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A word of warning if your going to go with recertified computer parts, especially HDs.
Make sure you do a full format and scan the drives for health/stability.
Most "recertified" parts are exactly what was returned by someone else, defects and all. And the warranty on recertified parts is sometimes a bit iffy. I would rather grab a 640gb+ samsung for 60~$ then have to worry about HD failure.
Also, you picked a bad time to build a new PC, you should have done this a month ago when everything was on sale. I picked up a bunch of 1.5 terabyte HDs at 65$ a pop.
Depeneding on how fast you want this "budget PC" built, If you really want to save money or get more bang for your buck: wait for a major holiday sale.
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Okay, so GPUs Im considering now:
GT240. Basically minimum quality for good SC2 performance, and cheapest (i dont know why I didnt see this earlier, i think I presumed 430 was better and never looked back on nvidia)
ASUS ENGT240/DI/1GD3/A GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Cheapest GT240 with 1GB. I hear ASUS is very good too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121353
$79, 59 after rebate
The Radeon 4830 is at an amazingly cheap $59
PowerColor AX4830 512MD3 Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131381
At the same price of the GT240, its simply a matter of which is better.
The 4850 is $109, $79 after rebate, 10 more than the 5670.
XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150482
Is it better than the GT240? Is it $20 better or can I find a better deal on a different type with that kind of money?
Of course, the 5670 is still a contender. Its mainly my ignorance that I ask which is best, I know they are somewhat simillar.
XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150467
at $99/69 after rebate.
theres also that GPU i laughed at earlier for being too expensive, but with the rebate its actually somewhat reasonable. Still, this is at least 40 more over the highest of the above options, so this really needs to stand far and ahead better (which it seems to on toms hardware). its only 768 MB, but then again I have no idea what that means.
Galaxy 60XMH6HS3HMW GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) GC 768MB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162058
$109 after rebate
SO. Along with the processor debate, and these questions, that's all I need to know to buy a computer. i want to make sure the processor i get doesnt have bottleneck issues with my planned Athlon II X3 3.2Ghz Rena.
1. RAM: I simply chose the cheapest RAM possible. Should I go for 4GB RAM, or is 2GB enough (the recommended specs anyways)? I can always upgrade in 2 years if need be anyways. I know DDR3 is nice, but everything is DDR3 now. I also know theres no noticeable difference in 1033/1600 or whatever. So what else is there to determine RAM, why are some RAM 100s of dollars? Obviously, I dont want to buy this cheap RAM to find out itll ruin my computer and blow up. Here's the memory page:
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=147&name=Desktop-Memory
2. Which HDD to get on that recertifed page? I dont really understand whats better (besides get 7200 RPM which they all have), i just want cheap and storage isnt an issue. I think WD is the brand I hear is best, and there are pretty cheapo WD's listed. Caviar Blue mostly, someone also recommended caviar green here.
I kind of understand high performance HDD means you pull up files/programs much quicker, ie boot times, things of that nature. I really dont care about waiting another 50ms for a program/file to come up. What I am concerned about, is performance while a program is pulled up. So while a crappy HDD may take 'forever' (2 seconds longer, gasp) to load up SC2, will it have an impact on actual gameplay at all?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007603 4016&IsNodeId=1&name=Recertified
3. Of my GPU or CPU, or maybe motherboard, or RAM, which is the bottleneck, if any? If so, which part should I up/downgrade? Or are all these parts 'compatible' perfectly?
4. On the newegg power calculator it said i need 326W (when I put high end mobo instead of medium, 26 W difference). With a few peripherals like mouse, keyboard, monitor, maybe charging a phone, is that cutting it too close with the 380 80+?
5. Are there any other good places to buy these parts online, or should I stick with newegg? Maybe some parts here, some parts there?
