BleepingComputer.com: first time build need help/advice

budget - 900 max after shipping and tax

i have two configurations... im not really sure about them :S

Intel i5 750 - $219.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16819115215

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard w/ USB 3.0 & SATA 6 Gb/s - Retail - 199.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16813128409

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series DDR3 4GB (8-8-8-21) - $97.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16820231275

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $74.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16822136319

Antec Earthwatts 650W (probably a bit overkill but right now $20 less than the 550W version) $79.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16817371015

Sapphire 5770 1GB - $169.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16814102864

I'm not sure what I want for the case, i heard this was good http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16811129066 is there anything thats cheaper and will perform the same?

I also need like a dvd drive, and i was wondering if i can take the one i have in here http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-downl...904&os_id=7 (click on marketing specs) and will this computer still work if i take it out?

configiration 2

Intel Core i5-750
Seagate Barracuda LP ST31500541AS 1.5TB 5900 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Rosewill Green Series RG700-S12 700W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified,Single 12V Rail,Active PFC"Compatible with Core i7, ... - Retail
NZXT LEXA S LEXS - 001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDe...st=Combo.306545
This is a combo for 665.99

plus
SAPPHIRE 100283-2L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
166.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16814102864


Any help to reduce cost by like 75$ would be nice


thanks : )

EDIT:
Fixed all the links : )

looks good to me, your case brought up a screen saying they cant find it. I personally use the coolermaster 690 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811119137 it is a marvelous case though a bit pricey. that PSU for that setup will do the job, though I notice you only have a micro atx motherboard. You might be better off spending a little extra for a full atx board with crossfire support so you can upgrade later if need be, but thats up to you. Gigabyte boards are good, I use them in nearly all my builds. Though if you really want to reduce cost, if your not planning on doing any video editing or anything massive along those lines, Might I suggest going AMD? you could easily save $75 plus, possibly more then that since AMD motherboards are cheaper. using this CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103808 which is $175 dollars saves you nearly 50 bucks right there, and it is an amazing CPU, should handle a lot of gaming but I know I know its not intel, but from my experience, unless your doing some massive video editing or multi tasking (and I mean massive) you won't notice much of a difference, and then combine it with this motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128411 you will save another $65. theres over 100 bucks in savings right there for comparible, if not slightly better performance (its a 3.2 ghz quad core instead of a 2.6 ghz so in some areas it may actually do better) and if you use this memory instead http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220436 you will save yourself another 60 bucks, though it has slightly higher timings, but not enough to hurt you I don't think. Anyway just some suggestions

I agree with Patriot, an AMD might be a better, and less expensive, alternative. Overall, that's a nice system.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz - A strong CPU that can handle gaming very well. $175

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-790FXTA-UD5 AM3 AMD 790FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - Patriot's motherboard is a good choice for single graphics card system, however, this motherboard will handle dual GPU's better. If you see yourself using Crossfire, this might be a better option. $184

DJB-we think alike. if you notice we both just recomended the same CPU. I woulda recomended that exact board you had to, but I noticed he seemed to be wanting a budget system (his original is a micro ATX as well) I guess great minds think alike. anyway walla tell us what you decide :D

okay so here a new build with a amd processor

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series DDR3 4GB (8-8-8-21) - $97.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16820231275

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB - $74.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16822136319

Antec Earthwatts 650W $79.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16817371015

Sapphire 5770 1GB - $169.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16814102864

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - $139.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16813128398

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - $179.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16819103674

Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - $36.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16835207004

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - 69.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16811129066

total - 846.92 - 993.69

BTW this is all in canadian dollars at newegg.ca, so don't compare to .com counterpart

btwx2 im going to be overclocking and adding crossfire later on ; )

EDIT fixed links lol

bump bump... i really need someone to double check everything fits in the case, is compatible, and all good and whatnot, i need to buy the parts today or tommorow

Everything looks fine, though you need to include the cost of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Also, if you plan on using Crossfire with that motherboard, you may want a 790FX board. It is more expensive, but it allows for full 16X on two of the PCI Express X16 slots whereas in a Crossfire setup, it is limited to 8X. A good 790FX motherboard is the MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard.

that setup looks good. Im rather dissapointed in newegg right now, before the holidays they had an excellent 790FX board for sale, I know I ordered it for sale, that would have done you great but now the only one they have is this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813128415 in which the top two are 16x and the bottom 8x, though its a bit pricey its a little cheaper then that MSI board. Just to give you a heads up that MSI board may be great some people have good luck with them, but Ive had nothing but rotten luck with MSI boards in my experience, seen a lot of them fail.

I've also heard of people having high failure rates with recent Asus boards too. Most companies have an average failure rate, but since everything is mass produced to varying specs, that rate changes. Gigabyte is also a good brand.

uggghhh.... those seem too expensive : /... im actually thinking about trying to cut down costs by ditching overclocking and the cpu cooler.... any other ways i could lower the price?

You mentioned phenon II black quad. If you buy a phonon II dual with deneb core (collista) it has four processors w/ two locked. It is a 3.1 ghz and built for overclocking. Just unlock the other two cores (Not necessary at present) and you have saved 80.00. Mobo suggested is at newegg ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD at 109.00 after 10.00 rebate and can unlock the extra cores. Intel is not the god of overclocking - it is the god of overpricing, trading on it's name. If you want real overclocking invest in a true phase change cooler - the prices are coming down now. Cooling at -45 to -65 degrees might make a slight difference. LOL

I believe you are referring to the Phenom II CPU. The dual and triple core CPU's with the Phenom II branding are all quad cores with various cores locked. AMD locked these cores due to quality issues, the silicon and manufacturing has to be of very high quality to withstand quad core performance without failure. Unlocking those cores might not be a good idea since they were locked for a reason besides price. Also, not all motherboards allow for you to unlock the cores. Phase change cooling is suggested only for the most extreme of overclockers, as is Peltier cooling.

perhaps a smaller hard drive like this one could help a little http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16822152181 and perhaps if your really giving up on overclocking you can knock another 50 off with this quad core easy http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?...N82E16819103704 and still get good solid performance.

I suggest steering clear of the Athlon line of quads. They aren't the same high performers as the Phenom II quads due to architecture differences and limited cache. If you're a gamer, you should stay with the Phenom II line and cut somewhere else. The Athlon line is aimed for the mainstream user who doesn't run many high performance apps, but who wants the extra CPU power in case they do.