First computer build proposal

[Pudu]

Hi, I'm new to building computers. I've been researching this so I have some idea of what to expect, but I've never done it before so I'm not 100% confident. I've gathered up a list of parts that that I'm thinking of using for my first build. I've tried to make sure they're all compatible but, as I said, I'm not 100% sure. If there are any parts which you know to be total trash then please say so and ideally suggest a replacement. But please bear in mind that I'm on a budget so I can't really afford to spend much more than now. Here are the parts:

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-M720-US3 Motherboard Phenom FX Socket AM2+
Processor: AMD Athlon II X2 250 3.0 GHz 2MB Cache Dual Core
Graphics card: Asus Radeon HD 4650 PCI-E 2.0 W/LP 1GB
RAM: Kingston Technology 2GB 667MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL5 DIMM (X2). A bit unsure on this one, many different types of RAM and I'm not sure if there are compatibility issues. Was looking at this one as well.
Hard drive: Seagate OEM 500GB Barracuda 7200.12 Internal Hard Disk
DVD drive: Sony AD-7241S-0B 24x Internal DVDRWRAM SATA Black LightScribe
Case: Elite 330 Mid Tower Chassis
Power supply: Unsure. I was thinking along the lines of this 650w power supply. But I also noticed similar 450w or 500w supplies and I'm unsure if they would be appropriate. Can someone help me on this?
Operating system: Widows 7 64 bit

So what's your verdict? How will it be for playing games? I fully expect at this price that I'm not going to able to play all the latest games with great performance, but that isn't a problem. Most of my games are a few years old. Any compatibility problems or poor components I should steer clear of? I was also looking at DDR3 RAM and while I could find it, it doesn't seem to be compatible with my motherboard and I couldn't find another appropriate, affordable motherboard. Is DDR3 that much better?

Thanks in advance.

[RickyTick]

It looks ok, but don't expect to play the newer games with high settings at high resolutions.

[Pudu]

OK, I've made a few revisions:

Motherboard: ASRock AM3 M3A785GMH/128M Motherboard Socket M-ATX 5200MT/S
Graphics card: built into above
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM Memory 1333Mz DDR3 Non-ECC DIMM X2
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATAII 16MB Cache

What hasn't been listed is the same as in my first post. As you can see, I've taken the cheaper option here of choosing a motherboard with the graphics card built in. From what I've seen of youtube videos of games being played with this, it should be perfectly adequate, and these videos were on systems with inferior overall specifications. Plus, according to the manufacturer's page, the motherboard has PCIE slots so I'll be able (I think) to upgrade the graphics card in future if I wish. This motherboard also means I use newer DDR3 RAM. Also, the case support both ATX and MicroATX so the form factor should be fine whatever.

Any compatibility issues here? Anyone have any idea of what sort of power supply would be appropriate? Any other issues I should be aware of before taking the plunge?

[RickyTick]

You may be taking a step backwards going from a dedicated graphics card to onboard graphics.
Have you looked at our Budget Builds? Check it out.
http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=1642

[The Wise Monkey]

Hi Pudu,

Ricky is absolutely right about using onboard graphics being a major step backwards. Then again, if your budget is that tight, it may be the best option.

Since it appears you are from the UK (like me!), I would recommend using ebuyer.com to buy things, as they have super fast delivery and great prices. Amazon do seem to be catching them in terms of low prices though, so it is really a judgement call.

I took the liberty of making a potential build for you. It cuts back in a few places, such as the case and PSU, in order to allow the extra expense for a dedicated graphics card:

Motherboard: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/177224
CPU: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166519
RAM: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/178942
HD: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158860
DVD: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176026
GFX: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/178946
Case: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/108280
PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/109466

This all comes to £263.24 including delivery, but not including the OS. With Windows 7 64-bit, it comes to £342.10. Does this fit your budget?

[Pudu]

Yep, I'm from the UK (Dorset)

Actually that goes below what I was planning to spend! So I'll buy some more RAM for 4GB in total. That build seems exactly what I'm looking for. I was looking for a motherboard that supported DDR3 RAM but didn't have built in graphics. I couldn't find it on amazon and the other sites I've looked didn't have a good selection or good prices. Thanks for pointing out ebuyer.com, looks like a good site. I may tinker a little with it but I think that build you gave me will be the basis for my computer. Thank you for all your help!

[The Wise Monkey]

Oh, cool - I live in Hampshire!

Just a quick question - are you a student? Or do you have a .ac.uk email address? If so, you can take advantage of the Windows 7 student offer and get a copy for only £30:
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/studentoffer/

[The Wise Monkey]

Oh, cool - I live in Hampshire!

Just a quick question - are you a student? Or do you have a .ac.uk email address? If so, you can take advantage of the Windows 7 student offer and get a copy for only £30:
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/education/studentoffer/