[johnhudd]

These are the parts I have chosen to build my pc, and I was wondering if they would run Empire Total War with no problems. Also, do you see any issues with compatibility, and would I be able to upgrade in the future? Also, is this a complete computer, or do I need something else to use it. I have Windows 7 64-bit os on a disc, so could I just install that?


COOLER MASTER Elite 311 RC-311B-OWN1 Orange Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
TOSHIBA DT01ACA050 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity ...
SONY Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM
Diablotek DA Series PSDA600 600W ATX12V v2.2 Power Supply
Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model PGD38G1333ELK
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

This is a budget computer, so I cant afford the latest technology. As long as it can run Empire Total War on high settings without problems. Other than that it will be used for basic things like cd and dvd playback and internet browsing. Any suggestions or money saving tips? thanks

[Tanis]

Hi and welcome to TSG.

My initial thoughts are it looks OK, a couple of suggetions / thoughts for you:

1) I assume you have mouse, keyboard and monitor?

2) Is you Windows 7 DVD an OEM version that came with a different pre-built PC or is it a full version you bought yourself? If it is OEM you can't, legally, use it on any other PC so you would have to buy another copy.

3) I would buy a better quality PSU, this is one part you really shouldn't be saving costs on and quality really does pay off in the long run,although it will cost more. Get a quality unit from a manufaturer like OCZ, Corsair, PC Power and Cooling or Seasonic (to name a few).

4) Personally, I would advice buying RAM that is on the motherboard manufacturers Memory Support List (MSL), your boards info can be found here.

[crjdriver]

I agree the pw supply you selected is to put it nicely very low end. It is what I call a junk unit. Good brands; corsair, seasonic, pcpower&cooling, or for a lower end pc antec is fine.

While you are not building a cutting edge system, you have select some very pw hungry components; ie cpu and video card. For a build like yours, I would go with something like corsair unit.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139020
It is $59 after promo code and MIR. Actually a very good deal.

[johnhudd]

If I change the power supply to the one in the link you gave me, and change my RAM to the following: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231422, will that work. Is the motherboard good, and will it play empire total war well, if you know. Please double check compatibility for me. Is there a less expensive power supply though. Its really not in my budget. If it's not absolutely, I would prefer not to pay that much. I can upgrade down the road.

thanks

[crjdriver]

The pw supply is NOT where you want to go cheap. Up to you however after you have seen a few pw supplies explode and take out the board, cpu, ram, etc, you learn to install quality pw supplies.

As for the ram, I like to stick to crucial, corsair, or kingston. If the ram you linked to is on the approved list at gigabyte, then it should be ok.

[johnhudd]

Thank you. I will go with the psu you suggested. I know the motherboard supports dual channel DDR3 memory sticks and has 4 slots. Its max supported memory is 32GB. This may be a stupid question, but if it can support a 2GB card, can it also support a 4GB version of the card?

[johnhudd]

Is it possible that the list is outdated? Newegg doesn't seem to have any of the items on that list. Is there another way to tell compatibility?

[Snagglegaster]

These days, supported memory lists are more like suggestions rather than rules. Patriot Memory products are excellent. I've bought about as much of their stuff over the last 10 years or so as I have Crucial or Kingston. I've had more returns from Corsair than any other manufacturer, so I don't buy Corsair memory these days.

Diablotek power supplies are among the worst you can buy. Corsair, Seasonic, OCZ, Antec, and Thermaltake are decent brands. A bad PSU can certainly fry your system, but it can also cause stability and performance issues that are often hard to troubleshoot. Not a component where you want to cut corners.

[johnhudd]

I changed my power supply to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139020

My RAM to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

And my dvd drive to this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136247

Its a little pricier than I was anticipating, but I think it will make a good computer. What do you guys think?

[Snagglegaster]

G.SKILL makes decent RAM products, but the best change you've made to your system is the PSU. DVD drives are about as disposable as Kleenex. Just buy whatever is cheap.

[johnhudd]

thanks. Just a few more questions. The dvd drive is oem, so does that mean I will have to buy the cables and screws, because I'd prefer not to? Will the hard drive affect gaming and overall speed and performance, and if so is mine sufficient? As for the RAM, I chose it because it works with my motherboard, while the patriot RAM only says it's compatible with Intel, and I read some good reviews. Will it be okay for some gaming though?

[Snagglegaster]

Originally Posted by johnhudd

thanks. Just a few more questions. The dvd drive is oem, so does that mean I will have to buy the cables and screws, because I'd prefer not to? Will the hard drive affect gaming and overall speed and performance, and if so is mine sufficient? As for the RAM, I chose it because it works with my motherboard, while the patriot RAM only says it's compatible with Intel, and I read some good reviews. Will it be okay for some gaming though?

Your case should include any screws you need to install your drives, and the motherboard package should include the SATA cables you require. Gigabyte boards do things right. Very few games depend on hard drive performance; good graphics, a decent CPU, and plenty of RAM are much more important. And I buy and install lots of Patriot Memory in AMD systems; Patriot makes a top-tier product.

Will a faster hard drive make your system run better overall? You bet. That's why I run a SSD in my primary computer. All the same, that's a luxury and not a necessity.

[johnhudd]

Thank you. I think I pretty much have all of my parts picked out, except I'm not 100% sure on the RAM just yet, seeing as how it's so important. First, how can I find out if its for sure going to be compatible with my system, Ive been checking on company websites and google, but to no avail. Next, what speed is best for my system, ddr3 1333, or 1600, and what exactly is the difference between the two?

[johnhudd]

I think I have it down to these two choices.

This is Patriot, and it's suggested use is gaming.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220558

This one is G. Skill. It has the same specs ( as far as I can tell, I'm not an expert), but it doesnt specifically say it's for gaming. It does however say that it's compatible with my motherboard platform, if thats the right word.

They both have good reviews, they cost about the same price. I was wondering which would be best for my system? Sorry about asking almost the same question twice, but thios is my first build and I want to make sure I get everything right. I know you said patriot is compatible with AMD, but I just want to be sure about that specific memory. If you could do a little comparison with my system in mind it would be much appreciated. Thanks

[johnhudd]

G. Skill Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220558