good quality system

i have finally decided to now spend my hard earned/ saved cash from a year working on a new system. this will be my first computer bought and customised by myself.

basically im heading off to uni next year so i don't really forsee much in terms of upgrading (would it be better to go dual core now)

use:
75% internet/mail/music listening (basic computing stuff)
20% games (some of which high end)
5% toying with software


processor: AMD 64 for sure. i was looking at the FX or perhaps the high end dual cores but i suspect i may not need that high end. perhaps older models?

graphics: something nividia. i can't seem to find anything on 512mb cards (my guess i they havn't been release in australia) but would it be better to go with 2x 256mb cards, or would a single 256 card such as the GeForce 7800 GTX 256MB PCI-Express be good enough for the current games of the day.

mobo: perhaps Asus A8N-E if i go non SLI or A8N-SLI Premium if i go SLI

ram: i was thinking 2x 1gb sticks of kingston. keep the system nice and snappy.

and PSU: antec brand. model depending on what power is needed.


as for price tag, i would probably be willing to spend up to $3.5. but probably no more.

p.s is water cooling a good way to go? or should i stick to just fans?

any advice would really be appreciated and feel free to ask me any questions.

JAN...
I got an Opteron 175 oem for $460, and retail version was $520.
That made the stock HS worth $60, so instead, I went oem and BigWater SE which ended up costing $40 more than retail.

Just a suggestion, try looking into an Antec case if you can get it. The one I bought came with a 500W power supply so you don't have to buy them seperately and its a good quality PSU to boot (heavy as heck, so you won't be doing much Lan partying but solid). I think I got the TX 1050B it was only about ($220.00 Cdn).

You can't use DDR2 in an AMD system yet. And on AMDs 4 RAM modules forces the RAM timings to go to 2T command rate which slows things down some. Its better to go 2x1GB on AMD right now, so try to find a 2x1GB kit of regular DDR.

If the dual core CPUs are in your budget, they should (who can know for sure though... ) give you more longevity without upgrading. Get whichever one is in your budget - the X2 4600+ is like having 2 3800+'s under the hood, the X2 4400+ like 2 3700+'s. I would probably get the cheapest one for myself, but I'm cheap.

Another thought is to get a lower end CPU now (3500+?) and upgrade to an X2 5600+ or whatever is available in a year or so. You should be able to get a dual core thats faster than what's available today for socket 939 in the future. Or, if you want to overclock and go dual core, people are getting massive (up to 3.0ghz on air) overclocks with the Opteron 165/170 which will also work on your board. In the US they're similarly priced to the comparable X2's, so they've become the CPU of choice for overclocking on socket 939. Don't know what they are in Aus.

For the PSU, the 450 should be plenty and even give you some headroom for OCing and expanding/upgrading. The 520 even more. I would say at minimum 400w from a high quality mfg is fine, but if you're OCing you want more power. Of those 2 I'd get the 450.

You could possibly save some $ by using onboard sound. Onboard sound is pretty good these days, though audiophiles can still hear the difference. I don't need super premium sound (though I can make out that there is a difference, I just don't care enough), so I use onboard but other people want better sound. If you're unsure you can give onboard a try and buy the Audigy later if it doesn't meet your needs.

For the monitor I would poke my head down to the CE (Consumer Electronics) section and look or ask in the LCD forum there for ideas on good gaming & movie 19" screens. There are a few but I can't dredge up the model no's out of my cavernous memory (it's empty... ) right now so I don't want to give bad advice.

Only other thing I can see is I've heard the A8N-SLI Deluxe mobo doesn't OC very well. But... 'very well' could just be someone who expected 50% and only got 25%, which is still a good OC so take that with a grain of salt. If you can get the Premium version for only a few $ more you may want to consider it.

Video card: Games will be the only difference you'll see between those 2 cards, the 7800 being faster of course, but either will play today's games well. The 7800 will be more likely to play tomorrows games better so for longevity get the 7800, budget allowing.

Mike.

Enermax 535W Whisper II model EG565P

If you're not OCing, then this Biostar N4SLI-A9 would be good enugh for your usage. If not, then Epox EP-9NPA+ SLi

I personally think SLI is a waste of money unless you want to game at HIGH res with HIGH details. I'd go with the Epox Ep-9NPA+ Ultra or Abit AN8 Ultra.