Current Build:
+ Show Spoiler +*Need clarification that this is okay, but no comments yet. Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model KVR1066D3/1GR its the cheapest, so x 2 because I understand you want RAM in pairs, or threes sometimes depending on cpu/motherboard. Ive heard kingston is good, from my 2 days of research. But there are so many cheap RAMS for the same price, and other good brands too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134784$12.99 x 2 = $24.98 *Unsure of GPU Options listed above. *Unsure of HDD Refurbished HD 7200 RPM http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007603 4016&IsNodeId=1&name=Recertified$18-44 Still need help choosing specifically. i think Ill go for a 16cache one, Seagate for 28 and WD for 27, that has 7200 RPM. Space doesnt matter. *AMD II X3 3.2GHZ + BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138179Combo for $124 *NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case Cheap, recommended on guide. Im inclined to use a cardboard box as my case though. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061$39 *Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Recommended on Falcon Guide, cheap, on a sale. The newegg power calc said I need 280 so this should be way safe for peripherals. Really, 100W i think is way more than I need. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033$39
mcnell if recertified HDD is that bad, then the $36 WD i posted on my first post is good? or would you recommend another budget HDD? $60 is way too much when I really need only like 80 GBs max and just using this computer for gaming performance, and not care how long bootup takes or how long it takes to start a program, so long as the program/starcraft2 runs good (with budget in mind). Also not waiting until November for a computer thats so relatively cheap. By then this will be more outdated, Id rather pay an extra $100 for a year of playing. Its not like I cant make money, its just id rather not spend too much as someone who just graduated.
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SC2 can't allocate more RAM than 2GB so you'll fine as long as you aren't running many background applications and do regular restarts / shutdowns to start with fresh memory. When purchasing RAM, you're essentially paying for the warranty and customer service. Don't worry about speeds or timings, those have very little effects on gaming.
HDDs do not have an impact on FPS, your storage medium just affects the loading time and benchmarking scores. Western Digital is good and so is Samsung, you can't go wrong with either. If you value warranty, get a Western Digital Caviar Black (5 year warranty). If not, go for something else such as your original drive choice or a Samsung F4 Spinpoint: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152244
As for platter count, the less platters there are, the less noise and heat the HDD will produce. If you're buying a HDD smaller than 320gb than it's generally 1 platter.
380W is fine for those components. I doubt you can even draw 300W+ from your components even if every component was under full load.
For the US, there are other places such as www.tigerdirect.com and www.frys.com. You should also check to see if you have a www.microcenter.com near you as they have AMAZING pricing for local buyers. You can also try forums if you trust dealing with users (www.hardforum.com).
The 4850 for $80 after mail in rebate is the best one there. You'll be able to play high/ultra on low resolutions and it'll give you the capability of upgrading your monitor to a higher resolution and still being able to play medium/high.
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I think the HD 4830 for $60 is the best one there, but the HD 4850 for $80 is good too. At those prices, the $20 difference is fair. However, you don't need to wait on a rebate for the HD 4830. It's still somewhat more powerful than something like a HD 5670, which is a little better than a GT 240.
By the way, this article is old, but...see how much power a Core 2 Duo E8600 + HD 4850 uses. An Athlon II X3 uses more power than a C2D, but not by too much more:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cases/display/system-wattage_6.html
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Sorry but most of those choices are crap.
AMD Phenom II X3 740BE - 63 euros
ATI 5670 1GB GDDR5 - 70 euros
Kingston Value ram 2x1GB 1333MHz - 50 euros.
180 euros or 250 dollars.
You can than buy a cheap ass case for about $50 with an embedded 400W PSU, a good HD no matter what size or manufacturer will cost no more than $60, DVD-RW+/- about $20 and download XP from a torrent site for free.
Full cost: $380 us dollars and I just gained you 20% more performance!
UPS: a decent motherboard would also set you back $60 dollars, so maybe you should go for the cheaper ram anyways and save $25.
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On January 28 2011 01:50 thehitman wrote:
Sorry but most of those choices are crap.
AMD Phenom II X3 740BE - 63 euros
ATI 5670 1GB GDDR5 - 70 euros
Kingston Value ram 2x1GB 1333MHz - 50 euros.
180 euros or 250 dollars.
You can than buy a cheap ass case for about $50 with an embedded 400W PSU, a good HD no matter what size or manufacturer will cost no more than $60, DVD-RW+/- about $20 and download XP from a torrent site for free.
Full cost: $380 us dollars and I just gained you 20% more performance!
UPS: a decent motherboard would also set you back $60 dollars, so maybe you should go for the cheaper ram anyways and save $25.
you cant just do a straight currency conversion, doesnt work that way. newegg.com for american prices.
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Yea we pretty much went over a lot of the components here in this thread already. i've learned, and mind you my computer knowledge is common sense + 3 days of intense research:
-That GT430 is actually crap, older gen 200s are better and higher 400's are better. Even low end Radeons are better.
-MOBO doesnt matter, and I'm not only getting a $10 cheaper mobo, but getting a combo deal making my mobo essentially $25 cheaper. Ive heard nothing good on the reviews of Foxconn either.
- RAM is $1 more tha n mine, which is also Kingston.
- Your PSU is cheaper, mine I think is better at $10 more. I wouldnt mind switching if the savings arent going to be riskier.
