetly doesn't suck to be in Arizona or Cali, it definetly sucks to be in ohio


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## RevengE (Feb 27, 2009)

Ohio is the state of tech geeks I guess  hahaha.


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

Lucky you don't get the snow that montreal gets... or the slush... or the ice... or the cold... 

as to help you, I'll quote myself...



n-ster said:


> what is your current display? let me build you a good i7 rig... I've been following it VERY closely since Jan, and I know the best bang/buck... would just help to know your display... PM me for any questions or if I forget to post the system I suggest tomorrow
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> ...


*
that 4830 is sweet... that monitor (190$) is VERY sweet and as is that HD.......*
_
If you could save up a little (actually a lot), for ~950$, you can get this i7 rig... (with 4830 not 4850x2) and without the monitor, 750$
 but your better off not buying i7_

*as for 4830 VS 4850, I'd go for 4830, since its a better performance/clock AND it OCs very well... a well OCed 4830 is practically equivalent to an OCed 4850 and blows a 4850 at stock*


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## ZakkWylde (Feb 27, 2009)

Canadian winters pwn pretty much any other winter, cept maybe something like siberia


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

haha... kinda right there... where do you live? oh wait.. This thread isn't about weather or where ppl live? REALLY?

to thread starter, look 2 posts above


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

xRevengEx said:


> Ohio is the state of tech geeks I guess  hahaha.



And also one of the most obese states.... I wonder if there is a correlation there...


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

can we stay on subject here please? have you made a choice or anything?


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

I think I'm going to go with my previously stated set-up, with 2gb of RAM instead of 4, and this monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009157


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

you didn't link right... I do REALLY suggest this great monitor

the one your talking about is probably this one...

but IMO, ASUS monitors > Acer monitors AND Acer's one is 5ms, the one I showed you, the ASUS is 2ms response... I REALLY suggest the ASUS

also, get that HD in my quote... it will be VERY fast since it's on single platter.

and let me find you a better PSU...this PSU is very reliable


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

n-ster said:


> you didn't link right... I do REALLY suggest this great monitor
> 
> the one your talking about is probably this one...
> 
> ...



Okay great, I'll definetly keep that monitor in mind (You're right about it being the one I meant to link). Also, I'm not buying a new HD atm but I will soon in the future.


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

Also, would it be acceptable to use Asus P5QL P4 775 ATX motherboard instead of the one I previously posted?


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

I don't like ASUS boards, so I wouldn't be able to tell you


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

What manufacturer do you prefer?


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

Gigabyte and DFI... some EVGAs maybe...


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

Why do you prefer them? Anything specific happened? Is there a large difference in quality?


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

well I look at i7 alot, and I go by best board for i7, and therefore don't know how they perform in your case.. ASUS has alot of problems with their x58 boards... Gigabyte and DFI are known for the quality boards and OC capabilities... but don't go solely on my opinion


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

n-ster said:


> well I look at i7 alot, and I go by best board for i7, and therefore don't know how they perform in your case.. ASUS has alot of problems with their x58 boards... Gigabyte and DFI are known for the quality boards and OC capabilities... but don't go solely on my opinion



Thanks for the help n-ster


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

no problem.... so how about the PSU?


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## McFlips (Feb 27, 2009)

Well to be honest the one you suggested is about twice what I was expecting to pay for a PSU. Why do you suggest that PSU?


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## n-ster (Feb 27, 2009)

fortunately, in PSUs, brand name tells a lot... Practically ANY Power PC&Cooling and Corsair is a great PSU... they last very long, safest possible, and often, can handle more than the wattage specified... Antec on the other, WAS an ok~good brand until they started making cheap products... is 60$ twice the price you wanted to pay for a PSU? I must remind you that PSUs are the most important part in a PC... especially for safety and getting 100% out of your rig for the most amount of time...

P.S: some PSUs catch on fire... so you have to choose wisely


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## McFlips (Feb 28, 2009)

I was planning on spending like 40 bucks. I didn't see the rebate on the PSU that you linked. 60 is a number easier for me to swallow


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## n-ster (Feb 28, 2009)

lol... if I find any cheaper good PSUs I'll tell you


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## Fleck (Feb 28, 2009)

*sigh* I knew someone would step in and Brand-whore the PSUs at some point.

