Lately my systems been having a lot of problems. I was going to do a full upgrade in a month or two but with all these recent problems I figure I should just go ahead and do it.

I want to keep the total price around $500 and need a motherboard, processor, ram, PSU, and maybe a new case and maybe a new hard drive.

Here's what I'm thinking of so far:
Mobo: MSI GF615M-P33 AM3 - "><br ">http://.....ct/...16813130243


CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0ghz - "><br ">http://.....ct/...16819103675


RAM: G.Skill 4gb (2x2gb) DDR3 1333 - "><br ">http://.....ct/...16820231180


PSU: Antec Earthwatts 500W - <br ">">http://www...Pro...N82E16817371007

HDD: Western Digital 640gb - <br ">">http://www...Pro...N82E16822136218


I'm not really sure about that motherboard, I just picked a cheap good rated AM3 board. The total price is about $440. I wouldn't mind a new case but it has to be able to fit my HD 5770, and I don't need anything fancy just a plain case would be fine. I looked on newegg but didn't see any good ones that weren't really expensive.

EDIT: I'm not sure if I really need to go with a processor that good. Is quad core THAT much of an improvement? The Phenom II X2 550 is 3.1ghz and $60 cheaper so maybe that would be a smarter choice.

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CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

Edited: 11/01/2009 at 10:59 PM by Erasmus

what do you use your computer for?
at newegg

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3
combo $ 196.99

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W $99.99
OCZ Obsidian 4GB (2 x 2GB $83.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB $69.99

total $450.96
Power supply at least 600 watts do not go cheap here
dual or quad what are u going to use it for

for personal use, a good bit of gaming as well.

thanks for the recommendations, I wasn't sure what PSU to go with but I know I'll need a good one.

edit: Yeah what you recommend looks better than what I originally came up with, thanks! That system could last a few years with good performance right? I don't care about being on the top end, middle range is fine for anything I do.

Edit #2: I figure I might as well take this opportunity to get Windows 7 as well. Are the parts you listed compatible with it? Like have they come up with drivers for the mobo and such?

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CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

Edited: 11/02/2009 at 08:35 PM by Erasmus

Here is an awesome article by Toms about matching chip vs intended task of rig:
Conclusion:

My suggestion to gain as much $$/frames

Who knows perhaps the savings may result in a awesome casing with nice cooling options/airflow within your budget hehe

-------------------------
The Fat Cat Rig!

P2X3 710 3GHZ@1.17V//Biostar TA760G mATX
2 X 2GB KVR 800 CL5 // WD 640 Black // HD 4670 HDMI
LG DVDRW // Chenming Clone // Verudium 430W
23" Acer X233H // Panasonic 32" LCD TV// Win 7 RC 64 Bit

AMD rigs Pictorial DIY guide
http://forums.amd.com/forum/me...4333&enterthread=y

Edited: 11/03/2009 at 01:41 AM by batuchka

Great info!

Thanks batuchka

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[url=http://www.gelsenpv.de]Solarenergie[/url]

when you research your PSU purchase, go to reputable review sites that

1) use actual hardware load testing equipment and not just a pre-built system and software measuring,

2) open up the PSU for a detailed analysis of the internal components, including the PSU's OEM

sites like HardOCP, hardware secrets, hardware canucks, and jonnyguru.

The 700w OCZ mentioned above has failed more intensive reviews that involve much more than just a few runs through OCCT.

-------------------------
Rig 1: AM2 X2 4850e--MSI K9N Neo V3--2x1gb Mushkin DDR2 800--Sapphire HD4830--Corsair VX450--LG Flatron W2252TQ
Rig 2: AM2 X2 4000--MSI K9N SLI-F--2x1gb Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800--Sapphire HD3850--Silverstone ST50EF Plus--Polaroid FLM 1911
Michael Moore is a big, fat idiot.

