# Linderman's $1,200 AMD build with Modifications



## MAD1 (Feb 15, 2011)

Firstly I'd like to just give a huge thanks to Linderman for updating the stickied system build thread! I was having an extremely hard time finding compatible components with decent reviews.

I'm looking to build a new machine, and I would really appreciate any advice that anyone could provide to help me out. Let me answer the "Please Read This Before Posting" questions that pertain to my intended build:

Budget: Approx $1,200-$1,500, preferably on the lower end.
Brands: Anything trustworthy in your opinion.
Multitasking: Minimal. Gaming: Primary.
Overclocking: If necessary, though native clock speeds seem good for this build.
Operating System: Windows 7 (Not included in build price)
Recycled Components: Yes, this is where I may need help. Descriptions below.

Anything not mentioned from the "Please Read This Before Posting" thread can be ignored.

As the title of this thread suggests, I plan to use Linderman's $1,200 AMD build with Modifications. Here is a list of components from the build that I'm not intending on altering (I've updated prices from Newegg):

*Motherboard:* GA-890FXA-UD5 $179.99
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard 
*CPU:* Phenom II 965 Deneb Quad Core 3,4 Ghz $159.99
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX 
*Video Card:* Sapphire HD 6870 $229.99
Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100314SR Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity 
*Case:* Cooler Master HAF932 Full Tower ATX $119.98 
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case 
*Power Supply:* Corsair 850-TX $129.99
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply 
*CPU Cooler:* Zalman 9700 $39.99
Newegg.com - ZALMAN 9500A-LED 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

That brings the total price to $859.93, not including rebates/warranties.

Here are the components that I am planning to modify:

*Ram:* (2x quantity equaling 8GB RAM, instead of the suggested 4GB) Mushkin Enhanced Blackline DDR3 1600 $129.98 
Newegg.com - Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 996782
*Hard Drive:* Crucial 64GB SSD SATA III $122.99
Newegg.com - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

That brings the total price to $1,114.90

So far, my main concern is that the SSD (For OS and game apps) might not be compatible or be an insufficient amount of memory. I would only be installing 1 game app on the drive (Rift, details here - RIFT - Frequently Asked Questions) so I assume that 64GB is enough.

Okay it's getting late so I will come back tomorrow to complete this post with specifications on the components I want to recycle, if compatible (Hard drive, DVD drives, Sound Card)

Thank you very much to anybody who is able to provide insight on the build or anything I may be overlooking.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

If you look to the left at my build, you will notice that your build is pretty much the same with a slightly better video card and performance RAM. Thus far my system has been humming right along with no problems.

The motherboard comes with on-board audio so you won't need a sound card. The audio output is as good or better than that of the Sound Blaster Audigy I had in my old system.

Right now I'd just go with a good HDD versus a SSD. Windows 7 does a fairly good job of caching memory and beyond the initial loading most games won't be accessing the drive much anyway. I think that you are going to find yourself very cramped with only 64 GB of disk space (heck, I have a USB thumb drive that has that much capacity). In a couple of years the price of SSDs will be down and you can add a larger one then if you think you still need it.

I would recommend Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, both for it's capability to use more than 4 GB RAM and also for its legacy software support -- people are having some trouble getting the older games they still play to install and run under the Home Premium that comes with most inexpensive OEM systems.

The stock cooler works well for the 965. I even gave it a 17% overclock and ran it for 24 hours on Prime 95 to see how it would do. Temperatures stayed right at 62 C and there were no problems, albeit the cooler fan was a bit noisy. Note that overclocking may void the CPU warranty, but so does using a non-stock cooler.

This Limited Warranty shall be null and void if the AMD microprocessor which is the subject of this Limited Warranty is used with any heatsink/fan other than the one provided herewith.​


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## Dblanchard1278 (Jun 18, 2009)

You won't be using more than 4 gigs unless you do alot of graffixs design work and 3d rendoring so any thing above 4 gigs is pointless. Yes in the future there will be a need for more then 4 gigs of ram but by that time new ram will be on the market making ddr3 ram obsolete. I find ssd's to be over priced and highly over rated to be used in a desk top pc, ssd's are great options for laptops due to being dropped but in a desk top i see none. Yeah 30 seconds off the boot time isn't really a big deal, heck I could get a cup of coffee in that time so it doesn't bother me to wait.

If you want to spend that much money for hdd's then why not get a 320 gig drive for the os and programs and some thing like a 1tb or higher drive to store files on. If I'm right 64 gigs isn't a lot of room for windows and any apps, a few weeks ago I had to reinstall windows on my friends daughter's pc and I had to repartition the drive to fix it and I tryed installing on a 89 gig partition and couldn't cause it said it was too small. Now I'm sure it can be done even though I didn't have any luck with it. But you're not left with much room for any thing else after windows sets up page files and system restore settings.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Same thoughts as Team Mate Dblanchard1278.
4GB of RAM is more than sufficient and we do see many issues with 4GB RAM sticks. 
There are no games and few apps that can utilize over 3GB of RAM.
SSD's are extremely expensive and offer no advantages to warrant the price difference.


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## MAD1 (Feb 15, 2011)

Sorry to pull up this thread after so long, but my old computer broke and i didn't have access to the forums! Just wanted to say thanks to everybody for their input.

I ended up going with a couple changes:

*Hard Drive:* WD Caviar Black 750 GB	$69.99
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive 

*Power Supply:* Corsair 850-TX $139.99
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

The power supply has no reviews from newegg, so hopefully it doesn't end up being a dud! I also only went with 4GB of RAM, and don't plan to recycle any parts from my old PC like I was originally thinking.

One last question (And I know this isn't the right forum, sorry) - Does anybody know of a good guide for installing software on a new machine? I had a friend do it for me on my last build, and i really don't know much about it.

Thank you all very much!


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The Corsair PSU is a top quality SeaSonic built unit so you should not have any issues with it.
Good choice on the RAM.

First, do a bench test before installing hardware in the case. If all is well, install the OS and then install all the required drivers. Windows 7 will want to do a LOT of updates so let that happen.
Software is pretty straight forward to install. Insert the disc into your optical drive, follow the prompts and watch for any "included" undesirable software.
If you run into any problems whatsoever, post them here and someone will help you.
Best of luck!


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