Well here is the final build configuration Ive settled on. Ive been stewing on this for a week or so just to make sure I was getting all that I wanted but staying in the budget. The only thing I would change would add more RAM but I will do that down the road.

So tell me what you think

  • MSI 970A-G45 AMD 970 Socket AM3+ Motherboard
  • AMD FX-4100 3.60 GHz Quad Core AM3+ Unlocked Processor
  • Thermaltake CLP0600 Contac 21 Universal CPU Cooler - 92mm Fan, 2400RPM, 4 Pin, 4x Direct Contact Heat-pipes, LGA 1155, 1156, 775, FM1, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2
  • Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B Vengeance Desktop Memory Kit - 8GB (2x 4GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, 9-9-9-24 CAS Latency, Intel XMP Ready, Unbuffered
  • EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti FPB Video Card - 1024MB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 2.0 (x16), 2x Dual-Link DVI-I, 1x Mini-HDMI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, SLI Ready
  • Thermaltake W0382RU Modular Power Supply - 750 Watt, 140mm Fan, 80 Plus Bronze, Active PFC
  • Lite-On IHAS424-98 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, Lightscribe
  • Cougar EVOLUTION Full Tower Gaming Case - ATX, Micro ATX, 6x 5.25" Ext, 4x 3.5" Int, 2x 120mm Fans, Integrated Fan Controller, 2.5" / 3.5" HDD Dock, 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0
  • Logitech MK550 920-002555 Wireless Wave Mouse and Keyboard
  • ViewSonic VX2450wm-LED 24" Class Widescreen LED Backlit Monitor - 1080p, 1920x1080, 16:9, 1000:1 Native, 20000000:1 Dynamic, 5ms, VGA, DVI, Built-in Speakers, Tilt


I skipped on a hard drive because I have a 250GB, 7200 RPM drive at home that I will use. I also have a Raptor 36GB, 10,000 RPM drive that Id like to try out as a boot drive. But the ultimate goal would be to eventually have a nicely sized SSD as the boot drive then a few 500GB hard drives for storage, backups and so on.

After rebates all of this will come in for what I think is the decent price of $835. In the process of my waiting and considering all that I wanted, the price on the GTX 550 video card changed and I was able to get it for the same price (after rebate) as the GTS 450 card I had originally planned for.

As prices come down, I could also upgrade at a later time to the 8 core AMD processor and I have plenty of room for more RAM as the board supports up to 32GB.

So what do you think? Is this a decent set up? Do you see any conflicts in the hardware? Am I missing anything?