Thanks batuchka, your recommendations are about $50 cheaper and includes a triple core CPU and I have heard only good things about the antec earthwatts series and I think 650W would be plenty for this system.

Is there much performance difference in DDR3 1333 and DDR3 1600? There isnt much of a price difference so it wouldnt cost much more to go with 1600 if it will matter.

Yeah I could also use a case but it's proving to be hard to find a plain large case in the $50 range, most of them have fancy LEDs and all kinds of stuff that I don't need.

-------------------------
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

I'm gonna order within a few days and at least right now will most likely be ordering basically exactly what batuchka recommended.
I looked for a good/cheap case but they were all basically the exact same size as my case so I don't really see a big point in getting a new one...although this one doesn't have awesome airflow but still I couldn't find a good one that wasn't ugly for $50-$80.

any last recommendations?

-------------------------
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

This is A nice and sturdy case for cheap, easy to dissemble if you wanted to paint the inside.

-------------------------
Main:MSI GD-70 AMD CPU's
mushkin enhanced 1600@7-7-6-18| ATI 5870| ASUS D1 Sound |Custom WC (CPU only)
Gamer:ASUS M3A78-T 940@3.7 2x4830's

Yeah I guess it might be worth it, its roughly the same size as mine but with obviously better air circulation. Here's what I'm lookin at now:


-------------------------
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

This or this would be better for the same price, I have been running the 620 for almost a month now and it games great and runs very cool.

-------------------------
Main:MSI GD-70 AMD CPU's
mushkin enhanced 1600@7-7-6-18| ATI 5870| ASUS D1 Sound |Custom WC (CPU only)
Gamer:ASUS M3A78-T 940@3.7 2x4830's

oh yeah only a few dollars more gets a bit better cpu and ram.
i'll go with the phenom II 2.8ghz
thanks

-------------------------
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

np

-------------------------
Main:MSI GD-70 AMD CPU's
mushkin enhanced 1600@7-7-6-18| ATI 5870| ASUS D1 Sound |Custom WC (CPU only)
Gamer:ASUS M3A78-T 940@3.7 2x4830's

Ok, I'm up and running! Still on XP so there's some complications there, stuck with that til my Windows 7 disc comes in the mail.
So far it seems pretty fast. For some reason Windows says I have 3.25gb RAM but CPU-Z sees 4gb.
Here's some pics of my CPU-Z info:




I think my RAM is running slower than it should, not sure if I should just go in BIOS and up it to 1600 or not.

-------------------------
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

If you are on a 32 bit OS then ~3.5 GB is all you will ever be able to utilize...or be seen by Windows. It is a limitation to all 32 bit OS's. The only choice you have to see and use the remaining amount would be to switch over to a x64 bit OS.

I would hard set all of your timings, and voltage to what the manufactures spec read and set the frequency to 1333MHz first then download and run memtest86 to make sure your RAM is good. If it passes 2-3 rounds with no errors then increase the DRAM frequency to 1600MHz and run memtest86 again for 2-3 passes to make sure it runs fine on your system at that speed.

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ok, ill do that.
This motherboard has a place where you can plug in a peripheral connector from your PSU directly into the mobo and says it dedicates that power to your GPU resulting in better graphics performance. Should I use that? I'd never seen that before so I didn't use it initially.

Also, this case has a fan vent on the side panel, for better airflow should i have the fan suck air into the case or blow air outside of it? thanks

edit: ok i went in BIOS and set it to DDR3 1333, but CPU-Z still reads it at 667mhz and PC3-10700. The BIOS wouldn't let me set the DRAM voltage below 1.6v

edit #2: it scored 12643 in 3dMark06. does that seem right?

-------------------------
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8ghz
RAM: DDR3 1600, 2gbx2
GPU: ATi HD 5770 (1gb, 850/1200)
MOBO: BIOSTAR TA790GXB3
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650W

Edited: 11/12/2009 at 08:36 PM by Erasmus