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budget build help

I

iceburn

n00b
Joined
Jul 14, 2007
Messages
5
ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 Ultra MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 4800+ Socket AM2 (65W) Retail
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
Spire BlackFin SP-7090B Black Metal SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Cooler Master eXtreme Power series 550 Watt ATX 12V V2.01 Power Supply, dual +12V rails, model RP-550-PCAR


This is what i have pieced together, I was wondering if there are any changes I should make, any major flaws. This will be used for some light gaming, some browsing, movie watching but mostly for matlab and some autocad. Im a poor college kid and my laptop doesn't cut it. I dont' have a real reason for picking each part, mostly I read reviews and they seemed okay.

I have a big questions thou,
Should I switch to the c2d's it seems to have better greater performance then the x2
other than that
I am trying to keep the price under 650 if possible. Any help would be appreicated
 
The only major flaw I see in you build is the power supply. It's sold out and it's really not that great of a PSU, at least from what I've read. I recommend this PSU:
XCLIO Goodpower 500W PSU - $50

Also, I think that case might be a little cramped for your PC. I recommend this case because it has mounts for 120mm fans, giving you better cooling, and it's a bit more roomier than the case you chose:
Cooler Master Centurion 534 ATX Case - $35

Other than that, your build looks good to me. No need to switch to Intel due to AMD's recent price cut. That X2 4800+ actually outperforms the E4300, the nearest C2D in that price range. So you're getting a decent CPU that can outperform a C2D.

But if you like/want to overclock, than the E4300 is the better value because it's freakishly easy to overclock the E4300. In addition, an overclocked E4300 will wiped the floor with the X2 4800+.

Also, ditch that Asus motherboard because I don't think you really need the kind of features that Asus board offers. This Biostar board is a pretty decent board:
BIOSTAR TFORCE 550 NVIDIA nForce 550 Motherboard - $80
 
I feel that you should make the switch to C2D. If you were, I would reccomend the Gigabyte DS3 and either the e4300 as a budget CPU or a Q6600 for better "futureproofing".
 
cool thanks, ill switch out the power suppy, but i think ill keep looking at cases, i may spend more so that i use it on my next build. Also i may consider to go to c2d after the intel price drop, will the lower end like e4300 be affected in the price drops

agains thanks for the help
 
Actually the E4300 will be phased out. The E4400 will drop down to the E4300 price. But the E4300 and E4400 reaches the same overclocks
 
Your build looks good with Danny's changes, hehe. Either board will do, but I'd go with the TForce. I recall the M2N-E having a multitude of problems before, but I believe they have all been resolved. Though, if you stick with it, head over to anandtech forums and check out the thread they have on that board, so you know what you're getting yourself into. The 4800+ could probably reach 3Ghz, but with some work. The E4300/E4400 is easier to OC, and if OC'd, will outperform an OC'd 4800+.
 
the more i am reading, i think i will go with the intel system (e4400 and the gigabyte). will i need any additional cooling or will the stock heatsink/fan be good.
 
You will only need better cooling if you intend to OC past 2.8Ghz.
 
iceburn said:
the more i am reading, i think i will go with the intel system (e4400 and the gigabyte). will i need any additional cooling or will the stock heatsink/fan be good.
Click to expand...

I would reccomend you to get a better cooler if you intend to do any overclocking (stupid not to on these CPU's) or want a quieter PC, I would reccomend either the Arctic Cooler Freezer 7 Pro, the Tuniq Tower 120 or the Scyhte Ninja.

What motherboard are you getting? The Gigabyte DS3?
 
enginurd said:
You will only need better cooling if you intend to OC past 2.8Ghz.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind, the E4300 can reach much higher than 2.8Ghz. It usually reaches around 3.0Ghz - 3.2Ghz, and many are running it at 3.4Ghz. So, it would be in your best interest to get a Scythe Ninja Plus Rev.B (scnj-1100p).
 
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