EggXpert

Hello all, this will be a work in progress for a continuation of Wasper's awesome budget quick picks.

These are different budget gaming computers from both Intel and AMD in incremental steps of $100.  They are focused on mult-GPU when the budget is big enough, with a single card alternative most of the time.  For parts that don't affect the performance of the system as much as the CPU/GPU/Motherboard (DVD/Case/Memory/Hard Drive/PSU), I've chosen parts that will work great and are compatible but are not nearly as high-end as the core three parts.  If interested in spending a bit more on hard drive space, different style case, larger PSU, more or different memory, then all you have to do is take this increase into account when looking through the different budgets.

If you are trying to decide between a single or multi-GPU set up, just take into consideration that it is not uncommon for multi-GPU systems to be less stable than just having one GPU.  If you are looking for fewer headaches with your build, I recommend getting a single GPU.

AMD AM3 (Athlon II/Phenom II) is a bit confusing if you're a new-comer.  AMD AM3 CPUs have both DDR2 and DDR3 controllers onboard.  This means that they will work in both AM3 and supported AM2+ boards.  AM2+ CPUs only have DDR2 controllers onboard and can not be used on AM3 only motherboards as these boards use DDR3.

Intel LGA 1156 (Core i3/i5/i7 8xx Series) will be paired up with the P55/H55/H57 chipsets and requires DDR3 in Dual Channel.  Core i3 will be dual core with HT/on-die graphics but no turbo mode.  Core i5 are dual with HT/on-die graphics and quad core without HT/on-die graphics.  Core i7 are quad core with HT.  You can use any LGA 1156 CPU in any LGA 1156 motherboard, but the on-die graphics will only work on H55/H57 motherboards.

Intel LGA 1366 (Core i7 9xx Series) is used with the X58 chipset and requires DDR3 usually in Triple Channel.  The CPUs are quad and hex core. Needless to say, this platform is for the person that has a large budget.  A base budget of at least $1000 is recommended if wishing to venture into i7 territory.

****NOTE**** Intel specifies memory voltage for both its LGA1366/LGA1156 platforms.  Generally getting a kit of DDR3 memory that is at the IEEE standard 1.5v or less is a good idea.  An ideal kit would be 1.5v at CL7 running at 1333+MHz.

These picks are just the tower with no Operating System, and at the bottom are accessory combinations with monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers/OS.

Make sure the OS that you choose is able to utilize all of the memory you're purchasing.  If your system has more than 3GB, generally you'll want to have a 64-bit OS to properly use all the memory, however, a 64-bit OS is also perfectly fine for use with less than 3GB of memory.

Interested in overclocking?  Make sure to look into after market heatsink/fan products.  Make sure to check compatibility with the motherboard socket you are using.

Note: All of these builds will be using Newegg's pricing.  People are free to change parts and buy search at other sites, but these are just nice reference builds and ones that might give ideas to people who aren't sure where yet to start.

Just for fun, here is a very nice home computer build.  This system will not be a great performer in the gaming arena as it uses onboard graphics.  Add on my cheapest accessories bundle for a quality, cheap, family computer build.

$400 Budget Home Use Computer (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$40 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$50 Power Supply Unit (~400W)

~$90 AMD 880 Motherboard

~$60 2GB DDR3 Memory

~$70 AMD AM3 CPU

$500 Budget (AMD)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$40 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

~$100 AMD AM3 870 Motherboard

~$60 2GB DDR3 Memory

~$70 AMD AM3 CPU

One of these GPUs:

~$100 NVIDIA 9800GT Video Card

~$100 ATI HD 4770/4850 Video Card

$500 Budget (Intel)

<$25 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$40 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

~$80 Intel P43/P45 Motherboard

~$60 2GB DDR3 Memory

Intel Pentium E5300 Dual-Core Processor

One of these GPUs:

~$100 NVIDIA 9800GT Video Card

~$600 Budget (AMD)

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

~$100 AMD AM3 870 Motherboard

~$60 2GB DDR3 Memory

~$100 AMD AM3 CPU

One of these video cards:

