Rate my build

Decided to dive into my first DIY PC build. Could someone take a look at this parts list and let me know if I'm on the right track? Also, I'm totally lost on what power supply to pick for this setup:

Motherboard: ASRock FM2A55M-VG3
http://www.newegg.com/p/asrock-fm2a55m-vg3

CPU: AMD Athlon ii x4 760 k
http://www.newegg.com/p/amd-athlon-ii-x4-760-k

GPU: VTX Radeon HD7750 1GB DDR3 UEFI
http://www.newegg.com/p/vtx-radeon-hd7750

RAM: 2X KINGSTON DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC 1600MHz 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/p/kingston-ddr3-sdram

HDD: 500GB 16MB 7200 SATA3 6Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/p/500gb-sata3

Optical Drive: LG DVDRW 24 x GH24NS95
http://www.newegg.com/p/lg-dvdrw

Case: ATX Gamer Akyga AKY001BR
http://www.newegg.com/p/akyga-case

Thanks in advance!! 🙂

1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX, KHX1600C9D3B1/
1 x Chicony HPA-400W, Advanced Highly HPA Series 1 x
1 x Zalman ZM-T4 micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm. MB
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon ii x4 760
1 x ASUS HD7770-1GD5, AMD Radeon, HD7770, PCIe 3.0, 1024 MB, DDR5
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x desktop Athlon ii x4 750 k Zalman CNPS5X
1 x ASRock FM2A55M-VG3, FM2, FM2+, AMD A88X (Bolton-D4), DDR3

$1065 AMD

The graphics card wasn't great (that DDR3 version is noticeably slower). I went with 4GB instead of 8GB just to give the GPU more breathing room, plus a significantly better motherboard and CPU cooler. Does this budget look okay, I guess?

Thanks a ton for this. Just one thing—this motherboard is a bit pricier, and honestly, I’m not seeing the difference. Can you break down why it’s actually better?

Better power regulation, four RAM slots, plus SATA3 and USB3.0 connectivity. It looks like it'll even support future FM2+ processors.

crimsonstag84 said:Better power delivery, 4 RAM slots, SATA3 and USB3.0 ports, plus it supports future FM2+ chips.

+1 🙂

AMD Athlon ii x4 750 k Zalman CNPS5X
Zalman CNPS5X PERFORMA CPU cooler
Zalman ZM-T4 micro tower case
KINGSTON DDR3 4GB,1600MHz
TOSHIBA HDD 3.5", 500GB
SAPPHIRE R7 260X 1G OC VERSION
Asrock FM2 FM2A88M EXTREME4
LITE ON ODD IHAS122-14 DVD RW
Chicony HPA-400W

$1043
Newegg

sweet, thanks a ton everyone!!

Actually, I’ve got one more question for you 🙂>

I was just scrolling through some sites looking at prices, and I’m a bit lost on how all these different Radeon card manufacturers actually work...

Is a VTX HD7770 1GB DDR5 basically the same thing as an ASUS HD7770 or an MSI HD7770??

In terms of raw chip performance, these cards are identical. The real difference lies in the cooling solutions and the warranty coverage. Both ASUS and MSI offer a solid 3-year warranty; I’d suggest avoiding VTX if you can help it, especially since the price gap isn't significant enough to justify the risk.

Since you didn't mention a specific budget, if you're willing to stretch a little further for better power, take a look at 260X
.
Here is a comparison—take a look and decide what fits your needs.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1044?vs=1079

Look, I don't need a top-tier beast since I'm not a hardcore gamer... my budget is sitting around 2500-$1000

Mostly, I'll just be using this rig to browse the web, but I'd love to actually play some decent titles over the holidays...

Would that VTX be enough for me, considering I won't be running it 24/7 like some people do? 😬

I'm thinking you might not have access to that...

Hey, quick question. I was thinking about hooking up two DVD/CD drives at once. Since this is my first time playing "mad scientist" with a custom PC build, does the motherboard type actually dictate whether I can run two optical drives?

From what I've been digging up online, I figured this board might work:
ASRock FM2A75M HD+

So, could I plug two drives into that one? And if not, would they work on the ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME4+ you guys suggested earlier?

Thanks!

You can chain them together however you want—as long as you’ve got enough open SATA3 ports available on the board.

Is everyone seriously using SATA cables now? I was just planning on swapping over those two power connectors from my old rig, which uses one of those massive, ancient IDE cables. Is that even going to work?

That’s PATA you're looking at... Honestly, you'll probably need to pick up some SATA drives because that's really all anyone makes anymore—PATA is basically a relic of the past 😁.. Anyway, if you swing by a local Best Buy, you can find one for about $50.. If you're trying to save a few bucks, you could always check eBay...

Here's a photo just to make sure it's crystal clear what a SATA cable actually looks like

Fair enough, I'll just grab one burner then. I was thinking since I've already got two sitting in my old rig, I'd just pick up a new one and swap an old one over to the new build. But clearly, that's not happening...

So, you're saying none of these new motherboards even have a PATA port?

Nothing really...