First Home Build

I'm too lazy to go look - does the mobo have onboard graphics? (that would explain no graphics card   )

No need to upgrade the fan - the stock is good and quiet - even for mild overclocking (which is sounds like you're not doing). I don't know the $ difference between the 3700 & 3500, but both run at the same clock rate, and the extra cache of the 3700 doesn't give a lot of performance boost. If the difference is small its worth it, but if its significant ($50+? depends on budget) you can get almost same performance out of a 3500.

Stability would be best for your use on the RAM. That means you don't need the super low latency stuff since that tends to be less stable (fine for games - and maybe even ok for your use since its a home system not a professional one, but not necessary and more expensive). Anyways, I'm not too well-versed in RAM, so I'll keep quiet and let someone who knows more give their thoughts.

Mike.

Indeed Fishmahn, the VM designation on any board does signify onboard graphics.

As for the processor speed, I agree with Fish, the 3500+ is one of the best bang for buck right now and it won't make much difference with the 3700+ considering the use of your comp. As for the HD choice, I have been a Seagate fan for a while. I love their product, silent hard drives and mostly their very good warranty of 5 years on all their drives.

As for the RAM, I am not the expert there either. Crucial is a good choice for the kind of PC you are building. As Fish mentionned, you do not require Ultra Low Latency RAM. The extra cost compared to the extra benifits aren't worth it for a Multimedia computer.

thats my 2 cents

Thanks. I know me however, and I won't remember after about 10 min from now. :roll:

Seagate's are my favs too.

Mike.