~$130 ATI HD 5750 Video Card

~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

~$600 Budget (Intel)

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$65 Power Supply Unit (~500W)

~$100 Intel H55/P55 Motherboard

~$60 2GB DDR3 Memory

Intel Core i3-530 Dual-Core Processor

One of these video cards:

~$130 ATI HD 5750 Video Card

~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 / 9800GTX+ Video Card

~$700 Budget (AMD)

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$90 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$100 AMD AM3 870 Motherboard

~$100 DDR3 Memory

AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8GHz AM3 Quad-Core CPU

One of these video cards:

~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

~$700 Budget (Intel)

<$35 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$55 Hard Drive (500GB) w/ >=16MB Cache

~$90 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$100 Intel H55/P55 Motherboard

~$100 DDR3 Memory

Intel Core i3-530 Dual-Core Processor

One of these video cards:

~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

~$800 Budget (AMD)

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$90 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$140 AM3 Motherboard

~$100 DDR3 Memory

~$160 AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE CPU

One of these video cards:

~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

~$800 Budget (Intel)

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$90 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$100 Intel H55/P55 Motherboard

~$100 DDR3 Memory

~$200 Intel Core i5 750 CPU

One of these video cards:

~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

~$900 Budget  (AMD)  ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$90 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$100 DDR3 Memory

~$160 AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

~$140 AM3 Motherboard

2 X  ~$130 ATI HD 5750 Video Card

or

~$220 ATI HD 5830 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

~$100 AM3 750a SLI Motherboard

2 X   ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 1GB Video Card

or

~$280 NVIDIA GTX 465 1GB Video Card

~$900 Budget  (Intel)  ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$90 Power Supply Unit (~600-700W)

~$100 DDR3 Memory

~$160 Intel P55 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard

~$200 Intel Core i5-750 CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

or

~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

or

~$220 ATI HD 5830 1GB Video Card

For SLI capability:

2 X   ~$100 NVIDIA 9800GT Video Card

or

~$200 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

~$1000 Budget ( AMD )   ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$100 DDR3 Memory

~$160 AMD Phenom II X4 955 BE CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

~$170 AM3 890FX Motherboard

2 X  ~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

~$160 NVIDIA 980a SLI Motherboard

2 X   ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 1GB Video Card

or

~$1000 Budget ( Intel Core i7 ) ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$160 Intel P55 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard

~$100 DDR3 Memory

~$200 Intel Core i5-750 CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

2 X  ~$130 ATI HD 5750 Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

2 X   ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 1GB Video Card

or

~$1100 Budget ( AMD ) ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$100 DDR3 Memory

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Six-Core Processor

For Crossfire-X capability:

~$170 AM3 890FX Motherboard

2 X  ~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

~$160 NVIDIA 980a SLI Motherboard

2 X   ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 1GB Video Card

or

~$1100 Budget ( Intel Core i7 ) ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$60 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$160 P55 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard

Intel Core i7-860 2.8GHz Quad-Core CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

2 X  ~$130 ATI HD 5750 Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

2 X   ~$130 NVIDIA GTS 250 1GB Video Card

or

~$1200 Budget ( AMD )  ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

~$100 DDR3 Memory

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE Six-Core Processor

For Crossfire-X capability:

~$170 AM3 890FX Motherboard

2 X  ~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

~$160 NVIDIA 980a SLI Motherboard

2 X   ~$170 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

or

~$1200 Budget  ( Intel Core i7 )  ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB) 

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

X58 or P55 Core i7:

~$600: 6GB Memory  /  X58 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard  /  Core i7-9xx CPU

~$560: 4GB Memory  /  P55 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard  /  Core i7-860 CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

2 X  ~$150 ATI HD 5770 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

2 X   ~$170 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

or

~$1300 Budget  ( AMD )  ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$180 Power Supply Unit (~850W)

~$100 DDR3 Memory

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T BE Six-Core Processor

For Crossfire-X:

