First Time Build

[mtndew]

Hello all, new here and this will be my first build from scratch So any info you can give would be greatly appreciated. Going to use system for some Gaming and Photoshop along with some stuff for school. Thus far my budget is about $500-700 but not sure if this build works
Asus M2nbp-vn csm Nforce 430b Am2 atx $100
AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core Pros 4800+ $100
Western Digital 320GB 7200 Sata 300 $100
Corsair 4GB 240 Pin DDR SDRAM DDR800 DUAL $114 (before rebate)
Antec Sonata III Atx Mid Tower $100
Samsung OEM Black 20x DVD RW $25
e GeForce 8500 GT 256 DDR2 PCI-E $95
thanks
Opps O/S Window XP Pro $160

[Katreat]

If your main goal is gaming I would put a little more into the video card. Try for at least the entry level 8800 GT or the 3850. Those will put another $100 into your build but it will game much better.

check out this review: http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/01/03/the_best_gaming_graphics/

You can save a bit and only go with 2 GB of ram. Only about 3.2 is recognized by XP or Vista 32 so if you go for 4 you will need Vista 64. Basically, you will get more performance out of a better video card than you will from more ram at this level. 2 GB will handle any game out there now but the 8500 GT wont.

I would recommend going with Lite-on optical just because alot of posters on this site have had problems with Samsung. I would also buy retail for about $2 more and get the free Nero.

I have not gone with AMD for years so will leave that area to others.

Kat

[mtndew]

Kat thanks for the info especially about the memory didn't know that
anyone else

[Masaki 7-11]

I wouldn't bother getting xp pro since it really doesn't offer much to the normal computer user, it's useful mainly for businesses and computers which have two physical processors. There are a few things I would change with the computer, mostly the ram, video card, OS, motherboard, and the optical drive, here is a reference list that will be within your budget (looks like your setups is past your budget) and will provide you with good performance, and better gaming capability.:


Antec Sonata III Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
$119.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$79.99

MSI K9A2 CF-F AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
$99.99

HIS Hightech H385F256NP Radeon HD 3850 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
$169.99

OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2VU8002GK
$42.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4800DDBOX
$84.99

Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Basic for System Builders Single Pack CD
$94.99

Subtotal: $692.93

[mtndew]

So much for my budget that i started out with, revised list

Antec Sonata III Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail $129.95
GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $79.99
HIS Hightech H385F256NP Radeon HD 3850 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $169.99
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4800DOBOX - Retail $84.99
Rosewill RCR-102 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader - Retail $11.99
OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2VU8002GK - Retail $42.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $99.99
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DH-20A4H-08 - Retail $34.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $189.99
Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM $21.99
Total $881.30
Rebates $70.00
Grand total 811.30
Let me know if there's anything that wont work or any other suggestions

[Masaki 7-11]

I would take a look at a ATX motherboard like the one I listed instead of a micro-ATX like the one you have listed. Micro-ATX are smaller, have less upgrade options, have slower/older chipsets, and are about the same price as a ATX motherboard and will fit in your case without problems.

[wmpl.markie]

honestly dont get the most expensive graphic card there is an 8500 would do u just fine everyone on this website is all about 8800s... ur case is to much and u never stick with the psu that comes with a case...and if u plan on gaming i wouldnt get vista it has to many problems with older games..

[Masaki 7-11]

See the whole point is NOT getting a bad video card like the 8500, unless you're running games from 2004 on a 800x600 monitor at max settings, seriously, a good graphics card is very important for a gaming computer, a slow graphics card will work poorly with settings turned up and may not even work with the new games. A gaming computer isn't complete if it has vista, how are you supposed to run the new games if it's not XP compatible? Antec cases come with very good PSUs so unless you're doing major upgrades, it will last a long time.

[Cricket]

have slower/older chipsetsThat's not true...micro-ATX motherboards have the same chipsets that you find on current standard ATX motherboards.

Micro-ATX motherboards are not usually found in enthusiast computers because of their limited expansion slots and their on-board video (which isn't necessary or wanted in a enthusiast's computer) but they do serve a purpose and you do find them in a vast majority of the name brand basic use computers out there.

