Final Check - Need to order ASAP

[Atomic440]

This machine will be used for some light gaming, but primarily Photoshop CS2:

ABIT AW8-MAX Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 955X ATX Intel Motherboard with Onboard 1394b - Retail - $205
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813127209

Intel Pentium D 930 Presler 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Dual Core Processor Model BX80553930 - Retail - $330
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819116238

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS2GBKIT533D2 - Retail - $145 x2 = $290
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820145527

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3300622AS 300GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $118
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148110

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3120813AS 120GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM - $75 x2 = $150
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822148106

eVGA 256-P2-N386-AX Geforce 6800GS 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail - $179
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130267

XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail - $48
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817189005

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail - $50
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811119068

Logitech Cordless Internet Pro Desktop 967461-0403 Black PS/2 RF Wireless Slim Desktop Mouse Included - OEM -$27
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16823126168

LINKSYS WMP54G PCI Wireless-G Adapter - Retail -$50
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16833124115

Microsoft WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL - OEM - $139
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16837102015

I have a DVD burner and a monitor. This totals about $1580 before shipping. I was hoping to keep it under $1500. I chose the PC2 4200 RAM to match my existing Dell, some of this RAM will go there. I shouldn't have a problem running PC2 4200 on this mobo right?

Do you see anywhere I can save a few bucks? I was considering dropping the 2 120GB HDs to 80GB, that would save ~$35. Not sure if it's worth it. What about the case/PSU? I was thinking about:
Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail - $75 after rebate
Which setup do you think is better? I really don't care about the looks of the case, as long as it works.

I need to place the order this weekend, any comments are appreciated!!

[Alaron]

For that motherboard and CPU, you'll need DDR2 5300. A 2GB kit is only another $10: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098 Best to get a matching set of ram for each system.

Otherwise, you're choices look good.

[juppy]

I agree with what Alaron said but just wanted to suggest possible money-saving ideas. For the case, yeah, if that Antec is cheaper then go with it. They make nice cases and the power supply is reliable and should be enough power for that system. One other thing is the Windows Pro OS. Do you have a particular reason you want the Pro version for? Because there's not alot of difference between Home and Pro except for the better networking features and other business-oriented addons that most home users don't use anyway. XP Home OEM is $49 cheaper than the Pro version.

[Atomic440]

Thanks guys, sounds like I better go with DDR2 5300. I've chosen XP Pro specifically for the networking features, so I'm gonna stick with that. If you think the Antec w/450W PSU is sufficient I'll go with that. I'm planning to use one of the smaller HD's for the OS, and the other for a Photoshop scratch file. Any idea how big these need to be? I'm assuming the bigger the better for the PS scratch file, but what about the OS? It doesn't need 120 GB does it?

[juppy]

No, if you're only putting the OS on there and nothing else, 120GB is a bit overkill. It's hard to tell how much space XP actually needs. Microsoft's minimum requirements used to say 1.5GB for the program, BUT since it is constantly being updated (SP2 and other critical updates), you have to allow space for those as well. Then you have to factor in how many of the various features you install.....if you don't install some of the things XP comes with, then it won't take up as much room. I've read articles where some people say they won't install XP on anything less than a 20GB partition. That *seems* like it would be plenty to me, but who knows? I guess you could always go ahead and get the 120GB drive and just partition it out so that you have say 20GB for the OS and the other 100GB as another partition (like how people have one hard drive but separate it up into having a C: drive, D:, E:, etc).

As for how big the Photoshop drive needs to be, I don't use Photoshop so I couldn't tell you from personal experience. I know I've always heard when it comes to video and photo editing, it's usually the bigger the better because all those pictures can take up alot of space. I would think that 300GB drive would easily be enough though unless you've got a boatload of files.

[glc]

DDR2-533 is a good match for that processor - no need for 667. You won't gain anything from the extra bandwidth capability unless you are overclocking.