New Gaming PC

[Professor1250]

Hey guys, this is my first post but Ive watched the boards since my last build a couple months ago. I'm not buying everything at once, but I like to know what Im getting in advance, obviously. If you advise something more expensive, remember that I am probably pushing my budget as it is. I want to be able to play all the good games, like HL2 and the new Splinter Cell.

APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-RD Black Body/Red Front Panel Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811144106

ASUS P5B Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131030

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115004

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144701

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145098

BIOSTAR V7602GS51 GeForce 7600GS 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814141032

RAIDMAX RX-530A ATX12V/ EPS12V 530W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817152025


Let me know what you think, this is my first build with a SATA HD and a C2D.

[newbuilder14]

Everything looks good for the most part, but there are some things you may want to change:

-That hard drive is good, but the Seagate 7200.10 250gb hard drive is better
-The 7600gs is not the best bang for the buck, go with an eVGA 7600gt and you will be pleased.
-That Raidmax power supply has to go - it may be from an okay OEM manufacturer, but get a reliable one, I recommend this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954 - it should power your system fine
-Downgrade to an e6300 - there is practically no noticeable performance lost to justify the price difference.
-You need an optical drive - I recommend a retail Liteon DVD drive so you get the software
-You need a copy of Windows XP

Welcome to the forums! :D

[blue60007]

Make sure you don't spread the purchase out too much, buying over time can be a problem - prices and product offerings change very very quickly. It'd be best to just buy everything at once.

[newbuilder14]

Yeah, wait until you can buy everything at once.

[Professor1250]

why do you say that the 256Mb 7600gt is better than the 512Mb 7600gs? I guess I dont know much about the new vid cards.

[newbuilder14]

The memory amount itself surprising has little impact in gaming when it is above 256mb. It is the clock speed, memory speed, and pixel pipelines, etc. that make a card good. In that case, the 7600gt will be better, as all GTs are better than GSs.