Buying a new PC

[NezumiiroKitsune]

Since my laptop died a month ago and I'm back to using the old Pentium 4 with half a Gig of DDR1 RAM at 200Mhz I thought it time for an upgrade. Just hoped to pass it by those who are in the know here at the escapist, see if theres anything terminally wrong, anything you'd suggest to improve it. Thanks.

AMD Phenom II X2 3.1Ghz (£66.36)
MSI 770-C45 AM3 Socket (£49.15)
OCZ Platinum 4GB DDR3-1600 CL7-6-6-20 (£33.42)
ATI Radeon 5770 HD (£112.99)
Western Digital Caviar Green 640GB SATA-II 64MB Cache (£49.99)
Best Value Sony 24x Internal DVDRW (£15.86)
Best Value 6062 Midi Case w/ 450W PSU (26.44)

£349 Total without OS (I already have a Windows 7 disc)

 

[Sebenko]

Hmm, the only thing I can see wrong there is the PSU.

Just about the only time when big brand is best.
It will probably work, but better safe than sorry.

 

[triggahappyhaza]

Spend another £60 on a quad core http://www.ebuyer.com/product/177044

 

[Ack-ack]

it will run but why AMD-satan and not intel? :O

 

[Ack-ack]

Because at that price bracket AMD are better? Are you just buying on brand loyalty or something?

nope, its because every single AMD CPU i have had, were always running hotter and louder than intel counterparts.
Only thing my AMD's were better at was heat resistance, i flamed an AMD CPU with a blowtorch for 15 seconds and it worked

 

[NezumiiroKitsune]

I'm on an insanely strict budget, I've taken a Quad-Core / Tri-Core into account but I'm literally that screwed for money right now. With an AM3 socket I'll be able to upgrade in the future easily enough.

Not going intel because they're not for students on a students budget.

I'll definitely look into a pricier PSU then, since that seems to be the general consensus

 

[Discon]

I'd probably spend some more on a quad core too. You can get a Phenom quad-core black edition @ 3.4 ghz for £150.

Oh, and make sure to put as many fans in that case as you can. My last CPU was one just like yours, and it became VERY hot in a case with not fans. 70-80 degrees under load, which is the point where your CPU will start downclocking to prevent overheating.

I changed from a fanless case to a Cooler Master HAF 932, which has three 230 mm fans and one 140 mm. My cpu temps dropped down to 50 under load. Looking at your case you'll be able to attach two 80 mm fans at the back and one in the front, which should be fine, as long as you have SOME airflow.

 

[Horticulture]

I'll second the PSU corroded recommends. Corsair PSUs are rock solid.

Since you've got a compatible motherboard/CPU anyway, you might consider trying to unlock to a quad-core [http://www.overclock.net/amd-cpus/535501-amd-phenom-ii-core-unlocking-guide.html]. Phenom II X2s are quad-cores with 2 of the cores disabled. Some of the disabled cores have defects, but others work perfectly well and allow a free upgrade to a quad.

 

[ribonuge]

That's excellent but get a PSU that is 750W or over as well as a custom case with good air flow. You'll thank me (us) later.

EDIT: To illustrate my recommendation look at how much power it uses under load [http://www.techspot.com/review/209-ati-radeon-hd-5770/page11.html]. If you get a 450W you are only leaving roughly 200W of power for everything else in the system. It would be wise to get a 600-750W PSU which will also benefit you in the future if you decide to upgrade to more power consuming components.

 

[dududf]

Spend another £60 on a quad core http://www.ebuyer.com/product/177044

Quads aren't exactly best for gaming*. Duals are. (Although Quads rape anything involving multitasking.)
*With the exception of Red Faction Guerrilla It ran it's physics engine on the CPU not the graphics card.
_________________________
Any who the rig looks good.

Helluva lot better then my rig, that's for sure =]

 

[Horticulture]

EDIT: To illustrate my recommendation look at how much power it uses under load [http://www.techspot.com/review/209-ati-radeon-hd-5770/page11.html].

That's full system power, with a power-hungry i7+X58 to boot.

 

[jasoncyrus]

snip

If you are going to build a brand new system at least post all the vital components you plan to get since at the current stage of computer advancement you can get a brand new everything (and probably should) so it lasts as long as possible.