- Nice, cheap HDD choice. Recertified's are even cheaper though (quality may be an issue though)
- SandyBridge way over budget. Besides AMD dualcore 3ghz+ is more than enough.
thehitman:
everything you recommend is a bit too expensive, for no reason (RAM, HDD). Myrmidon has pointed out both the 4830/4850 are more powerful, and are cheaper, so I think ill go with one of those. As for a cheapo case + PSU, I'm all ears. Thats been something Ive wondered about but keep forgetting to ask.
deconduo:
Thats the exact setup I have, the only difference being you jump for that Galaxy GTX460, the cheapest 460 available at what seems to be a great discount (189 to 100 after rebate). Im interested in this processor, but really depends on:
A. The gains it has over the 4830/4850
B. Will my CPU/MOBO/etc limit the full potential of this GPU if I did get it?
It's quite a bit more expensive. My budget is really where I want it now, but I wouldnt mind a little more if the performance is that much better. I'm aiming for under $400, and I'll cut corners to bring it closer to $300, but as you can see I picked a triplecore instead of a sempron.
My questions now are:
1. 4830 or 4850? Or is the Galaxy GTX460 lightyears ahead and worth the jump from about $60 to $110? It has to be a big jump to be worth it, not a simple "next best processor".
2. Case with included PSU, worth it? My setup is $99, and I know I could shave $50 on this angle. However, even though my setup is cheap I really dont want some freaky blowout occuring.
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What? You can run SC2 on Windows 2k?
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On January 28 2011 06:01 Belial88 wrote:Yea we pretty much went over a lot of the components here in this thread already. i've learned, and mind you my computer knowledge is common sense + 3 days of intense research: -That GT430 is actually crap, older gen 200s are better and higher 400's are better. Even low end Radeons are better. -MOBO doesnt matter, and I'm not only getting a $10 cheaper mobo, but getting a combo deal making my mobo essentially $25 cheaper. Ive heard nothing good on the reviews of Foxconn either. - RAM is $1 more tha n mine, which is also Kingston. - Your PSU is cheaper, mine I think is better at $10 more. I wouldnt mind switching if the savings arent going to be riskier. - Nice, cheap HDD choice. Recertified's are even cheaper though (quality may be an issue though) - SandyBridge way over budget. Besides AMD dualcore 3ghz+ is more than enough. thehitman: everything you recommend is a bit too expensive, for no reason (RAM, HDD). Myrmidon has pointed out both the 4830/4850 are more powerful, and are cheaper, so I think ill go with one of those. As for a cheapo case + PSU, I'm all ears. Thats been something Ive wondered about but keep forgetting to ask. deconduo: Thats the exact setup I have, the only difference being you jump for that Galaxy GTX460, the cheapest 460 available at what seems to be a great discount (189 to 100 after rebate). Im interested in this processor, but really depends on: A. The gains it has over the 4830/4850 B. Will my CPU/MOBO/etc limit the full potential of this GPU if I did get it? It's quite a bit more expensive. My budget is really where I want it now, but I wouldnt mind a little more if the performance is that much better. I'm aiming for under $400, and I'll cut corners to bring it closer to $300, but as you can see I picked a triplecore instead of a sempron. My questions now are: 1. 4830 or 4850? Or is the Galaxy GTX460 lightyears ahead and worth the jump from about $60 to $110? It has to be a big jump to be worth it, not a simple "next best processor". 2. Case with included PSU, worth it? My setup is $99, and I know I could shave $50 on this angle. However, even though my setup is cheap I really dont want some freaky blowout occuring.
- You wouldn't be bottlenecked by the CPU if you got the 460
- You can check the difference between the 4850 and the 460 and decide if its worth it : http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/177?vs=156
- Don't get PSU + Case combo.
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I think I'm going to do the 4850. For $20 I go from a brand I havent heard of called Powercolor to XFX, 512 to 1GB (again i have no idea what that means but I assume something, and I know a card of 512 vs 1gb of same type is a small difference in benchmark comparisons), and up from a 4830 to a 4850.