~$170 AM3 890FX Motherboard

2 X  ~$215 ATI HD 5830 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI:

~$160 NVIDIA 980a SLI Motherboard

2 X   ~$170 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

or

~$1300 Budget  ( Intel Core i7 )  ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$85 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$130 Power Supply Unit (~750W)

X58 or P55 Core i7:

~$600: 6GB Memory  /  X58 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard  /  Core i7-9xx CPU

~$560: 4GB Memory  /  P55 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard  /  Core i7-860 CPU

For Crossfire-X capability:

2 X  ~$215 ATI HD 5830 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

2 X   ~$170 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

or

~$1500 Budget ( Intel Core i7 ) ( Crossfire / SLI )

<$30 DVD Burner SATA Model

~$160 Computer Case

~$80 Hard Drive (1TB)

~$180 Power Supply Unit (~850W)

~$150 DDR3 Triple Channel Memory

~$200 Intel X58 Crossfire/SLI Motherboard

~$290 Intel Core i7-9xx Quad Core Processor

One of these video card(s):

For Crossfire-X capability:

2 X  ~$220 ATI HD 5830 1GB Video Card

or

For SLI capability:

2 X   ~$170 NVIDIA GTX 260 896MB Video Card

or

~$460 NVIDIA GTX 480 1.5GB Video Card

Accessory Bundles ( Operating system/Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse/Speakers ) 

Tack these prices onto any of the builds above to get an idea of what a whole system would cost you.  These are just to give you an idea, and the prices are grabbed directly from Newegg. 

~$300 Budget Bundle ( Wireless )

ASUS VW198T Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech Wireless MK300 Keyboard and Mouse

OS:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- Best for 4GB+ of RAM

or

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit DVD

~$300 Tight Budget Bundle ( Wired )

ASUS VW198T Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech X-240 2.1 Speakers

Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 Keyboard and Mouse

OS:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- Best for 4GB+ of RAM

or

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit DVD

~$350 Budget Bundle ( Wireless )

Hanns·G HH-221HPB Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech X-240 2.1 Speakers

Logitech LX310 Keyboard & Laser Mouse

OS:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- Best for 4GB+ of RAM

or

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit DVD

~$350 Budget Bundle ( Wired )

Hanns·G HH-221HPB Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Logitech X-240 2.1 Speakers

Microsoft Comfort Keyboard 2000

Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0

OS:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- Best for 4GB+ of RAM

or

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit DVD

~$400 Budget Bundle ( Wireless )

ASUS VH235T-P Black 23" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

ALTEC LANSING 2.1 Speakers

Logitech LX310 Keyboard & Laser Mouse

OS:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- Best for 4GB+ of RAM

or

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit DVD

~$400 Budget Bundle ( Wired )

ASUS VH235T-P Black 23" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

ALTEC LANSING 2.1 Speakers

Microsoft Wired Keyboard 2000

Logitech MX518 Wired Optical Mouse

OS:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DVD <- Best for 4GB+ of RAM

or

Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit DVD

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jsv35:

How do I sticky this thing?

You can't.  An Uber, Mod, Admin etc. have the rights to sticky. 

---

Remember, give points to good and helpful posts!

I understand what you are trying to do... keep the price very close to $500.00. But there are some things which I would not budge on.

So, I have a little bit of changes to do to both builds... more to my liking... which "of course" will change the price to a bit more.

AMD.... really a excellant build, but I would buy a different mobo... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?ATT=13128034&CMP=AFC-SlickDeals&Item=N82E16813128034 and increase you build by a few bucks.

And, you can find better prices other then newegg, that would matter A LOT to someone who is building a "budget" computer. I would definately mention the site www.slickdeals.net and sometimes you can get better prices on harddrives, dvd burners, RAM, etc.... Also, if you don't mind MIR you can save some money on the memory, I do undestand that the memory you choose is the cheapest Latency 4 memory with no MIR. Plus the PSU is cheaper at Clubit. But for a true budget build... I may try to get a $30.00 PSU even though the Corsair is AMAZING QUALITY!!!, tough call.

