Please Comment on Gaming First Build

[GatorMike]

Please comment on my proposed first build for gaming. I typically play FPS such as Doom, Quake, Fear, etc. and am looking for a build with components in the price/quality sweet spot. I will be using my existing monitor, keyboard, speakers and mouse. I've been reading for a couple of weeks and here is what I've come up with so far:

Case: CoolerMaster Centurion 532 http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811119094 w/ additional 120mm Cooler Master SuperFlo Cooling Fan for exhaust http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811999072
MOBO: Asus A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA gForce4 Ultra ATX AMD http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813131530
PSU: Antec 500W SmartPower 2.0. Picked up one on sale at CompUSA.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz HT Socket 939 http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819103539
RAM: Corsir ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAMDDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145579
Video: eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130256
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822144701
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home wtih SP2 - OEM http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16837102059

I haven't yet decided whether to buy new DVD burners and floppy, or just use what I have. Any case suggestions? Want one that provides plenty of room and is cool (tempwise). Also am not set on HDD. Don't know if one brand is superior over another. All comments/suggestions wanted.

Also, I've missed a couple of sale prices at NewEgg and ZipZoomFly looks like it would be marginally cheaper for some parts when you factor in shipping, but I know that NewEgg has excellent customer service. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[blue60007]

Very nice, it looks like you've done your homework. Are you sure you need another fan? Or doesn't the case ship with enough fans to fill all the fan ports? Looks like a nice case.

I've heard them 16MB cache hard drives you've got there are very fast.

Personally I would just buy everything in one spot (Newegg of course), it'd eliminate multiple orders to keep track of and you know Newegg's service is excellent should anything go wrong.

[jfk]

Looks like a solid build. I'd suggest a DVD burner and a DVD ROM. This will allow you to burn both DVD's and CD's and play them as well. The burner will run around $40 (NEC or Lite On would be two good choices) while the ROM will run around $25. If you only want one, get the DVD burner.

As far as HDD's, I like Seagate due to the 5 year warranty. I've had very good luck with them.

[MakeYourslf2012]

Great build list. If you have the money, then the DVD Burner and DVD-ROM would be the best choice. The brands jfk suggested are some of the best.

Also, it would be wise to add a floppy drive too.

[jayb1234]

Antec has several cases without power supplies, and one with the PSU would be a little less than the combination you listed.

[GatorMike]

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I'll go ahead and place the order from NewEgg.

It seems the case only comes with one fan and the exhaust fan is optional. I went with the Cooler Master case because I was able to check out a similar model at CompUSA and the mesh fronts seem to be great for airflow. The case will sit in a compartment (I leave the front door open) near the floor beneath my desk. That's why I want to make sure it has proper circulation. The buttons on the top of the case mean I don't have to bend down as much to turn the machine on like in my current setup (Yes, I am getting old).

I also added an NEC DVD burner. I can also reuse an existing floppy and CD drive. I hope to start the build this weekend. Thanks again.