Could someone look over this build?

[bob333]

Greetings! This is going to be my first computer build. I've done research for months, and I think I've got something that's pretty close to my final product. I think I've made sure all the parts are compatible with each other. I've got a limit of $1000 as of now, and I plan on upgrading to DX10 in the future, so I'm going with something a little less in the video card dept. What do you all think?

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner included extra White bezel, with 12X DVD-RAM Write Black IDE Model LH-20A1P-186 - Retail -- $33.99

APEVIA X-Plorer ATXB8KLW-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail --$59.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM --$79.99

Hanns·G HW-191DPB Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail --$184.99

EVGA 256-P2-N550 -T2 GeForce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
--$119.99

XCLIO GOODPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail --$51.99

pqi TURBO 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Desktop Memory Model PQI25400-1GSB - Retail --$78.99

ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail --$150.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6300 - Retail
--$187.00

And that's about it. The final Price (without shipping or rebates) is $947.00, which is under my limit.
I do have a few questions. Will I need a bigger power supply in the future for when I upgrade to a DX10 vid card? Also, should I think about getting any extended warranties? Thanks for your time!

edit: Also, this computer will mainly be used for video games, and schoolwork, so if there's anything better, input would be greatly appreciated!

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCMech.

That looks like a solid list to me.

If you plan on upgrading to one of the very powerful DX10 cards, such as the Geforce 8800s or the new ATI cards, you will probably need a better PSU. You could safeguard yourself now but it would put you over your budget by a tad. This would be a great choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139001

No need for extra warranties, your parts have warranties already. CPU has 3years, Video card "lifetime" , HDD is 5yr, Monitor is 3yr, etc.

[bob333]

Hmm...I probably won't be upgrading for a while (at least not until the DX10 cards become a lot cheaper), so I think I'll stick with the power supply I have. Thanks though! Appreciate the input!

[glc]

I'd rather have the cheaper XClio 450BL if you are gonna be using a 7600GT. Save a few bucks.

[flanzig1]

You will want to get a dual-channel kit of ram instead of a single stick. would get the Corsair Value Select DDR2 667 in a 1gig kit or 2gigs if budget allows.

[bob333]

Hmm...well, if you guys think that 450W will be enough, I think I'll go with that, and save some money.
I also switched the one stick with dual 512 memory. What exactly will it be better for? Just overall performance?
Thanks!

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by bob333 Hmm...well, if you guys think that 450W will be enough, I think I'll go with that, and save some money. I also switched the one stick with dual 512 memory. What exactly will it be better for? Just overall performance? Thanks!

I have never noticed any difference in performance between 1 or 2 sticks however having 2 sticks makes you less vulnrable. If one stick goes out you have the second to use till you replace the bad one. If you only have one and it goes out on you, your machine is down till you get a new one.

[bob333]

Originally Posted by Khalil I have never noticed any difference in performance between 1 or 2 sticks however having 2 sticks makes you less vulnrable. If one stick goes out you have the second to use till you replace the bad one. If you only have one and it goes out on you, your machine is down till you get a new one.

ah okay, that makes sense. Better to have less memory for a few days and actually be able to run your PC.

[glc]

With Intel builds, using 2 sticks of ram in dual channel mode will make a noticeable difference over a single stick.

[bob333]

okay that sounds good, I'll definitely go with the dual channel memory.
Also, I have one last question. Let's say that I wanted to spend just a tad more for a higher end video card, and not upgrade to DX10 for a long time. What would be a good card, that wouldn't cost me twice the amount of the 6800GT? I there a next "step up" from the 6800GT? There are some open box deals at newegg on Radeon X1900XTs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16814161018R

Are those any good? There are no product reviews on them, so I'm not sure.
There's also the 7800GTX, but again, I'm not sure if they're worth the extra money.

[flanzig1]

For the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102061

Open box don't have the extra parts and possibly the driver CD. You don't know how the part was treated by the orginal buyer. That's why we say stay away from Open Box.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by glc With Intel builds, using 2 sticks of ram in dual channel mode will make a noticeable difference over a single stick.

Ahh, sorry, not too familiar with Intel builds, I have only built 4 Intel machines.
So would you say the new AM2 systems would benefit from using 2 sticks instead of 1 since they use dual channel memory?

[bob333]

Originally Posted by flanzig1 For the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102061 Open box don't have the extra parts and possibly the driver CD. You don't know how the part was treated by the orginal buyer. That's why we say stay away from Open Box.

wow that's a nice card for the price! And with it, my total is $991.00! So what are you guys' preferences on video cards? I know that performance wise, the 1950Pro will definitely outdo the 6800GT, but are they very reliable?
Also, will the power supply be enough to power it?

edit: I've been reading a lot of the reviews, and there are a lot of overheating issues. I dunno...maybe I should just stay with the 6800GT until the cheaper DX10 cards come out...

[glc]

Originally Posted by Khalil So would you say the new AM2 systems would benefit from using 2 sticks instead of 1 since they use dual channel memory?

Absolutely.

[bob333]

Well, I've actually been looking at these two cards, and I'm not really sure if there's much of a difference (except for the price).

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814125045

and http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814130056

I'm really feeling like I want to go this way, and wait for a while until the DX10 cards become more normal. I've also gone with the power supply which Alaron suggested earlier.

[flanzig1]

The EVGA card looks to be running normal clock speeds and a fairly standard heatsink while the Gigabyte has a bit of an OC and an aftermarket heatsink hence the extra cost.
Either one will do you fine.