INTEL... so there are a few changes I would make in this build. First off the cheapest CPU I would buy is the E4400 (or E4300). Your CPU is just TOO CHEAP, I would rather go AMD then get a E2140. Next I would tell everyone that the mobo you choose "DOES NOT HAVE RAID", but it is a good mobo. Next The cheapest video card I would recommend would be the X1950 (would NOT recommend the 8600 GT... not worth it in my mind). I would stick with the Corsair PSU!!!! again it is on sale at www.clubit.com . The next thing is I would not get any cheaper memory then the one you mentioned in the AMD build... just TOO CHEAP!!! I do realize this increased your price, but you go to spend a little to get a little.

I still have some questions like... what about the OS? I guess just tag on $100 to the price and a monitor? I guess just tag on another $130 and keyboard and mouse just tag on a final $30.00.

 Last thing I will mention is that it is sometimes not worth the $$$$ when building a "budget" computer. Dell right now is offering a deal, OS, keyboard, mouse and computer  AND 19" LCD for $450.00 and it comes with a E4400 CPU. But only has 1 gig of RAM and it is PC2 5400, 80 gig harddrive, DVD ROM, onboard video card. But does have 24/7 one year tec support!!!!! and for $379, you get the same system with a E2140.

My question is... IS it worth $70.00 to upgrade the E2140 to a E4400? I think I will be buying a Dell for my buddy, who just wants a computer for the internet? So if all he wants is a internet computer with some video playing (playing DVDs and AVI, etc...) should I get him to spend extra on the better CPU? external DVD burner? or more memory? Total amount he is willing to spend is $450?

Personally I would build one, if it was my choice... probably go with the budget AMD system. I know at $379 with 19" and OS, this deal can't be beat, but if you start to upgrade.. more memory, larger harddrive, better CPU, better GPU, etc... the price becomes very similar to a budget build and the budget build has much higher quality.

I have much <3 for the E2160.

Stock cooled, can OC to 2.8GHz stable. For $85. 

After reading your post I edited a few things in the 'about' section on the beginning of this post.  Mainly, all these builds will be using Newegg's pricing.  These builds are just things that will work for sure together and that are ~$500.  People are free to change parts and buy search at other sites, but these are just nice reference builds and ones that might give ideas to people who aren't sure where yet to start. 

Regarding what you would change on the builds; on the Intel build, it's really hard to put together a build that will compete with AMD when you are talking below $750.  The processor I included will most likely be beat by the AMD one I chose, but it is a good overclocker, so it can make up for the performance/price issue there if the consumer is willing.  Otherwise, like I noted, the AMD is the winner here.

I do like that AM2 motherboard you linked to, but lately it seems like Gigabytes quality has been slipping.  Maybe it's just me, but like with their issues with not passing the EMI standards (or whatever that was) and on the DS3R boards, people seem to be having problems with them corrupting and such (on newegg product reviews).  I'm really starting to like ABIT and ASUS boards more now, which is sad. 

"These will initially be just the tower with no OS, and maybe later on I will get to accessory combinations with monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers."

I'm getting there, it'll come.  Otherwise, it's not hard to estimate how much it would be with everything combined, atleast another $350 for OS/monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers.  That's for the most basic of monitors and speakers and such.  I'll get more specific bundles tomorrow. 

I'm working on a step up for each, to ~$600 now. 

---

HI,

Im sorry I didnt respond to your PM's jsv35, but Ive been very busy.. alot of stuff going on at my house, and I just purchased a new car... so needless to say Ive pretty much been away from the PC for about a week.

I would like to say that you did awesome with these builds ! really, you did. Im glad that CAG stickied this post instead of letting it get lost amoung the mydrid of other posts in this forum section... thanks CAG!!!

I can tell that you put alot of time into this... I know, looking for those nice budget combonations takes time ;)

I particually like the new hd 2900Pros that came out, and Im glad you included them into your builds... I own a MSI K9A Platinum 3200 Xpress motherboard (2X full 16X PCI-E for crossfire).. and I think I may upgrade from my X1950Pro (still a respectable card) to the HD2900Pro... finally ATI/AMD did something right... and priced it right aswell !

