AMD Sub 600 FFXIV (and other games) build, need comments/suggestions

[Shadowrunner]

Here's the build i'm whipping up for my brother. He's not the richest man in the world, and i'm trying to get it so that stock settings will do, ultimately it needs to play xiv, but I can't see where this fails.

Please Note: The goal is NOT to have savings to boost the specs and get back up to the 600 range. We're simply looking to build a machine and get it as cheap as we can. I'll look into upgrades (maybe) but from what I've gathered I've got the price down to about 439.95 or something like that after rebates.

Anyways, here's the build:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0317772 - Gold Series XTC Cooler 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666) Dual Channel Memory Kit (Two 2GB Memory Modules) - 89.99 (69.99 after rebate)

http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0325874 - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
+
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0342511 - MSI 785G-E53 AM3 785G ATX Motherboard - Total 169.99 (Microcenter has a deal where the board is only 9.99 when tacked on to the processor)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.506569 - OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 + Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Total 174.98 (supposedly should be 164.98) (45 in rebates)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150467 - XFX HD-567X-ZNF3 Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - 99.99 (79.99 after rebate)

So pretty sure that's all bases covered.

Total cost before rebates - 524.95
Total cost after rebates - 439.95

let me know if i'm missing something, or if there is any way to save more (or if you truly know of an outrageous deal i'm not looking at, feel free to toss it in)

[Dmitry]

You're going to need disk drives for your rig there. Other than that, everything looks in order.

[LinktheDeme]

i've read bad things about OCZ , power supplies breaking within 1 year, giving less power, dragging on rebates, and etc.

[Shadowrunner]

I'm assuming he's going to move the HDD's he already has and stick em in. I know he has a 1 TB external he can dismantle and slap in. So HDD is not an issue (SSD's and other options may come later)

[sruon]

I have 2 of these PSU and they work pretty well, your build is solid anyway, definitly room to upgrade the graphic card to 5770/460 though.

[Shadowrunner]

i've read bad things about OCZ , power supplies breaking within 1 year, giving less power, dragging on rebates, and etc.

Good to know.

New Egg has combos up the butt though for it, what about Antec or XFX (personally have never worked with XFX), they're slightly more (20-30 more) but don't break the bank.

[Shadowrunner]

I have 2 of these PSU and they work pretty well, your build is solid anyway, definitly room to upgrade the graphic card to 5770/460 though.

If any upgrade happens, it'll be the card. I'm just looking for a steal on the 5770. would a 460 work on an AMD based system? Forgive my lack of knowledge, but I always assumed that the system would run smoother on similar brand equip. I know of some good 460 deals...

[sruon]

Yeah it will, no problems there.

[Shadowrunner]

crap - screw the deal on Microcenter for the mobo , plans ruined. Gonna need to figure out another deal. man... suxs lol

[Jefe]

Switch to a Deneb 955 (you can easily OC to 965) and upgrade to a 5770.

[Isiolia]

I would perhaps look for deals on a lower cost case to start with. The 900 is a $120ish case normally - there are perfectly serviceable cases for half that much, normal price. You can find them for even less on occasion. I think I paid $45 for the 300 I used for my brother's machine. Even without specials you can get one of those (or similar) and a solid 600-some-watt PSU for a little less than the deal you have there, and you don't need to chance/wait on rebates.

You should definitely look at putting in a 5770 or GTX460 though. If the purpose of the machine is gaming, then you don't want to be putting in the bare minimum just to save a few bucks. A 5670 is barely able to play some current games at 1280x1024, much less higher resolution, next years games, and so on. This article has a low-cost build with a 5670, and a better with a GTX470, so it's a little more disparate than what you'd be looking at, but it does give an idea of how little performance you get from that card.

[Rrylia]

I have that Antec case, which I think I bought about a year or so ago, and personally I find its really good. I had to take it to the engineers at one point (don't ask) and he lost the little rubber mat for keys/coins which was slightly annoying, but not the end of the world! However, poster ^ is correct in that there are cases just as good for much less - you are paying for blue lights and about 17 million fans on the Antec, a lot of which you probably don't need / won't use. If you are looking to get the cost down and not bothered that much how it looks, there are a number of more suitable boxes I would say.

[popsiclestix]

I am a former Antec 190 (built 2 of these) owner, and I can say that they are decent for sound and cable management but you can do much better if you are aiming for sub 600. I would recommend (and I ordered but haven't personally evaluated) a NZXT case. The cheaper models seem decent and are tailored more for open air flow and cable management for a lot less... I went for a NZXT Gamma case until I work my way on building another water cooled system and get an Corsair Obsidian. With the money you save on the case, you could easily upgrade one of the other more crucial components.