i originally put down the x3 720 black edition, but changed it to the 710 and forgot to remove "black edition". from what i've heard, the 710 overclocks pretty darn well even without the unlocked multiplier. while some people report getting good clocks with the stock hs/f, i always recommend an aftermarket cooler when doing any overclocking. then again the 720 black edition is only $20 more expensive (i thought it was more), and may include a better stock cooler since it's geared towards enthusiasts, so that could really be a better option. as far as the operating system is concerned, i did forget to include that. to the op: will you be attending a "major" university? if so, the cost of the operating system could be almost null; due to my university's partnership with microsoft, students and faculty get copies of windows at a huge discount, and i would imagine lots of other universities offer similar perks. it's definitely something to look into if you haven't already. but even still, i stand by the fact that the drastic increase in performance and flexibility is well worth saving up an additional $200.
Yes, but that's not until a year from now. Still have one year of high school left =/
But yeah, I'm thinking about saving a little bit more and going with some of the options you guys presented to me. I also wasn't aware that 550w PSU wasn't enough, I figured it'd be plenty. Thanks for pointing that out though.
a 550w psu would actually be just fine for a build like the one you're planning, depending on the manufacturer. the maximum wattage isn't quite as important as the psu's efficiency and the amperage on the +12V rail.
go here to get a rough idea of what's needed to power any build:
and again, i would definitely recommend saving up a bit more. as others have said, don't paint yourself into a corner by building a "bare minimum" machine that's going to be totally obsolete in no time flat. even if you decide against a phenom 2 cpu right now, definitely get a motherboard that is socket am3 compatible, that way you can upgrade to amd's newest processors in the future. there are quite a few mobo's on the egg that support both am3 and am2+ cpu's, although they don't support ddr3 ram.
I agree that an aftermarket heatsink is not needed on a system that in not overclocked and is built with a retail boxed CPU that comes with it's own heatsink but the poster my reply to was indirectly suggesting overclocking of the build. With mild overclocking a stock heatsink might be enough but who is to say what mild overclocking is. I don't recommend Windows 7 for the simple fact that it is not available now and will not be available by the time the OP starts college. It will also more than likely cost more than a version of Vista Home Premium does. The OP is building a PC on a budget and a time limit. Those two things limit his options.
But he can download windows 7 RC make an ISO disc and install it for free now and it's good until next year and free.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
I agree that an aftermarket heatsink is not needed on a system that in not overclocked and is built with a retail boxed CPU that comes with it's own heatsink but the poster my reply to was indirectly suggesting overclocking of the build. With mild overclocking a stock heatsink might be enough but who is to say what mild overclocking is. I don't recommend Windows 7 for the simple fact that it is not available now and will not be available by the time the OP starts college. It will also more than likely cost more than a version of Vista Home Premium does. The OP is building a PC on a budget and a time limit. Those two things limit his options.
But he can download windows 7 RC make an ISO disc and install it for free now and it's good until next year and free.
I have a DVD burner on this computer, so that could be an option. It takes a DVD-R disk for that though, right?
4G Ram (remember you basicially have 8G cache, so i doubt you will ever use that ram)
Amd 970gx chipset with 3300 HD graphics
_________
Notes: Due to large cache, and amd 970gx graphics chipset, this rig will preform better than An i7 rig in games (More FPS). 970gx graphics chipset makes it very easy to OC and also creates the ability to OC 30% more than with BIOS.
I agree that an aftermarket heatsink is not needed on a system that in not overclocked and is built with a retail boxed CPU that comes with it's own heatsink but the poster my reply to was indirectly suggesting overclocking of the build. With mild overclocking a stock heatsink might be enough but who is to say what mild overclocking is. I don't recommend Windows 7 for the simple fact that it is not available now and will not be available by the time the OP starts college. It will also more than likely cost more than a version of Vista Home Premium does. The OP is building a PC on a budget and a time limit. Those two things limit his options.
Windows 7 is released THIS october and is $50 if you pre-order.
Comments
Yes, but that's not until a year from now. Still have one year of high school left =/
But yeah, I'm thinking about saving a little bit more and going with some of the options you guys presented to me. I also wasn't aware that 550w PSU wasn't enough, I figured it'd be plenty. Thanks for pointing that out though.
a 550w psu would actually be just fine for a build like the one you're planning, depending on the manufacturer. the maximum wattage isn't quite as important as the psu's efficiency and the amperage on the +12V rail.
go here to get a rough idea of what's needed to power any build:
extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
and again, i would definitely recommend saving up a bit more. as others have said, don't paint yourself into a corner by building a "bare minimum" machine that's going to be totally obsolete in no time flat. even if you decide against a phenom 2 cpu right now, definitely get a motherboard that is socket am3 compatible, that way you can upgrade to amd's newest processors in the future. there are quite a few mobo's on the egg that support both am3 and am2+ cpu's, although they don't support ddr3 ram.
But he can download windows 7 RC make an ISO disc and install it for free now and it's good until next year and free.
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience"
CS Lewis
But he can download windows 7 RC make an ISO disc and install it for free now and it's good until next year and free.
I have a DVD burner on this computer, so that could be an option. It takes a DVD-R disk for that though, right?
Also, is this PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
compatible with this case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025 ?
By this I mean, does it have enough cables for the fans? I'm not really sure where to look when it comes to that.
Here you go, this is all under 600$ and is the best bang for your buck you can buy, all parts are quality and you wont have to worry about anything
(not included is thermal paste, opticial drives, monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, external graphics card, and case as ill leave this up to you)
Mobo and CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.209473
Psu- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171037
HD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152173
CPU cooler - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
Stats for above:
Amd quad core phenom II at 3 ghz black edition
700W psu (lots of headroom, very quiet psu)
1TB Hard Drive
4G Ram (remember you basicially have 8G cache, so i doubt you will ever use that ram)
Amd 970gx chipset with 3300 HD graphics
_________
Notes: Due to large cache, and amd 970gx graphics chipset, this rig will preform better than An i7 rig in games (More FPS). 970gx graphics chipset makes it very easy to OC and also creates the ability to OC 30% more than with BIOS.
_________
Cost: 499 without rebates
Windows 7 is released THIS october and is $50 if you pre-order.