First computer build (Game) 2nd opinion liked

[NoName6272]

Hey all, first off thanks for any and all help that you can provide.

Second, I plan on using the computer for gaming and college school work.
I plan on living on-campus, and my major is "Animation and Graphic Game Programming" (2 or 4 years still deciding). As such I will be using a head set instead of speakers 90% of the time probably. Since my data will end up being important I'll be backing up, and I don't think I would want to RAID 0 with the hard drives as I have heard that if something goes wrong you can lose a lot of data (rather be safe then sorry). I would like the desktop to be upgradeable for later on. I have some knowledge but have never built a computer, I do have two older brothers living near by whom both have built PCs and can help me assemble it if I need to.

Games I plan on buying as soon as its working is Orange Box and Unreal Tournament III and I own WoW might get back into that. Later on I'll be getting more of the so many great games out there (like Star Craft 2).

My budget is around $1000. I can go higher but I like to set limits when it comes to money. O and I type very fast so I'll probably put more info then you guys need :).

All links to Newegg

CPU: $200+$40 (warranty)=$240
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - OEM 45nm (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115046) FSB 1333MHz
I don't plan on over clocking but reviews say this was good for OC. (some getting up to 4GHz)
Was thinking going with 2 year warranty for $40 since I wasn't going to OC.
Couldn't find a retail one in stock so I will need a fan. Not against AMD, I haven't ever had a problem with them but I do like Intel better.

Mother Board: $209.99 -$15 (rebate) + $8.86 (shipping)=$203.85
Foxconn X38A LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186134)
I picked this because of the fact that I'll be able to upgrade from duo to quad and from DDR2 to DDR3 when both items become cheaper.

Video Card: $189.99-$20 (rebate) +$6.67 (shipping)=$176.66
PALiT NE/960TSX0202 GeForce 9600GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261013)
Sonic Limited Edition, 700MHz overclock core speed. Only problem that I could see is its big.

Monitor: Already bought awhile ago. (around $300 if your wondering)
Westinghouse Black & Dark Silver 19" 16:10 5ms 720p LCD HDTV SK-19H210S (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889234006)
Its an HDTV and since space is important I figured I would plug my Rig to it via VGA or HDMI.

Ram: $79 - $40 (rebate) = $39 x2 = $78
CORSAIR XMS2 DOMINATOR 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145168)
Already bought two of these kits for a total of four 1G sticks.

Hard Drive: $79.99 + $5.96 (shipping)=$85.95
Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3250310NS 250GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148309)
Was wondering if I should get two of these and put it in some sort of RAID format, so looking for opinions.

Optic: $29.99
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151154)
Was thinking about going Blu-ray for $150ish extra but figured I'd wait till after college when I have more time to actually watch dvds.

Sound Card & Speakers/ Headset: Already own a decent Headset
Mother board comes with sound and since I'll be in the dorm I will most likely be using headset (yes I'll be one of those guys who looks like am talking to myself)

Key Board & Mouse: Already own wireless combo via 1 USB
Might buy new ones if my older sister wants to buy my current ones (as shes borrowing them till I need)

Operating System:
Not sure which to get. I think I should go with Vista, but my Bro has a spare copy of XP lying around. I'm use to XP but never used Vista. Opinions?

I am still looking for a Case (Functionality>Look *But I do like black), I know I need a CPU cooling device as its OEM and if the Case doesn't come with a PSU I will need that.

After rebates and shipping cost is $814.45 so far (not counting TV/Monitor). $25 CPU cooler, $100 for case and another $100 for OS (random guess) comes out to just over $1000 which was my goal.

Did I miss anything?
And again thanks for any and all help (and sorry if I typed to much :rolleyes:)

[NoName6272]

My suggestions are that you get the E8400 if you live somewhere that hot, as it uses the newer 45nm technology apparently it will run a little cooler and be more energy efficient. And if you don't want to be upgrading for a long time its probably a good idea.

And for the case, I suggest this case because of its cooling capabilities:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&Tpk=Antec%2bNine%2bHundred

You can add another two 120mm fans to this case for added cooling, one on the side panel, and one in the HD cage I believe.

For example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129030

Found this in Thread: "New gaming build, need help and advice" by Katreat.
I like the looks of Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021&Tpk=Antec%2bNine%2bHundred) and it seems like it would fit everything. I'll check any other suggestions posted. I'm going to sleep and I'll check thread in the morning.

[Katreat]

I would recomend sticking with a P5K-E MB and not worrying about DDR3 on this build. The reason is that even when the price of DDR3 drops, the performance will not change much. The advantage of DDR3 is that it is fast. But ram steps down to the speed of the processor and with intel already annoucing a new socket this year it is doubtful that you will see any faster processors comming our way on the 775 socket. So right now the only significant advantage of DDR 3 with the current crop of processors is for extream OC'ers are are significantly pushing the system. IMO, DDR 3 is the future but the future will be after the new processor line is released.

I would also recomend Lite-on optical just because alot of people have posted quality problems with Samsung. Buy Lite-on retail and you get Nero for about $3 more than OEM. That recomendation is just based on comments from these board, I have persoanally never owned a Samsung burner.

