First build - pls give go ahead : )

[yorikatl]

First build - built this off advice on this site:

Looking for a gaming rig between 1k-1.5k (lower range is preferable).

Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 450Watt SmartPower 2.0 ATX 12V V2.0 for AMD & Intel systems Power Supply - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

eVGA 512-P2-N635-AR GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6400 - Retail

Crucial Technology 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TY2KIT12864AA663 - Retail

Microsoft S82-00032 Black USB + PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM

SAMSUNG 205BW Black 20" 6ms Widescreen LCD Monitor with Height Adjustments - Retail

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM

BELKIN F8E093 Anti-Static Wrist Strap - Retail

Anything else I need to make this computer work, I'm talking anything...?

Thanks much!

 

[WR2]

A DVD/CD drive would be a good idea - otherwise good looking list.
LITE-ON Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW

 

[almerac]

looks good except for your video card and ram, its not a bad one, just doesn't line up well on a price performance curve vs ATI's offerings. even tho they are getting scarce, x1900XT's are a better deal. but if your partial to nvidia then just go ahead and buy it.

the ram, go either 533 or 800, 667 usually doesn't have enough speed over 533 to overcome its higher latency, to any noticeable difference. and if your overclocking 800 is nearly a must with conroes, because of the insane overclockes you can get, and is much faster then either 667 or 533

the PSU might concern me... 450 watts is defiantly enough so long as its a solid 450 watts, IE 450 watts sustained, not 450 watts peak.

other then that it looks good

 

[mad-dog]

(1) bigger PSU, so it aint straining to run your system

(2) retail OS, because your gonna be changing stuff when it breaks

(3) A hard-drive or two to store your OS on might be a good idea also.

(4) R u sure ur ready 2 build a system...?

 

[yorikatl]

Thanks for the info guys. Not sure if am ready to build my own but I'm going to try it anyways.

 

[almerac]

he doesn't necessarily need a bigger PSU. the watts make little impact im computers these days compare to amps that the 12 volt line can push.

 

[almerac]

Thanks for the info guys. Not sure if am ready to build my own but I'm going to try it anyways.

just make sure you get a decent first time builders guide (just Google for one) and you should be good. patience is very key when constructing your first build, and making sure you don't see smoke :lol:

 

[yorikatl]

Thanks for the info guys. Not sure if am ready to build my own but I'm going to try it anyways.

just make sure you get a decent first time builders guide (just Google for one) and you should be good. patience is very key when constructing your first build, and making sure you don't see smoke :lol:

Thanks again.

Couple things...

The power supply is antec brand so should be ok.

Will I really need to get a retail version of windows? OEM is a bad idea?

I'm still thinking about which graphics card, but it will be one or the other.

What ram do you recomend around the same price range?

 

[almerac]

Thanks for the info guys. Not sure if am ready to build my own but I'm going to try it anyways.

just make sure you get a decent first time builders guide (just Google for one) and you should be good. patience is very key when constructing your first build, and making sure you don't see smoke :lol:

Thanks again.

Couple things...

The power supply is antec brand so should be ok.

Will I really need to get a retail version of windows? OEM is a bad idea?

I'm still thinking about which graphics card, but it will be one or the other.

What ram do you recomend around the same price range?

OEM, windows is either will work just fine.

at $200 a X1950Pro is the best buy, at $250-300 a 7900GTO or X1900XT are your best options, after that it goes well into the $400 range for a card that is worth that much.

as for ram on the cheap http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231081

for some reasonable overclocking
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231098

and for crazy overclocking
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820227159
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145044

honestly i would go for some DDR 800 its reasonable in price and has decent timings. just remember that faster ram is useless (if your only gaming) and is only useful for overclocking. just to keep in mind if your penny pinching ($10 isn't allot tho)

 

[toasty2]

Why buy windows? It's not worth $100 anymore. There's other ways to get it.

 

[almerac]

some people prefer to stay on the legal side of things. and windows is worth $100, as long as its not bundled with a ton of software that you don't need.

 

[toasty2]

Well, I make custom install disks anyway, so I get all the crap that I want

Gotta love nLite.

 

[skyguy]

Go here:
http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/index.htm