Aaanyway, Ultras and CoolerMasters, they are good too.


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## n-ster (Feb 28, 2009)

Coolermasters are good... ultras I have no idea, but corsair and PPC&C is GREAT... brand-whoring PSUs is a good thing... you get better stuff that way


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## McFlips (Feb 28, 2009)

Any good suggestions on cases? Brand whoring is encouraged as long as it's truth, not just whoring for the sake of whoring.


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## TheMailMan78 (Feb 28, 2009)

Well have you bought anything yet?


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## lilkiduno (Feb 28, 2009)

i would suggest the antec three hundred, microcenter has em for $44 bucks, great case for a low budget gaming system. but if you do decided to buy it buy two more 120mm fans for the front.


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## McFlips (Feb 28, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Well have you bought anything yet?



Nope, I'm really trying to get as many opinions as possible. I realize it may be dragging the thread out a bit, but I want to get as much help as possible. I do really apreciate everyones help


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## TheMailMan78 (Feb 28, 2009)

McFlips said:


> Nope, I'm really trying to get as many opinions as possible. I realize it may be dragging the thread out a bit, but I want to get as much help as possible. I do really apreciate everyones help



Well the system you want to build is a minor one. Counter Strike is an old game and wont require much of a system. With that being said you'll want to upgrade later.

I personally would go with an AMD/ATI system currently. An Intel i7 system is faster. No doubt. However it will cost you more and currently it isn't worth it unless your a hard core enthusiast like a lot of us are on TPU.

Here is what I would recommend and shop around.

Mobo: 790GX chipset. Asus, MSI, Giga any top brand. Stay away from ECS.
CPU: AMD Phenom II would be nice but not necessary. A Phenom I will be fine for now.
RAM: 2gigs minimum. I recommend 4 since they are so cheap right now. Corsair, Patriot are good brands.
PSU: Corsair 750 would be over kill but future proof. Enermax 535 would do you fine.
GPU: This is where you will have the most debate but if you go with a 790GX I would recommend a HD4850. HOWEVER the on board GPU on the 790GX will push Counter Strike great until you make up your mind. Its not necessary to buy a GPU right away. Just keep in mind the performance increase you will get from a dedicated GPU will blow you away compared to the on-board.

Some may gasp at some of my advice but your really not looking for much currently. The most important two components of a system are the PSU and the Mobo. So dont be cheap on those two parts in particular and remember you get what you pay for. Post if you want to know anything more.


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## J-Man (Feb 28, 2009)

I don't see the need in a monitor bigger then a 24". I have a 24" and I don't think I'd get a bigger one since a 24" is big enough since you sit close to a monitor. A 22" or 24" would be fine.


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## kysg (Feb 28, 2009)

really depends on what you want to do, and heck mailman by the looks of it sounds he should buy rig because I'm parting mine out....

anyways on a side I'll make the argument it doesn't really matter where you go, Intel/AMD doesn't really matter though Intel would cost you more unless you went to a P45, 

everyone says 4gb ram is overkill well I dunno when 4gb kits are 60 bucks you start to think might as well.

GPU: GPU's are coming and going like candy.  They just are there are plenty of routes you can go.  4850 is a solid route, but I wouldn't bet money on next gen though, would have to be 1gb or higher.

be carefull on the nvidia end since they are rebranding everything sigh...outbeside that your looking at a 9800GT.

CPU: not debating.

Mobo: really depends if your getting a card you can sub down to 780G land and still be good to go.  or even 780V if necessary.  Unless you really want crossfire potential then it would be the 790GX or 790FX.

also if you buy a high end monitor do note your gonna need more vid card memory maybe not for games like CS, but for next gen titles yea you want that extra memory.


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## lilkiduno (Feb 28, 2009)

McFlips said:


> I've actually got a microcenter thats really close to where I live and work.



Hey today microcenter has the western digital 1TB harddrive for $80. i would suggest you pick one up


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## DaveK (Feb 28, 2009)

The Antec 900 isn't a bad case, cable management isn't the best and it can be a bit small to work with if you have big hands like me, but for parts there's a good amount of room. I would have got the Antec 300 but I wanted the side window lol. You can also get the Antec 900 II if you like the different design, or the Antec 1200 if you want more room and drive space.