For PSU I would buy quality and it rarely comes in a case. The Corsair 550 is a good choice for your system. For case nothing the 900 is great for cooling and looks very nice. It does have a lot of lights in it so you might consider that if you living in dorm and your roomie is trying to sleep....

Kat

[Doom]

-- You've picked a great processor... but the trouble is finding it in stock anywhere.
-- Motherboard: FOXCONN is not a popular brand here (or anywhere I've seen) and most people will recommend you stick with ASUS. Gigabyte also makes a solid board to help keep you overall price down. Check this out. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059) I love my EVGA 780i SLI... but with a 19" monitor and a budget, SLI is probably something you'd rather avoid.
-- For the graphics card, I'd recommend EVGA as a brand. Their 9600GT is about the same price (though w/ 675MHz clock vs. 700MHz) here. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130328)
-- Your other components look pretty good and the advice already posted in spot on.
-- Vista vs. XP... I got vista so I could take advantage of DirectX 10... but that's the only reason. I kind of wish I had just used XP. Vista frustrates me with the darned User Control Account. With XP it was easy... Vista is the first time I've considered getting a "Dummies" book for an OS so I can figure out how to make it do what I want.
-- Case: A lot of folks use the Antec 900 and it's a solid case. Most of the Antec and Apevia cases will do you good.
-- For CPU Cooling... any basic fan will do unless you plan to overclock your processor. If you get the E8400 (or end up w/ a Q9XXX) tied into a nVidia 9600GT, I think you'll be happy without an overclock.

Have fun putting this together.

[Katreat]

Did not notice you where going OEM on the processor. I would really shop around and try harder to get retail. You get a 3 year warranty if you use the stock cooler and if you are not planning on a major OC the stock cooler is fine. They go in and out of stock on a constant basis so if you just keep hitting the sites you will fine one pretty quick. Does not cost too much to ship a CPU so getting it at a different retailer would not be the end of the world. Try Zipzoomy (sp), Tigerdirect, Newegg, and a few others for that one item.

Kat

[NoName6272]

Is there a character limit on the forums and if so what is it as I couldn't post these 2 posts combined?

-- You've picked a great processor... but the trouble is finding it in stock anywhere.

Wow, I see what you mean, just out of stock today on newegg at least. I'll be looking for retail like Kat suggested.

-- Vista vs. XP... I got vista so I could take advantage of DirectX 10... but that's the only reason. I kind of wish I had just used XP. Vista frustrates me with the darned User Control Account. With XP it was easy... Vista is the first time I've considered getting a "Dummies" book for an OS so I can figure out how to make it do what I want.

Well since I've heard a LOT about Vista trouble i think I'll keep XP till Vista gets it's head on straight (plus since I can get it free, gives me either room to buy games or better products :).).

[NoName6272]

I would also recomend Lite-on optical just because alot of people have posted quality problems with Samsung. Buy Lite-on retail and you get Nero for about $3 more than OEM. That recomendation is just based on comments from these board, I have persoanally never owned a Samsung burner.

Found this Lite-on (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106072) optic drive, guess this was the one you were talking about.
Has pretty much the same good/bad reviews as the one that I had found. One thing that caught my eye was this
"Cons: If you install this drive into a gaming rig, YOU WILL REGRET IT. This drive is incapable of installing software that requires you to switch discs (like MOST games). It crashes the system every time. The crash error says a driver update is required, but there IS NO UPDAATE. After crawling the web for weeks, I finally discover that this is a common problem with Lite-on drives. HOW IS THIS NOT DOCUMENTED ANYWHERE? This drive is GARBAGE. Lite-on support is GARBAGE. As far as I'm concerned, the whole company is GARBAGE."
And several others that say the drive crashes when trying to do multi disk applications as well. Know anything about this?

For PSU I would buy quality and it rarely comes in a case. The Corsair 550 is a good choice for your system.
This the one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004) you were talking about? Looks good.

I would recomend sticking with a P5K-E MB and not worrying about DDR3 on this build.

I was looking at alot of things and am just wondering about the MoBo that I picked out (Foxconn (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186134)) I saw a few reviews saying they had trouble with Corsair ram but I can't really find any hard evidence wither or not so I was just wondering if you guys can help. I did look at the other ones and I still kinda like the Foxconn one. I do see what you mean about DDR3 especially with the new CPU socket info and will keep that in mind when I decide.

Video card I've looked at both and still deciding. The 1GB one has a HDMI slot which is what I kinda wanted to use to interface with my HDTV. But I do understand the major brands are usually more reliable, gives better tech support and less of a gamble.

Going to go hunt down that CPU but I'll keep at tab open here.

[Freakitchen]

There's no character limit, your posts got caught by our spambuster and normally they'd be manually approved. Since you managed to get the info posted, I deleted the hidden posts.

[NoName6272]

Thanks so much, was really confused why they wouldn't pop up :). Thanks again.

In other news I found out that New Egg should have the CPU -Retail in stock in a few days, so I'll snatch one up when it comes.