Gaming Build, First Time Builder

[eiji]

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER RS-600-ASAA ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V V2.91 600 Watts Continuous Power Supply

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

Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600

As for the rest: Case, FDD, CD/DVD Drive... etc. Any recommendations are welcome. Not to sure what else I need and if the stuff I have is over kill or not. So any help is appreciated.

Edit: Made changes to my mobo, psu, and ram selections.

2nd Edit: As far as price range, I'd like to stay around $1500, as for going over, as long as it is good performance/$ I will probaly go for it. I'd rather spend a little more now than end up having to get upgrades in a couple of months.

[minsonngo]

Lite-On is a good brand to go with for an optical drive. I would recommend the newer SATA interface drives.

A floppy drive is not really necessary in newer systems unless you have a need for it. But some people prefer to have one hand just in case. Its your choice.

As for cases... take a look at the Antec lineup. They are nice quality manufactured cases at a affordable price.

As for motherboards... the ASUS you picked out is pretty good. Take a look at the ASUS P5B lineup also... they are stable boards and what most recommend at this point in time.

And lastly the PSU... Cooler Master is a decent brand... but Corsair and Antec are at the top of the pack right now and can be had for around the same price range.

[Cricket]

If you don't intend to do two video cards in SLi, don't get that motherboard. When building with a Intel processor you should get a motherboard that uses a Intel chipset if you want the best performance, stability and reliability from your new computer.

If you don't plan to overclock you can get DDR2 667 RAM instead of the DDR2 800.

Get a SATA DVD burner from Lite-On.

You really don't need a floppy drive but it's good to have one on hand...just in case.

Case choice is a very personal thing and you have to look around until you find one that you like. The main thing with cases is if it comes with a power supply you have to check if that power supply is any good or not. If it's not a good quality brand, replace it with something good.

And I wouldn't get a Cooler Master power supply. Their quality is so-so and I've heard of some killing over when pushed hard. Better to go with something better like Corsair, Fortron Source, Seasonic or PC Power & Cooling. The power supply is the most important component in your computer and if all the other components you're buying are good quality you should get a good quality power supply too. You really want to get the best power supply you can afford.

Cricket

[eiji]

Mobo: ASUS P5B Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
OR
ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600

Optical Drive: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black

LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model SHD-16S1S-05

Case: Antec Solo Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick

Video Card: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320-P2-N811-AR HDCP Video Card

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Monitor: ViewSonic Optiquest Series Q22wb Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor

Not sure about monitor brand, so I went with reviews on this one. Any recommendations?

OS: Vista or XP?

Misc: Would I need anything extra like another cooling device...?

Right now with the items I have listed it is between 1400-1500.

[kwbbpc]

the best OS as of right now is XP- supports more applications. As for a monitor, I have recently purchased from Acer and HannsG - both 19" widescreen LCD, and I'm very pleased with both. No dead pixels yet. If you can find a good DVI monitor, even better, but I can't really notice a huge difference between VGA and DVI. Finally, cooling - fans are easy to deal with and provide enough cooling for most systems. Only go with water cooling if you're overclocking alot, or if you want that cool look and don't mind the extra upkeep.

[LeftyAce]

Concur on the OS; get XP until Vista comes out with the first service pack to iron out the kinks.

I've got an Acer monitor that's great (only had it for 3 weeks though, so can't comment on how long the pixels last...)

The fan that comes with the processor is fine, and must be used in order to preserve the 3 year warranty on the CPU.

[eiji]

Final setup, please feel free to provide input.

Monitor: Either Acer AL1917WAbd Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
Or
SAMSUNG 920NW Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor

Optical: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-05

Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

FDD: SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive Windows 98SE/ ME/ 2000/ XP, Just in-case

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2

Mobo: ASUS P5B-E LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600

OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM

2nd Optical: LiteOn DVD-ROM

Thanks for the help!

[minsonngo]

DDR2 533 is is good choice. The memory speed matches the processor FSB speed.

DDR2 667 would be a bit better though.

[eiji]

Updated the RAM, does everything else look good and will it be compatible?

Thanks!

[minsonngo]

Everything looks great.


You don't need the "VANTEC ICEBERG DDR-A1A Aluminum Heatsinks" unless you plan on overclocking your memory.

[eiji]

Ok, I ordered everything that was in post 7. Thanks for all the help, now I just have to wait a month or so for the items to get to me. Living in Italy does have a couple of disadvantages. The total came to $1610, but $150 of it was for shipping.(Another disadvantage)

[minsonngo]

Good luck... let us know how it goes!

[eiji]

One last question, will my PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick be able to power my Video Card: EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card. The reason I ask is because the maximum output on a rail on the psu is 12v @ 18 amps and the card calls for a mimimum of 12v @ 26 amps. Will that be a problem or am I looking to much into it?

[minsonngo]

You should be fine. The PSU as THREE +12V@18A rails which is more than adequate.

[LeftyAce]

That video card has 2 power connectors; each one gets its own rail on that PSU, so you've got 36 A total.