[MADE]

Here's what I've got thus far...

Antec 900 - $99

WD Cav Black 1TB - $109

Corsair 750tx - $119

Corsair Dominator 6GB - $258

ASUS M4A79T Deluxe
AMD Phenom II 955 BE - Combo $329

XFX HD-577A
Windows 7 Home Ed 64 bit - Combo $269

Plus a mouse/mousepad combo at around $50 the total is ~$1200.

I'd like to lower this a bit if possible but I'm not sure about what to go cheaper on. I know the ram is pretty expensive and I'm sure a better deal can be had but I'd like to stick with 6GB since I often run many intensive programs. Also perhaps a better/cheaper mobo can be found? I'm open to all suggestions since I haven't built in so long. I'm also worried about compatibility since I had some issues with my last build.

Here's what the PC will be used for:
Games - TF2, MW2, L4D2, etc
Work - Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Notepad++, XAMPP, and multiple Firefox windows all open at the same time

 

[Sickened1]

Thats triple channel. AMD uses dual channel.

Go for this ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231277

 

[Moparman]

Ok so here is a build i just helped someone with this would be very close to fitting your bill. http://www.overclock.net/7816962-post5.html

 

[T D]

Go with 2x http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152181 in RAID0 instead of that drive IMO. Photoshop will love you.

Dunno how the RAID controller is on that board though. Should be fine for just 2 drives in RAID0.

EDIT: Or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185 if you don't like RAID. When it comes back in stock that is.

 

[the_milk_man]

Get This G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1866Mhz RAM for 94.99 instead of the 2x2Gb DDR3 1600Mhz RAM for 93.99. It is only $1 more but it's also 233Mhz faster, which is definitely the better buy.

 

[Sickened1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_milk_man Get This G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1866Mhz RAM for 94.99 instead of the 2x2Gb DDR3 1600Mhz RAM for 93.99. It is only $1 more but it's also 233Mhz faster, which is definitely the better buy.

I just suggested the 1600 because of what the mobo is rated for. If the OP feels safe with going higher, then deff the better buy.

 

[raisethe3]

If cable management is a concern to you, its best to go with the Antec 902 since it has holes/compartment for cable management.

Good luck!

 

[MADE]

Wow thanks for the quick replies!

@Sickened and others - Will 4GB ram be enough for what I'm trying to do? I thought I read that for 64bit win7 6GB is pretty necessary.

@Moparman - I'll look over that rig right now...

 

[detroitpc313]

go with a i7

 

[Powelly]

The Antec 902 does contain cable management holes AND is painted black, which is a bonus compared to the 900 which isn't painted black.

4GB of DDR3 1600MHz with Windows 7 should be sufficient for your work duties. Like Sickened1 mentioned, go for the dual channel RAM (but I'd stick with Corsair Dominator, it truly is fantastic RAM).

Your PSU is a beauty, and that GPU also looks fine. Have you got a DVD drive?

 

[MADE]

Yeah I think I'll swap for the GSkill ram just because the dominator is $150 more. Also is it worth it to get a soundcard or will onboard sound do? I'm not an audiophile but I like my games/music to sound good too.

 

[MADE]

Also I have a question about the Ripjaws ram I read in another thread that it doesnt work well with AM3? Is this something I should be worried about?

 

[T D]

I would use a sound card over onboard any day.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16829132007R if you have the money. Open box is a bargain and it doesn't come with any accessories so you wouldn't miss anything from getting open box except a driver CD or something..

 

[shadow19935]

Just do an core i7 build.

 

[thachamp05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadow19935 Just do an core i7 build.

lol he is going over budget with an amd build i dont think it's possible

at least not from newegg

if you live near a microcenter they have i7 920 for $200.. about what the phenom 955 costs at newegg.

i think the better choice would be the i5 750 though... microcenter has it for 149

unless you just really want a black edition for the unlocked multi i think intel offers better performance at this price level

btw... what is up with newegg being kind of expensive lately... i used to buy from newegg without thinking cus i knew i was going to get a good price.. lately it seems like a lot of stores are much cheaper

oh yeah don't get that ram... amd uses dual channel (two sticks).. if you put three sticks in you will cripple your memory bandwidth. you should just get 2 kits of 4 gigs of 1600... some g skills maybe. that should save you at least 58 bucks and you get more ram. Even the fastest AMD's only hit like 1800 on the ram because you are supposed to keep the ram at 1/2 the NB speed.