I'm really torn between the 4850 1gb XFX vs GTx460 768MB Galaxy. I'm on a budget build, but if i was to spend an extra $25 this is where it would be, as the processor I picked is pretty high end, especially for the price, and $25 increase in processor from Athlon II X3 3.2GHZ is a a Phenom Dualcore 3.4 GHZ, Phenom Quadcore 3.0GHZ, or 1 more core added to my Athlon II. I understand Phenom cache is nice, but from what I understand its:
Speed > Extra Core, @ 0.4GHZ additional speed per core > L3 cache (Phenom) (about .2GHZ additional speed for L3 cache) http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-l3-cache,2416-9.html
With this formula, A 3.0 x4 is about .2ghz above a 3.2 x2, with the phenom/L3, thats maybe a 'quality' of .4ghz. That's $5 a .1ghz, which is a pretty good deal actually, but a little too much of a strech on my budget. There is a point where Im getting a worse deal because of my budget, but if i just wanted to get the best possible value that would be a computer budget of about $600.
Trying to spend about $10 gets to be only marginal gains of .1-.2 GHZ, and less cores. Phenom x3+ is really at least $30 higher.
Im pretty confident, and it seems you guys are too, that the Athlon II X3 3.2GHZ Rana is enough to capably handle SC2 and, save for combinations of I5/i7 + GTX470/HD5870, my GPU is the bottleneck despite SC2 being a CPU game, and while about 35% less performance, its also $25 cheaper.
One concern with the 4850 is it says:
Minimum 450 Watt Power Supply Requirement
I was shooting for the $39 Antec 380W 80+, but Newegg power calculator says I need 399 now. i guess I need to buy an updated PSU which means the true cost of the 4850 is $89. That's $30 more than the 4830 512mb, which I believe is better than the 5670 which was $69. So I'm basically paying $20 for 5670 to 4850.
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On January 28 2011 10:49 Belial88 wrote:
One concern with the 4850 is it says:
Minimum 450 Watt Power Supply Requirement
I was shooting for the $39 Antec 380W 80+, but Newegg power calculator says I need 399 now. i guess I need to buy an updated PSU which means the true cost of the 4850 is $89. That's $30 more than the 4830 512mb, which I believe is better than the 5670 which was $69. So I'm basically paying $20 for 5670 to 4850.
Newegg (and some other PSU calculators) have a vested interest in getting you to buy something more expensive than what you need. It's also gives them a lot less headaches if people buy something over what they need than under what they need. Also, newegg sells a whole bunch of crap PSUs that won't do what their label says they can. (It's also more complicated than that, e.g. see ATX versions, continuous vs. peak power, etc.). Suffice to say that the Earthwatts 380D is not a crap PSU, so it'll easily power a Athlon II X3 and GTX 460 (which takes significantly more power than a HD 4850), no matter what the calculators tell you.
See the link I posted earlier about the power consumption of a Core 2 Duo and HD 4850. It didn't go over 189W on full load. A typical system with a Athlon II X3 + GTX 460 would be more like 300W on full load, well within the capabilities of a Earthwatts 380D. Real-world power consumption would be a lot lower than the full load scenario with synthetic benchmarks.
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So here's what I'm aiming to get now:
Changes:
GPU + PSU
This is a cluster because I have to figure a new PSU from the PSU and GPU selected at first post which was a bad combo. Either the first below, or one of the following three PSU + GPU combo deals. I think once this last thing is figured out I can hurry up and wait 3 days for shipping :D
XFX HD-485X-ZNFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Took forever to figure out, but 4830 512 to this is a big jump. Its about $10-20 more than the 5670 because of bigger PSU needed.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150482
With this GPU, Newegg's calculator says 399 is recommended, so I'm thinking a minimum of 450W 80+ PSU to go with it, so a 450-500 pretty much means this PSU:
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
Was 69, now 59, 44 after rebate. A 10% Promo code on top, somewhere. Cheaper than comparable 500W 80+ seasonic which has a $9 shipping as opposed to $1 shipping so its cheaper, eventually, somehow, if not straight up from the 55+9shipping.
Heres the combo PSU+GPUs
GIGABYTE GV-N450-1GI GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.578338
$144 after rebate
ASUS ENGTS450 DC OC/DI/1GD5 GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular LED Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.578319
$134 after rebate
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100284VXL Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ...
COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-J3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.578313
$124 after rebate
Obviously, whatever I choose needs to fit with the Biostar mobo + AMD Athlon II X3 3.2Ghz Rana and not be bottlenecked by that CPU.
HDD
All recertifieds, Three choices, due to a conflict: A poster previous said go for Caviar Green if its cheaper (although its not cheaper, at 16mb cache and only $1 I think its along his point).I dont think option A is Caviar Green but like a precursor to it or something. I'm either going with:
Western Digital Caviar Blue 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136590
$23 Cheapest WD
Western Digital Caviar GP 500GB 5400 to 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136816
$27 Cheapest 16mb
or
Western Digital Caviar Green 640GB 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136791
$29 cheapest Caviar Green recertified
Build as kept the same from previous iterations.:
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Myrmidon, if that is true, I can just buy the 4850 GPU i secondly (as opposed to thirdly, above post) planned and save $50 not having to configure a stronger PSU, and thus going for one of those PSU+GPU combos of a 450/5570 which I know are similar to the 4580 and inferior to the 460.
