New system - which one?

[a3r0]

This is my first real build, and I’m building 2 identical computers. They’ll mainly be used for stuff like internet browsing, Photoshop, Word, etc, however I would still like to do some moderate gaming like Half Life 2 and Battlefield 2. They don’t need to be able to run every single one of the latest games on them.

All of the prices are in Canadian dollars, and the site I’m using for the parts is http://www.pcvonline.com.

First option:
Asus P5B -- $170 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3926
Core 2 Duo E6300 –- $222 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3866
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB -- $115 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3686
LG Black 18x DVD Writer -- $39 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=4333
Acer AL1916W Ab -- $219 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=4147
Kingston 1GB ValueRAM -- $132 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=2281
XFX GeForce 7600GT -- $ 219 http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3520
Antec NSK6500 -- $115 - http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3711

Total: $1231.00 before tax

Second Option:
This is a pre-built PC from http://www.pacificexpresscomputers.com. I was thinking of getting it and upgrading the video card, probably to an XFX GeForce 7600GT. This system isn't listed on the site.

ATX Case W/ Side Window & 470W PS
ASUS P5LD2-VM MB
Intel E6300 (1.86) 1066FSB CPU
1GB DDR2/533 Dual Channel Memory
250GB SATA II Hard Drive
16X DVD+/- RW Dual Layer
Onboard Video/Audio/G LAN
Logitech Keyboard and Optical Mouse

For $645.00 or $865.00 with 19” LCD. I believe there was a choice of monitors, but I don’t know which models.

Third Option:
From Best Buy, but I don't think it's that great of a deal http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10076549&catid=20217
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Dual Core
2GB PC4200 DDR SDRAM, Expandable to 4GB
320GB (7200RPM) Serial ATA
DL 16X DVD+/-RW with Lightscribe
nVidia FX7300SE
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

For $1150.

Which one is the best deal? Thanks for the help

 

[lyssword]

If you do any gaming at all, you would regret the last 2 choices.

 

[mesarectifier]

Go Core 2. Oh, and 2gb RAM will really help you out if you can stretch it at all.

 

[a3r0]

Thanks, I think I'll go with the first one and switch the RAM to http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3778.

What would you recommend for the case/PSU?

 

[Newf]

Make the 1st option your gaming box and all is well.
Buy the 2nd box for non-gaming and all is well. You will need a better setup for Vista though. The 945 chipset is a cheap kludge for Conroe, but prebuilts do these things. Upgrade the video for Vista/gaming.
The 3rd choice is a poor value.
For system 1, the RAM will work fine but you need 2 sticks.
No need to get 667 ram. Try this: KVR533D2N4K2/1G for 2 512's OR KVR533D2N4K2/2G for 2 1GB sticks.

 

[a3r0]

Sorry to bump the thread, but I have a few quick questions.

First of all is, there any difference between these two:
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3522 (XFX Link)
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3520 (XFX Link)

Both are the same price. What's different about them and which one is better? Since the XXX one has a higher clock, is it better?

Also, is this alright for a power supply/case?
Case:
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=2856 (Antec Link)

PSU:
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3830 (Thermaltake Link) OR
http://www.pcvonline.com/productDetails.aspx?id=3827 (Thermaltake Link)

Both have 18A on +12V. Anyone know which would be best?

Thanks again for the help.