Son wants to build one now!

[fc3646]

This is what he is looking at, thoughts?


APEVIA X-Superalien ATXA6SW-BK/500 Black w/ red alien eyes Aluminum Server Computer Case ATX Aluminum 500W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: ATXA6SW-BK/500
Item #: N82E16811144004
$159.99 -$10.00 Instant $149.99


ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: IP35 Pro
Item #: N82E16813127030
Mail-in Rebate
$169.99 $169.99


SAPPHIRE Toxic 100225TXSR Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 100225TXSR
Item #: N82E16814102732


$192.99 $192.99


Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E6750
Item #: N82E16819115029
$188.99 $188.99


Kingston 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/4G - Retail
Model #: KVR667D2N5K2/4G
Item #: N82E16820134193
$119.99 -$45.00 Instant $74.99


Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3250410AS
Item #: N82E16822148262
$69.99 -$5.00 Instant $64.99


SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Model #: SH-S203B
Item #: N82E16827151153
$29.99 -$3.00 Instant $26.99


Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Model #: 66I-00715
Item #: N82E16832116202
$109.99 -$10.00 Instant $99.99
Subtotal: $968.92


Thanks

[Alaron]

Good start; here a few suggestions.

Apevia power supplies are junk. Keep the case if he likes it but replace the PSU. We recommend Corsair units. A 520w would be fine wattage.

I'd bump up to DDR2-800 RAM for the headroom. Also Kingston isn't on top of RAM like they used to be. Go with Corsair instead.

Take a look at the Geforce 8800GT 512MB cards. Great bang for the buck.

Finally, I'd go with a Retail DVD Burner that comes with burning software.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Alaron Good start; here a few suggestions. Apevia power supplies are junk. Keep the case if he likes it but replace the PSU. We recommend Corsair units. A 520w would be fine wattage. I'd bump up to DDR2-800 RAM for the headroom. Also Kingston isn't on top of RAM like they used to be. Go with Corsair instead. Take a look at the Geforce 8800GT 512MB cards. Great bang for the buck. Finally, I'd go with a Retail DVD Burner that comes with burning software.

The HD3870 Toxic performs about as well as the 8800GT 512MB and has better video decoding for roughly the same cost as the 8800GT, so no point in going with a 8800GT over the HD3870 Toxic.

For ram a good brand that has fast stable ram is Mushkin, however I doubt you'll need 4GB, windows XP doesn't even use up more than 1GB on average.

If you have a low budget for the power supply, take a look at the coolermaster power supplies, they aren't great for high end set-ups, but for a setup such as the one above, it will work fine.

[Drunner611]

Spend the money to get a good PSU unit. DO NOT CHEAP OUT.

You could cut some money by changing your mobo to a asus P5e

Also, you need a 64bit os to use 4gb of ram.

Look to bump up your processor to an e8400.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Drunner611 Spend the money to get a good PSU unit. DO NOT CHEAP OUT. You could cut some money by changing your mobo to a asus P5e Also, you need a 64bit os to use 4gb of ram. Look to bump up your processor to an e8400.

Coolermaster power supplies work well and are inexpensive, however most power supplies less expensive than coolermaster are of bad quality.

You cannot save money by changing the mobo to an Asus P5E (X38 Chipset), you can however save money by changing the mobo to an Asus P5K (P35 Chipset).

You do not need a 64-bit OS to use 4GB of ram, 64-bit will take full advantage of 4GB or ram whereas 32-bit will not, both 32-bit and 64-bit will work with 4GB of ram.

[InfiniteGrim]

If that motherboard support it i would get 800Mhz ram. Newegg.com has good deals on corsair ram. I would also look at the intel e8200 CPU. Its based on 45nm tech and has a 6MB L2 cache. Its amazing for overclocking. Plus its $10 cheaper then the e6570 on newegg.com but its the OEM version. I.E. no heasink or fan.

[Fibre Optix]

Mobo wise, I'd go with the Asus P5k. this is just my opinion. Abit might be fine but Asus from my experience is pretty solid.

[piasabird]

I looked at this computer case and I think you can buy more for less. The case has multiple 80mm fans. What I have found is that these 80mm fans tend to make a more noise to move less air than a 120mm fan. This is just my opinion. The case design is nice enough overall but I just dont like the 80mm fans. The price seemed a bit high to me also. If it had a better power supply it might be worth it.

80mm fans have to spin at a higher RPM to move the same amount of air as a one 120mm fan. You might ask around to people and see what they think.

I looked at all the reviews and people seem to like this case. So maybe it is just fine.