drwho

I've been asked by a friend to look into building a new computer for him. He would be using this computer for browsing the web and his business affairs. He asked me to keep the price under $800. Here's what I've put together for a new build for him.

Win 7 Home Premium 32-bit

AMD Phenom X II 550 Dual Core CPU

MSI NF750-G55 Motherboard & Corsir Dominator PC10666 Ram Bundle

Cooler Master 600w PSU

XFX Radeon HD 4670 GPU

WS Sata Hard Drive 500 GB

Cooler Master Elite 330Black ATC Mid-Tower

Samsung SH-S223C DVDRW Drive

Any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The one question that I would have, is the Cooler Master 600w PSU just adequate or more that adequate to run this new computer?

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EZero

1) Get Win 7 64 bit and not 32 bit. Especially since that mobo + ram bundle comes with 4GB of ram.

2) Don't buy from tiger direct, they're mediocre at best in terms of price and terrible for customer service.

Newegg, NCIX (Canada & US) might be a better choice especially if you buy items that are on sale.

synthesis204

Agree with EZero. ZipZoomFly is even better than TigerDirect (not by much, though). NewEgg and NCIX really are the best. 32 bit is dated technology that limits what you do - get 64, hands down.

Other than that, looks good to go - can't really object. A 550W PSU may suffice, but probably not worth it.

Takaharu

1. As previously mentioned, 64-bit. Or, even better, get retail. You'll be able to use the license on a different motherboard if & when you get rid of Win7 then.
2. The processor's ok. If you can't afford a better quad-core then the 550's just right.
3. I'm anti-MSI, personally - too many bad experiences with drivers. In order of personal preference: ASUS, Gigabyte, Asrock, Abit. The RAM's fine - Corsair are a decent brand.
4. Coolermaster's a decent brand and you won't go far wrong with 600w, unless you're intending to get more butch in the future or Crossfire. Maybe consider 750w if your budget can manage it. If not, stick with 600w.
   NB: Ignore the Corsair fanboys - as long as you've got a decent brand you're pretty safe.
5. Don't go with a 4000 series - you're too out-of-date. The 6000 series is due out before long and the 4000 series is already one step behind the 5000 series. Try aiming for the 5770 if you're going AMD
6. Western Digital, perfect. 500GB, fine. Just be sure to get the black edition
7. Case is personal preference after making sure the components fit. You're not using a big graphics card so you're pretty darned flexible here.
8. Try aiming for a 24x DVD-RW with dual-layer and lightscribe. For the extra £1 or so you might as well go the whole hog here.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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Neshi

you've said it..-> I agree with Takaharu.

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Liqourice

I don't see the point of getting a 5770 if it's just going to be used for web and business. That's way overkill in my view. The card that the OP has chosen is more than adequate for what's intended.

That PSU should be more than enough as well, no need to overspend for this kind of setup.

The only wrong I see with the selection is the 32-bit windows. As others have said, go for 64-bit. Besides that, go for it. If this system isn't going to be used for gaming then it'll do just fine.

drwho

Thank, guys. Appreciate all the help. Point taken on Win 7 64-bit, will switch accordingly.

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Takaharu

I didn't notice the part about business
Hell, onboard graphics will suffice (unless you want dual screens or streaming charts) and ramp-up the processor to a quad-core. The 600W will become overkill but you could always stick in a dedicated graphics card later for gaming without needing to buy a new PSU. 450W would more than suffice then, TBH.

So, try aiming for a 6-core processor, RAM's fine, 450W PSU, drop the graphics card altogether and go for one built in to the motherboard.

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Neshi

lol, missed the business part as well, otherwise would have mentioned about the gfx card being unneccesary.

__________________
If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live?

Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

synthesis204

I'd say go for a 5570 just because I've had very bad experience with onboard graphics (and most mobos don't come with them), and ramp up the CPU and ramp down the PSU. 500-550W and a hexacore processor should work wonders (if you can't afford that - just go for onboard graphics and a X6 cpu). Also, MSi hate is unjustified too, I think - they aren't as solid as Gigabyte and ASUS, but they're not bad (see: ECS, DFI, Intel).

For the Corsair fanboy comment - Corsair ram is reliable, stable, and reasonably priced. I don't see a reason to not get it, but there are other brands that are just as good (I'm using GSkill ram at the moment). Just find best bang/$.

Takaharu

MSI is personal experience.
The Corsair part is about the PSU, not the RAM (it was below point 4 about the PSU). I'm using Corsair RAM because I found it was the best, reliable bang for the buck and was listed on my motherboard's RVL

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synthesis204

@Takaharu: Yeah, everyone has their bad experiences. I've sworn off DFI and Xion due to bad experiences. But hey, well, Corsair's PSU's are good too, but PSU's are really luck. Some are lemons, some are amazing. I'm using a no-name (poor Sparkle) power supply and it's running my rig great - but Corsair does tend to have reliable products. Moreso than OCZ, but CM products are pretty good too.

@op: looking good. Let us know what you decide on / pics after it's finished!

OldBuzzard

The PH II 550 X2 CPU is "OK", but for the same, or just a bit more $$ you could get one of the ATHLON II X4s.

Newegg.com - Computer Hardware,CPUs / Processors,Processors - Desktops,AMD,Athlon II X4

The Athlon II X4 620, priced the same as the PH II 550 you listed, will probably outperform the 550 even though it's clocked lower. More cores is always better.

Edit:

Did a bit of poking around on Newegg, and with this MB/CPU/RAM you would save $8.00, would have a 3Ghz clocked quad core, and USB 3.0 support. Also the AMD onboard video would be a plenty good enough for business use, allowing you to skip the video card at first, and only buy one if the customer finds that he needs more GPU power than the onboard video provides.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157197

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103871

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145299

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blibbax

I too have had bad experiences with MSI.

600W is overkill for that build even with a discrete GPU, but if gaming's not on the cards then almost any recent discrete GPU will be up to task for some time.

And yes, do not buy 32 bit now, in the future or at any point in the recent past.

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