Thinking about building a gaming desktop rig

[Radio Monk33]

Never done it myself, but I feel fairly comfortable tinkering inside computers.

My goal would to keep it fairly cheapish, with light overclocking and the possibility of stretching out its usage for maybe 3-4 years with the odd upgrade, or at least to be able to keep some of the parts; not a heavy gamer or hardcore enthusiast.

I was hoping you guys would have some insights for better choices or maybe you see better value in other parts. Thanks!

CDN prices

AMD phenom II 720 $175

Not sure about motherboard...kind of a nub for these matters Does this work? Other suggestions? I don't mind spending more, but I'm not quite certain as to what benefits I would get $94
NCIX.com - Buy Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H AMD780G mATX AM2+/AM3 PCI-E DDR2 SATA2 Video Sound GBLAN HDMI Motherboard - GA-MA78GM-US2H In Canada.

Antec 300 case? I'm impartial, but I hear the name being tossed around a lot. $70
NCIX.com - Buy Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio - THREE HUNDRED In Canada.

Any CD/DVD reader ~30$
NCIX.com - Buy Samsung SH-S223F/BEBN 22X Speedplus DVD+-RW SATA DVD Writer OEM - SH-S223F/BEBN In Canada.

PSU: 600W OCZ..overkill? 85$
NCIX.com - Buy OCZ GameXStream 600W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black - OCZ600GXSSLI In Canada.

ATI 4850 $150
NCIX.com - Buy Powercolor Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E Video Card - AX4850 512MD3-DH In Canada.
Total ~

What I already have:

4 gigs of Ram

500 GB HDD

[Lucifer]

Not the expert here, but I wouldn't bother with a PSU that can handle SLI, if I wasn't planning (judging by the chosen mobo) to run an SLI system. If I was building a gaming system, I would want it to be as cutting edge and upgradable as I could afford, including SLI.

[isolder]

I am pretty certain SLI ready won't do you any good with that Radeon. ATI uses Crossfire. Nvidia is SLI.

I see that you have RAM and HD already, but have you thought about some of the offerings of custom builders online?

Usually when I price out components vs ordering a custom built pc the difference is a couple hundred dollars or less. The convenience is worth it when I am not having to deal with throwing the system together and I get that nice warranty with it.

[Wrexify]

Antec builds solid cases, that one should be fine. I have an Antec P182- despite being a little heavy, it's a great case.

"SLI Ready" is a term that's used pretty loosely when it comes to PSU's. All it means is that there are 2 PCI-E power connectors instead of 1. Doesn't matter if you're using ATI or NVIDIA because they all use the same power. Just be sure that you have the right motherboard if you're considering Crossfire. I've always been in favor of buying the most powerful PSU you're willing to spend money on up front. Who knows what you might want to add in the future? That OCZ you linked to is solid, I'm very happy with mine. Shouldn't be overkill at all.

From personal experience with a Radeon HD 4850, I can say it's an excellent performer for the price (heh, I sound like I'm doing an infomercial). It's cheap enough that it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up a second one down the road.

As far as CPU/Motherboard, I'm not too familiar with AMD but it looks like the Phenom II 720 is a great bang for the buck. Good luck with your build!

[Radio Monk33]

Thanks Wrexify (and the others). Seems like there's no major issues. Unfortunately, I am (f)unemployed and as a result, have no cash to dabble in this project. Ah well, I guess every month I wait, the more value I'll get when I eventually do buy the remaining parts..

[kutulu]

Originally Posted by Wrexify

"SLI Ready" is a term that's used pretty loosely when it comes to PSU's. All it means is that there are 2 PCI-E power connectors instead of 1. Doesn't matter if you're using ATI or NVIDIA because they all use the same power. Just be sure that you have the right motherboard if you're considering Crossfire. I've always been in favor of buying the most powerful PSU you're willing to spend money on up front. Who knows what you might want to add in the future? That OCZ you linked to is solid, I'm very happy with mine. Shouldn't be overkill at all.

It's kind of a joke anyways because even if it is "SLI or XFire Ready" because it has 2 pci-E connectors it doesn't mean you can actually run two newer cards on it anyways. Cards like the 4870's or GTX 260 and up require two PCIe connectors anyways.