First Build - Any Advice?

[perryboat]

Current computer has done well, but is on last legs. I'm tired of the crap I get from store bought machines (no, I DO NOT want an AOL account!) and want to try building one. This is for home use, with moderate gaming (Civilization IV), moderate picture editing (Phtoshop CS2), extensive music library management. I will be running XP for a while, and will eventually (12 months?) upgrade to Vista. Likewise will eventually upgrade to a DirectX 10 video card. I would like something reasonably quiet that I can upgrade over time. May try overclocking, but probably not.

Will this configuration work? Any suggestions for better/cheaper?

Motherboard
ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$180 NewEgg N82E16813131045

Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail
$316 NewEgg N82E16819115003

CPU Cooler
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler - Retail
$30 NewEgg N82E16835186134

Ram
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
$254 less $40 rebate NewEgg N82E16820145590

Video Card
ATI 100-437807 Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
$230 NewEgg N82E16814195029

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000KS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$150 NewEgg N82E16822136014

Monitor
ASUS VW192T Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 330 cd/m2 800:1 Built in Speakers - Retail
$200 less $10 Combo deal NewEgg N82E16824236016

Case
Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$130 NewEgg N82E16811129154

Power Supply
Xion PowerReal XON-600F14T-201 ATX12V V.2.01 600W Power Supply - Retail
$100 less $50 rebate NewEgg N82E16817190007

Operating System
Microsoft Windows XP Home Sp2b 1pk w/Upgrade Coupon for Vista - OEM
$90 NewEgg N82E16832116169

Sound Card None
Optical Drive, Speakers, Keyboard, Mouse - None, use current

Total $1680 less $100 rebate net $1580 before shipping

Thanks for any help.

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCM.

Your list looks great until the Xion power supply. They are not quality units.

Check out our list of power supply brands: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195

[flanzig1]

Could drop the Artic Cooler heatsink. Use the one with the CPU and won't void the warranty on the CPU.
As Alaron says, look for a better PSU. Quality PSUs in the 500 to 600 watt range are going to be in the $100 plus range.
This OCZ is $95 with MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817341001

[Jimmy0]

If you are not going to overclock then you could drop to Corsair ValueSelect 2x1GB DDR2 667 RAM instead.

[newbuilder14]

Could you switch the hard drive to a Seagate 7200.10? They are supposedly more powerful and a better buy than the SE16 drives, even though I'm a WD fan.

[perryboat]

Thanks for the help. I dropped the CPU cooler, and switched the PSU to a OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W. Also had to switch the HD, as the one I was looking at went out of stock. Kept the RAM, just in case.

Thanks again for the help. I'll probably be back when I try putting it all together.

[glc]

Wait - the P180 requires power supplies with long cables and no extra depth. You should be looking at Antec and Seasonic power supplies.