:) Cricket

[wildfire]

So much for my budget that i started out with, revised list

Antec Sonata III Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail $129.95
GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $79.99
HIS Hightech H385F256NP Radeon HD 3850 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $169.99
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4800DOBOX - Retail $84.99
Rosewill RCR-102 52-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader - Retail $11.99
OCZ Vista Upgrade 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2VU8002GK - Retail $42.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $99.99
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model DH-20A4H-08 - Retail $34.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $189.99
Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM $21.99
Total $881.30
Rebates $70.00
Grand total 811.30
Let me know if there's anything that wont work or any other suggestions

This list is absolutely perfect except you should really go with the motherboard masaki listed, its the new chipset that came out like a month ago.

And to the the person who said, don't go with vista for gaming.. Vista's only good for gaming right now because it has directx 10.
Also, you said that the PSU in a Antec Sonata III is bad quality? Don't really say something if your not sure about it o.- .
You also said to stick with an 8500GT... Instead of going for a 3850...The 3850 costs about $70 more but the 3850 beats its in any new games by like 60 times, The 8500GT would play incredible poorly.

MATX boards don't have slower/older chipsets. But they have less slots for everything, eg. sata, pcie. They're also pretty hard to work with.

[Masaki 7-11]

That's not true...micro-ATX motherboards have the same chipsets that you find on current standard ATX motherboards.

Micro-ATX motherboards are not usually found in enthusiast computers because of their limited expansion slots and their on-board video (which isn't necessary or wanted in a enthusiast's computer) but they do serve a purpose and you do find them in a vast majority of the name brand basic use computers out there.

:) Cricket

I haven't seen many ATX motherboards if any using a G series chipset (G for General). I also haven't seen any micro-atx motherboards using the P series chipset (P for Performance) or X series chipset (X for Extreme). Comparison of the chipsets will show that the G series is the slowest. For the AMD side, you have the 690v and 690g which are older and a decent amount slower than either the 770, 790X or 790FX, which you won't find in microATX motherboards. As a generalization chipsets without integrated video cards are faster than those with integrated video cards. If you are unsure, read a review about the new chipsets, and you'll see how they compare to other older chipsets.

MircoATX motherboards all have integrated video cards, while only a very small number of ATX motherboards have integrated video cards. If you don't need a dedicated video card, or plan to upgrade to one later, microATX is the best choice, if you have a dedicated video card and a normal mid tower case, there is almost no reason to have a microATX since the ATX motherboards are about the same price, have a faster chipset, and a lot more upgrade options.

[Khalil]

This list is absolutely perfect except you should really go with the motherboard masaki listed, its the new chipset that came out like a month ago.

And to the the person who said, don't go with vista for gaming.. Vista's only good for gaming right now because it has directx 10.
Also, you said that the PSU in a Antec Sonata III is bad quality? Don't really say something if your not sure about it o.- .
You also said to stick with an 8500GT... Instead of going for a 3850...The 3850 costs about $70 more but the 3850 beats its in any new games by like 60 times, The 8500GT would play incredible poorly.

MATX boards don't have slower/older chipsets. But they have less slots for everything, eg. sata, pcie. They're also pretty hard to work with.
I completely agree and recommend the same.

[Katreat]

honestly dont get the most expensive graphic card there is an 8500 would do u just fine everyone on this website is all about 8800s... ur case is to much and u never stick with the psu that comes with a case...and if u plan on gaming i wouldnt get vista it has to many problems with older games..The 3850 is not the most expensive video card out there. The reason people on this site recomend 8800s and 3850s for gaming systems is because they make the system a much better gamer. The 8500 is a fine card, and will play games, but it wont play newer games well. If someone wants to build a new computer for gaming then it makes sense to put a video card in the computer that can handle newer games.

Also, Antec happens to be one of the few case makers who just happen to put a decent PSU in their case. It is probably because they just happen to build good PSUs also.

Finally, if you want to play newer games, and really get the most out of your new video card, then you want Vista. It is true some older software which is no longer being supported might have some problems but that is life. It is a trade off, the newer software which is designed for Vista will also be problomatic on older XP systems.

Kat

[mtndew]

Thanks all, for the great information. At first I was going to go with XP Pro then after reading 2 to 3 Gb was about most you would get out of XP Pro i decided to to go with Vista 64 main reason not for gaming part but More because Photoshop is such a pig, the more memory the better. I'm still learning how to build so if there was any mistakes that i made i can grow from them.
But i like to thank everyone again for there input
thanks mtndew
U might hear for me during the build incase i have any questions
and God speed that everything shows up on this THURDAY