new computer spec help

[intrepid.enterprise]

i am going to build a new computer for light gaming and so far I have chosen the following parts

asus m5a88-m motherboard

amd phenom x4 965 black

fractal design r4

budget is $600, so far i have only the mainboard and processor, are these good? i cant afford an i3/i5/i7

[Crisp]

What kind of games do you intend to play? The most expensive part will be the graphics card.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

What's your video card budget? What's the resolution of your monitor? How much RAM do you intend to put in it?

[mduren2445]

memory......go at least 8gb memory especially if you are gaming...the board can support 16gb ddr3

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

For RAM, get the G.Skill RipJaw X series. They have not yet failed me.

[intrepid.enterprise]

gonna play starcraft2 and league of legends

i am thinking of getting a radeon hd7770

[intrepid.enterprise]

i was thinking of the other stuff to add:

radeon hd 7770 (not sure which variant yet, most likely stock)

8gb 1600mhz (brand doesn't matter)

ocz vertex 3 60gb ssd

16x dvd-rw drive

maybe a cheap card reader

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

The XFX version of ATI cards are superb. Most of their cards are lifetime warranty.

As said above, get the G.Skill RipJaws X series for RAM.

I would rather go with a Samsung 830/840 than with the OCZ, but that's my take.

[intrepid.enterprise]

what about the mainboard and cpu

asus m5a88-m

amd phenomx4 956

is the motherboard good? what about cpu? i know its a little old but will it work fine today compared to i3 or i5?

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

i'd get a better video card if your budget permits.

Also, dont bother w/ the Vertex 3. get the 4, or the Samsung 830/840 as Mindovermaster suggested.

Asus makes great motherboards. Honestly, i think you're best off just getting an intel setup.

[Luc2k]

The 840 is slower than the 830 if I'm not mistaken. 840 Pro is better but the price difference is not worth it.

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

I think you got it backwards. The 840 is faster than the 830.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008120%2050001077&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&CompareItemList=636|20-147-137^20-147-137-04%23%2C20-147-185^20-147-185-TS

[Luc2k]

Nope, 840 uses cheaper memory and doesn't yet have 830's reliability track record.