help a mac guy make the switch

[blonde]

hey guys, first of all sorry that my first post is one like this but i really need some help. i am in the process of selling my mac and i am about to press the order button over at Newegg for my new custom pc. however, before i do, i would like to get some final thoughts from you guys and make sure that what i am ordering is actually decent and would work. what i plan to do with this computer is play some BF2 and F.E.A.R but my main use is Photoshop and other verious photo applications. i already have a monitor, speakers and 1 250gb HD which means that i need to pick up: case, mobo, cpu, ram (must be 4gb), sound card, video card, fans, power supply and another 250gb HD, internal card reader and a dvd burner. my budget is around $1500 for the build.



here are the main things that i need some feedback on:

LIAN LI PC-60USB B2 Silver Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112022

ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131025

ORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145034

Antec NeoHE 500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply 100Vac to 240Vac +/- 10% UL, CUL, TUV, CE, FCC, CCC, CB, C-tick

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103940

BFG Tech BFGR7950512GTOCE GeForce 7950GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 OC Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143071

now, i am going to use the Intel E6400 core 2 Duo as my processor. what i need to know is this:

1) what fans do i need to buy for this case?
2) what do you think of this motherboard?
3) should i buy the creative X-fi card or the integrated card will be enough?
4) what do you think of this memory chip and would you have gone with this or a different one?
5) is the power supply any good or can you advice on a better one?
6) is this a good case or should i find something else?

any help would be great because as you can see, i am just getting into this whole custom PC thing (i was about to order a dell..). also, if you can provide links with your recommendations that would be great (this way i can read on the items and learn more)

[newbuilder14]

The P5W DH is not the best board out there for your money, you'd be much better off with a P5B Deluxe from Asus, and you are going with an nVidia card anyway and would make absolutely no use of the Crossfire capabilities.

Integrated is more than sufficient for most people.

That is a good power supply, maybe you could go 550w to be on the safe side.

Cases are a user preference.

Why get a powerful DX9 card when DX10 is the future? Save yourself some money there and get a 7900gs or 7600gt.

**All your links are invalid.

Do you need a DVD burner or OS?

[blonde]

thanks and sorry about the links, i will fix them.

so i am going to go with the P5B Deluxe instead.
i am going to go with the integrated sound card instead of the creative one.
i am going to go with a larger power supply (any advice on a good one?)


can you recommend me a specific card that would do great work with BF2 and F.E.A.R for now? i will later upgrade to the 8800GTS

as for the OS and DVD burner, i do need a DVD burned but i already have Vista.

[blonde]

guys,

out of these 2 cases, which one do you think would be better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129154

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112068

and also, do i need to buy any fans for either one?

[blonde]

i decided to go with the BFG 7600GT for now and wait till the 8800 series fall in price. from what i read, the 7600GT is more than capable of playing F.E.A.R and BF2 on max settings on my 20" widescreen.

[blonde]

hmmm, i guess no one else have anything to add?

[newbuilder14]

I love the P180, so that is my choice. You won't need any extra fans as it is designed for great airflow with the three included.

The 7600gt is a great placeholder card - I recommend eVGA, but BFGTech is reputable, too.

Good luck, looks awesome.

Yes, you may want a larger power supply. How about the 520w Corsair one - I think Mr. Ferrari said that could handle a single DX10 card, but to be safe you may want to consider 550w+. I recommend Antec, OCZ, or Seasonic.

[blonde]

thanks man. here is the final list of everything that i am ordering. i am ordering in about an hour or so so if you have any feedback, now is the time

LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-16A7S-06 - Retail

Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

XFX PVT73GUGD3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail

LINKSKEY LKA-CR15B 19-in-1 USB 2.0 Black Card Reader/Writer - Retail

2x CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

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total: $1550- $100 rebates = $1450

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by blonde guys, out of these 2 cases, which one do you think would be better: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129154 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112068

Between these two? No comparison...the Lian Li.

Originally Posted by blonde and also, do i need to buy any fans for either one?

No.

Cricket

[newbuilder14]

Cricket's right, Lian Li makes high quality cases that are well engineered, but the P180 is an awesome case - it's quiet, well thought out, and nice looking. It's a matter of preference here.

I'm just trying to tell you not to worry if you chose one or the other since they're both great.

[LeftyAce]

My 7800 GT plays F.E.A.R and BF2 on max just fine. The only problem with F.E.A.R is that my 1G of ram isn't enough to handle hi-res textures (the second gig is in the mail :-). You could probably get away with a weaker vid card 'cause the rest of ur system is stronger. (and u'd save money towards a dx 10 card that away). Welcome to PCs and building!