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## lilkiduno (Feb 28, 2009)

yeah, the antec 900 is a great case, i currently have one, but with this being a $500 PC  i believe the 900 is a bit overkill, plus if you wanted a window that much buy one of these FUN FUN LINK


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## McFlips (Feb 28, 2009)

lilkiduno said:


> Hey today microcenter has the western digital 1TB harddrive for $80. i would suggest you pick one up



I may actually go do that, thanks 



DaveK said:


> The Antec 900 isn't a bad case, cable management isn't the best and it can be a bit small to work with if you have big hands like me, but for parts there's a good amount of room. I would have got the Antec 300 but I wanted the side window lol. You can also get the Antec 900 II if you like the different design, or the Antec 1200 if you want more room and drive space.



Yea I do have unusually large hands actually lol.


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 1, 2009)

kysg said:


> really depends on what you want to do, and heck mailman by the looks of it sounds he should buy rig because I'm parting mine out....
> 
> anyways on a side I'll make the argument it doesn't really matter where you go, Intel/AMD doesn't really matter though Intel would cost you more unless you went to a P45,
> 
> ...



Well man I'm not parting my system out. However the advice I gave is solid and stated for a reason. I'm willing to debate you on any point but all I did was give him a different view on things. After all there are a few things you stated that are a bad idea for the long run. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.:shadedshu


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## RevengE (Mar 1, 2009)

4850 will be fine..I agree with mailman on the 790gx. 4gb is overkill like I said before I never use 4gb but they are cheap right now. All you need is a 9600 phenom which are about 110.00 right now an they are good CPUs my friend uses one and it does everything you would need it to do. As for a PSU I say get a 650w unless your going to upgrade fast than head towards the 700-750w range, as for the case it's all you there are so many cases to choose from..some of my personal favorites are Coolermaster, Thermaltake, And Antec.


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## Davidnumeral (Mar 1, 2009)

are those the parts you have aready have or are they the pars you were loooking at buying


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## RevengE (Mar 1, 2009)

The parts he is looking to buy.


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## n-ster (Mar 1, 2009)

why not 4830 instead of 4850? 4830 is 75$, is comparable to the 4850 and OCs better than the 4850, making the gap between 4830 and 4850 smaller


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## Davidnumeral (Mar 1, 2009)

personally if you are not going to be gaming you dont need a 4000 series card i would go for a mainstream 3000 series card but if you are going to be gaming i would spend that little bit more money and get yourself a 4870 because it will last you for a very long time.


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## kysg (Mar 1, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Well man I'm not parting my system out. However the advice I gave is solid and stated for a reason. I'm willing to debate you on any point but all I did was give him a different view on things. After all there are a few things you stated that are a bad idea for the long run. I guess no good deed goes unpunished.:shadedshu



What did I state that was bad in long run, ah heck man lets put it out there.

790GX what do you really need this for really, what can this thing do that a 780G can't do, 780G already has the same bios update for phenomII...the only major diff is crossfire outbeside that you got no reason not unless your totally anal and don't want a matx board.  Matter of fact heck we can even toss in DDR3 which at this point really isn't really much of a deal breaker.

here's another view for ya RAM is only getting lower, 4gb heck it's already that low just let it go, unless your totally a picky dude and insist on 2gb's.  even if it is gaming...

and vid card end not much else to really talk about.

PSU: 650w, even a 500w should do you justice as long as you get enough amps on the +12 rail, hmm and like I said if we really think about it not much diff unless he want's to spend the extra dough on an intel rig.

and yea for a 1080p monitor, 1gb is a definate if you do next gen I could see if you weren't doing next gen but if your packing in a 24in monitor and then happen to find yourself picking up a copy of I dunno lets just say Alan Wake for kicks, would be kinda reasonable to have a 1gb card or crossfire especially since catalyst will not upscale the image for you...