If the Antec 380 80+ PSU also will work with my setup, plus peripherals like wired keyboard, wired mouse, maybe phone charging or whatever silly things, monitor even (if that even draws from the PSU) using either the 4850 above or the $25 more 460, I may consider getting that processor.
i was actually considering the 460 GPU @ $104 but I stopped looking into it because of power concerns. If the Antec can handle both of those (Newegg says 464 vs 399 of 460 and 4850 respectively) than this conversation can be whittled down to either/or of the 460/4850 and I can make a decision from there.
If power is a concern, with overhang and safety concerns, then the above post is still relevant. I really dont want to be operating too close to comfort to the thin red line.
Lastly, GPU choices are concerned with being bottlenecked by the AMD Athlon II X3 3.2 GHZ Rana, my Biostar mobo combo choice, and SC2 graphics. I'm more concerned about benchmarking against SC2, unless you can say otherwise (ie its even but huge leap with other games or future games/aging well)
Last, bear in mind I really dont know anything about computers besides common sense and last 3 days research, and my cheap NXZT Gamma case. I dont really have the expertise to know things like coordinating airflow or underclocking to get away with what I shouldnt.
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I'd trust the Antec Earthwatts 380D over the Raidmax 560W and Cooler Master Elite 460W, no matter how much power you're drawing. The Raidmax does not list an honest max +12V power rating and has a lot on +3.3V and +5V, which on top of having no APFC means it's probably an older ATX 1.x design that can't deliver anywhere near 400-500W peak on a modern +12V heavy system. Cooler Master Elite 460 fails and goes out of spec a little over 400W, and overall is no good.
For the record, the Neo Eco 520C is made by Seasonic and is the same design as their S12II Bronze 520W, so that's even better than the Earthwatts 380D. The Earthwatts 380D would be enough though, as long as you're not planning on substantial upgrades over the current CPU or GPU.
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Hmm okay. I guess I'll go for the 460 which benchmarks just amazingly, both in general reviews and on the SC2 review (no SC2 reviews comparing the 460 and 4850, but thats the world I live in. Very dissapointing).
Compatible though, with my mobo and psu and processor? I mean, I REALLY dont want to get f'd by a low PSU. I mean am I riding the line so close I wont be able to plug my phone and peripherals to it? I dont know how much they affect the power but you know, standard stuff. Maybe if you can supply some links thatd be easier than me asking a million questions, sorry. I am searching of course as fast as i can keep up with research, I literally have been sitting at this thread and newegg for 72 hours now.
Just got back from Spain for a month, my low-Diamond play is now about Silver, its amazing how fast I sucked (ha). My roommate moved the shared computer to his room, and sadly Im forced to realize Id pay $400 just to play starcraft. You all know what that like though. Oh, and I wont pay rent this month and i have a girlfriend, and just graduated with no real job yet, but I have about $430 on my credit card left from Spain/Africa (zero balance be damned!) and i cant use that to pay rent and thats $30 to eat for 2 weeks before im scheduled to work again, give or take what i spend on the computerr.
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Im trying to figure this PSU stuff out (while it really sounds like you know your stuff Myrmidon, I will do research to back up my $400 on more than a forum) and reading that article isn't as low-power as you seem to make it out. First of all the CPU they tested run at least 40W lower than the planned AMD x3 Im looking at, and the GPU wattage difference is at least 80W. Given that, from what what I've read, computers run most efficiently/best at 70% of Wattage/Rating of the PSU, it seems 380 is a bit low. Im in the process of trying to calculate by hand the power rating though of some of this stuff.
Bleh, sorry to be add here but Im gonna go with the 4850. I hear good stuff about the 512, and Im gunning for the 1gb version. It seems like anything above the 4850 is overkill, and $25 cheaper than the 460 as well as much lighter on the PSU.
Anyways, so I just have the following question about HDD choice:
Otherwise here's my build, I hope it all plugs in and is compatible with eachother? As far as I've seen, it should be fine (single GPU goes into single x16 mobo, 2x RAM for dual channel on mobo, 95W AM3 on mobo, ATX mobo and ATX case). The only issues are PSU and HDD.
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