Please Review My Planned First Build

[NewBill06]

Hi Everyone,

I'm finally planning to purchase the parts for my first build. Please take a look at these parts and feel free to critique or offer suggestions.


Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail (already bought)

Power Supply: 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply INCLUDED with Case

Mobo: ASUS A8N-SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131524

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz FSB 1MB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103539

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440

HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L300S0 300GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144421

Pri Optical: LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache ATAPI / E-IDE DVD Burner - OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106009

Sec Optical: LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model SOHD-16P9SV - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827131417

Sound Card: Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS (from old system)

Video Card: eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130256

FDD: Mitsumi FDD w/ Card Reader http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16821104104

OS: Windows XP Home w/ SP2 OEM


I think that's about it, I plan on using my old monitor for now and upgrading to a better LCD eventually. Any suggestions on a reasonable 17 or 19" LCD?
Would you recommend getting two optical drives? I've read that the Lite-On drives are somewhat loud? Is this true? Are Sony, or NEC better?
Regarding Hard Drives, is there a big difference in speed with a 16mb cache compared to 8mb?
Also, I don't plan on going SLI anytime soon, but would like the option in 2-3 years,will this PS do until then?

THANKS!!!!

[freakitchen]

That's a great list of parts, you've obviously done your homework - no compatibility issues I can see, all quality components and a well balanced system.

Lite-on drives are fine, though you might consider adding a DVD Burner to the build - they're not expensive at all. Keep the ROM for reading duties.

Those 16MB Cache Hard drives are quick, and probably worth the extra expense over an 8MB cache. Some tests have shown them to rival the Western Digital Raptors in speed.

Normally, I'd recommend a PSU of 500w for the system, but that Antec you've got is good quality, and should be able to handle it.

Freakitchen

[NewBill06]

Thanks for the quick reply. Any suggestions on the LCD monitor?

Also, when buying OEM parts, like hard drives or DVD drives, do I need to purchase cables seperately or are they included?

[freakitchen]

I'm not a 'videophile', so I tend not to pay much attention to the minor spec details of LCDs. A low response time is important for gaming, so you probably want to look for something below 12ms. Go for a screen with a DVI input (your 7800GT will probably have only DVI connectors). As always, stick with quality manufacturers.

I'm currently using a ViewSonic VA1912w - a 19" widescreen LCD, and am very happy with it, although if you're a heavy gamer, I'd stick with a standard aspect ratio (some games don't support the widescreen resolution).

Re: OEM parts, although they don't come with cables, your motherboard will come with everything you need. Ususally this includes SATA cables, a standard IDE cable, and a floppy cable.

Freakitchen