Awesome job man.. this will be a great help for peeps looking for some build options on the cheap.

Thanks again for the time you put into this thread, it shows in the results!

Wasper

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Hey now, I didn't do jack except discover the "sticky" field :D

But again, this is why I come here, awesome work, good detail, and consistent pricing info... 

Very good work, you are to be idolized for such dedication to eggxpert!

~TK

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Thanks for the compliments, I just am bored as hell at work sitting at a help desk, so I will just start doing this! haha

What else would people like to see on here eventually?

This thing is crazy long, should I split into multiple threads/stickies? 

Also, anyone see this stuff about the new mid-range AMD and NVIDIA cards coming out?  I think they're going to be the HD2900 GT and the 8800GT.  I'm excited to see how much these cards are and how they match up.  It'd be really nice if either were closer to the $200 mark!

http://xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20071001234225.html

http://xbitlabs.com/news/video/display/20071003223755.html

*updated all the way to ~$1200 now 

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I would recommend EVGA for the NVIDIA cards every time, but I was aiming for budgets here.  If someone looks at these, they can still chose their own brands but will realize they'll probably end up paying more.

Also, what do you not like about MSI? every thing of theirs I've ever used has been great.
 

---

Bad pervious experiences with MSI notwithstanding, If you will note, in my sig I use MSI products.

And now I have extra cred to use: that system won Best Performance Mod at LANFest 2K7.

just a quick question.  i'm trying to buy a new system and i was looking at the TF560 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard and windsor 6000+ 3.0 ghz proc before i saw this post.  is it true what some people are saying in the reviews for the mobo about the stock fan from that proc will not fit in the slot for it?
 

Hm your ultra low budget could go lower!

COOLMAX CS-480-Black W/O PSU Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $24.99 ($14.99 after MIR)
Thermaltake A2029 120mm Case Fan - Retail $11.69
GIGABYTE GA-M61SME-S2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $49.99
XCLIO STABLEPOWER 460W ATX V2.2 460W Power Supply - Retail $59.99
    [That's 80% Efficiency, you could go with 70% FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX400-PN ATX12V 400W Power Supply - Retail $39.99]

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 65W Processor Model ADO4000DDBOX - Retail $65.99
WINTEC AMPO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model 3AMD2667-1G2-R - Retail $25.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $49.99
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM $29.99

Total: $318.62 ($308.62 after MIR) or $298.62 ($288.62 After MIR) [with cheaper PSU]

Cons of this AMD Build compared to yours:

• RAM: This build offers a single-slot 1GB at DDR2 667 instead of a dual-channel DDR2 800.
• Motherboard:
  

• No DIV output (there is a D-SUB though)
  
• Only 10/100MB Lan, instead of 10/100/1000 MB Lan
• Only 2 SATA Ports, instead of 4*** (See below)
  

Pros of this AMD Build:

• Cost: Cheaper...
• Hard Drive: Double the hard drive space
• Optical Drive: You get a DVD Burner instead of just a CD/DVD Reader.

*** With this configuration, the 2 SATA ports are taken up already (by optical drive/hard drive)...
     Is it really necessary to have a SATA Optical Drive - I mean, airflow in the case probably won't take a negative hit if there is a 1 ribbon cable.. But if Airflow is of concern than the following configuration will make up for it:

• DVD Burner: LG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model GSA-H54NK - OEM $26.99 
• Rounded ATA Cable: Link Depot 3 Connectors Yellow ATA133 UV Cable Model UV-ATA36-YE-3 - Retail $2.69

I think the benefits outweigh the cons. I mean for some families the savings on this build is good enough.

3 Day Shipping to Chicago Illinois, here's the totals:
Original AMD System: $365.35
My System (with XCLIO PSU): $352.95
My System (with FSP PSU):   $332.50
My System (with FSP PSU/IDE DVD Burner): $334.64

- Zach