is this where i ask about part compatibility?

[Thalis]

i'll hold off on listing the parts till i get an answer.

[jayb1234]

Yes it is.

Go ahead and post your list and someone will look it over and let you know about any problems with it and anything you could improve on it.

[Thalis]

Motherboard

CPU

Video Card

Hard Drive

Case

2 1GB sticks of pc3200 184pins


Now, i haven't really looked into cd drives/burners too much, but is compatibility noramally a big issue with those? and the reason i put the case down is because i get confused with the atx-full/mid/micro etc. i don't know if that's just the general size of the case, or what size board i need too?

and how do i know what kind of power supply i need? and is it possible to have too large of a power supply? cause there's a 600w for $50 at fry's.

let me know if i missed any thing, thanks! oh right, OS is windows xp home edition.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Thalis Now, i haven't really looked into cd drives/burners too much, but is compatibility noramally a big issue with those?

No.

No need to get CD-ROM drive, just get a DVD burner as it can do everything (read CDs and DVDs, burn CDs and DVDs). Lite-On DVD burners are good.

Originally Posted by Thalis and the reason i put the case down is because i get confused with the atx-full/mid/micro etc. i don't know if that's just the general size of the case, or what size board i need too?

That motherboard will fit in that case easily. I just wouldn't use the power supply that comes in it.

Originally Posted by Thalis and how do i know what kind of power supply i need?

You need a ATX 2.0 power supply with the 24 pin motherboard power connection. For what you've listed you can go with a 400 watt PSU or higher.

Originally Posted by Thalis and is it possible to have too large of a power supply? cause there's a 600w for $50 at fry's.

Well, a computer will only use the power it needs so getting a 600 watt power supply won't hurt the computer unliess it's a poor quality one. 600 watts for only $50 is suspect. I wouldn't use it.

Don't get a IDE hard drive, get a SATA hard drive.

Cricker

[Thalis]

Originally Posted by Cricket Don't get a IDE hard drive, get a SATA hard drive.

well, the hard drive has been bought for some months now. but what's the difference between the two types of hard drives? will the SATA retreive/store data faster? or is there more to it then that? would there be a drastic change in the preformance of games?

but that's for giving everything the OK, answering questions, and making suggestions.

[Louds3]

You can use an IDE drive no problem. Sata allows for a faster data transfer rate in theory, actual speeds vary. There will not be a drastic performance difference in the speed of the drive, but there will be some. In terms of gaming performance, very little difference as most games don't access the hard drive much. you should get a good quality power supply. If you are on a budget look at sparkle or Xclio, if you can spend a little more you can look at some others. See the powersupply stickies in the hardware forum for lots of good info. like Cricket said, I wold avoid any 600w powersupply that is 50 bucks, a good quality 450-500 watter would almost definitely be better. and yes you need an ATX formfactor case.

steve

[jayb1234]

Newegg has about 300 cases without power supplies. You can save a few dollars using one of them.

Liteon would be a good choice for optical drives, good quality, price isn't bad and they come with the burning software.