Seeking Advice Plz

[-XawnL-]

Hi, I am currently in the process of piecing together the components for an adequate budget gaming pc. This is my first attempt at a build and I have been researching other builds vigorously via the internet and finding alot of contradictions between budget builds. I would consider myself a moderate gamer as I only play Star Wars Galaxies currently. However I may be switching to the new Old Republic MMORPG once it is released. Also I dont have any plans on using SLI or Crossfire configs if I dont have to. My max budget for this build is $500 roughly, excluding monitor and keyboard/mouse. Would be even better if I could spend a little less for the same performance.

So ok, this is what I have come up with:

AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HD960ZWCGDBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103244
Foxconn A7GM-S 2.0 AM2+ / AM3 Ready AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186165
SAPPHIRE 100265HDMI Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102822
Rosewill RP550-2 550W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182017
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231122
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-116DBK - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827129023
COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119106

Subtotal before shipping = $512.92

Is this is close, too much, or not enough to supply my needs?
Just not sure if I could get more for less.

Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated as I am trying to piece together the best possible system I can.


Also what would be an equivelant build using an Intel cpu setup.
Which would be better?

I will also need to buy a new OS for this build because I only have an OEM version of Windows Media Center.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

[not important]

Rosewill Power supplies are not good. I would also substitute the Pioneer DVDRW for an LG or Lite-On.
For gaming, you could go with a dual core CPU.
Do you already have an Operating System?

[-XawnL-]

What company psu would you suggest and how any watts?
Which dual cpu?
And yes i will need a new operating system with this build.. just not sure which...32x or 64x...
XP or Vista.

[not important]

Power Calculator: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Power Supply Guide: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=131195
I don't use AMD CPU's but I'm sure someone will chine with with a suitable Dual Core.
I don't like Vista but if you want to go 64 Bit then Vista it is.

[glc]

That GPU only needs 400 watts - and I highly recommend Corsair power supplies. I would recommend a Caviar Black instead of a SE16, it's faster and has a longer warranty.

[-XawnL-]

Well after reading through some of these posts, which are btw very informative, ive begun to rethink the whole setup lol.

havnt chose mobo yet because now im conflicted about my idea for a matx...would a regular atx board be a better choice? or is matx ok?

Would this be more suitable and if yes which mobo?:

Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core

SAPPHIRE 100265HDMI Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply

Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM


actually after reading specs on this Vid card...it recommends 550w psu...might needto change that

[glc]

A mATX is fine to save money - I would suggest an Asus P5KPL-CM with that CPU. A Radeon 4830 only needs 400 watts but you can of course go higher. An Antec Basiq 500 will give you more room to play with at only 5 bucks more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371004

[-XawnL-]

that particular mobo says memory standard DDR2 1066...
does this mean i should buy DDR2-1066 dual channel and not DDR2 800?
or is that just a matter of 32xOS vs. 64xOS?

[glc]

No, that is the FASTEST ram that it supports. DDR2-800 is MORE than fast enough for a 800 bus processor. In fact, DDR2-667 is plenty fast. Intel processors are quad pumped off the FSB but DDR ram is only double pumped. DDR2-800 will run at a 2:1 ram/cpu ratio with a 800 bus CPU if the motherboard allows it. Even if you get a E7400, which is a 1066 bus processor, DDR2-800 is still plenty fast.