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## n-ster (Mar 1, 2009)

RAM


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## RevengE (Mar 2, 2009)

Davidnumeral said:


> personally if you are not going to be gaming you dont need a 4000 series card i would go for a mainstream 3000 series card but if you are going to be gaming i would spend that little bit more money and get yourself a 4870 because it will last you for a very long time.



You could game on a 3 series card as well. A 3870 would be fine and so would a 3870x2. As for the whole you need at least 4Gb's it's B.S..I have never
Used 4Gb's in gaming I don't care what anyone says you don't need it for casual gaming.if you don't have the money 2gb's is fine!


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## n-ster (Mar 3, 2009)

agree... 2gb is fine... 4gb is... umm futureproof for games that will use more memory later on? games rarely use over 1gb or so of RAM.... another 500mb for background stuff...  4gb is useful only if you play at the 2560xsomething or watever at max settings


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 3, 2009)

kysg said:


> What did I state that was bad in long run, ah heck man lets put it out there.
> 
> 790GX what do you really need this for really, what can this thing do that a 780G can't do, 780G already has the same bios update for phenomII...the only major diff is *crossfire* outbeside that you got no reason not unless your totally anal and don't want a matx board.  Matter of fact heck we can even toss in DDR3 which at this point really isn't really much of a deal breaker.



Exactly. Crossfire. Once this guy does his first build he WILL want to expand. Even if it's not necessary. A 790GX board is a great enthusiast board that can also be used as a good entry level board. You don't want to pigeonhole someone just getting started. Not only will it cost him more money in the long run but might turn him off of TPU for advice


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## A Cheese Danish (Mar 3, 2009)

Do you have a list of the parts you are still in need of? Or are you still trying to decide what parts you still want to get?
I'd recommend, since it will be used for CS:S and maybe other small apps, an AMD Phenom II 920, DFI board, 2GB ram (mushkin, crucial, kingston), either a 4830 or 4850 depending on you monitor,
and at least a 400W psu, and maybe a 320gb hard drive.


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 3, 2009)

Heya McFlips! 

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9234651

Since I cant add combo deals to that list you will need to do some combo deal shopping.

Welcome to TPU!!

EDIT:
O btw, that includes a full tower build minus OS/KB+Mouse/Speakers/Monitor.


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## A Cheese Danish (Mar 3, 2009)

JrRacinFan said:


> https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=9234651
> 
> EDIT:
> O btw, that includes a full tower build minus OS/KB+Mouse/Speakers/Monitor.



Thats a good build right there


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## kysg (Mar 4, 2009)

TheMailMan78 said:


> Exactly. Crossfire. Once this guy does his first build he WILL want to expand. Even if it's not necessary. A 790GX board is a great enthusiast board that can also be used as a good entry level board. You don't want to pigeonhole someone just getting started. Not only will it cost him more money in the long run but might turn him off of TPU for advice



Crossfire isn't enough to justify it though man, even then the way cards get shoved out I wouldn't honestly put stock in trying to have a board for crossfire, heck this is even if I have a Crossfire board in my rig...long run is iffy the stuff is just shoved out, Pidgeonhole yea right, dude your better off sometimes just getting rid of that one card and then moving on, no point in justifying the purchase for crossfire if you never utilize it or if it's utilized poorly...


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## TheMailMan78 (Mar 4, 2009)

kysg said:


> Crossfire isn't enough to justify it though man, even then the way cards get shoved out I wouldn't honestly put stock in trying to have a board for crossfire, heck this is even if I have a Crossfire board in my rig...long run is iffy the stuff is just shoved out, Pidgeonhole yea right, dude your better off sometimes just getting rid of that one card and then moving on, no point in justifying the purchase for crossfire if you never utilize it or if it's utilized poorly...


 That made no sense man. Crossfire works. How is it a bad idea?


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## RevengE (Mar 4, 2009)

A Cheese Danish said:


> Do you have a list of the parts you are still in need of? Or are you still trying to decide what parts you still want to get?
> I'd recommend, since it will be used for CS:S and maybe other small apps, an AMD Phenom II 920, DFI board, 2GB ram (mushkin, crucial, kingston), either a 4830 or 4850 depending on you monitor,
> and at least a 400W psu, and maybe a 320gb hard drive.



I'M in north canton right now, right by Hoover high school. Hahaha off topic.


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