first build and need suggestions from those more experienced

Sift through these based on how much $ you want to spend on the GPU

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/12/12/the_best_gaming_...

Hard drive:$94 x2 (if this is too much, then get a pair of the 250gb WD's)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

Ram: (I use these and like them a lot!) $105
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

PSU: (I really like this one, have it in my system right now and has given me no problems)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

decided to go with one hard drive for now, the segate barracuda 320 GB, and will upgrade to an array in the near future. Also, the memory suggested looks good as well. I decided on the Geforce 7600 Gt for a video card. Can anyone comment on the pros/cons they have experienced with this card? Also, if I am looking to add a ty tuner card later, such as the ATI All in Wonder card, will I need to remove the Geforce card? in which case should I just grab the ATI card now? Please comment on my build and feel free to suggest alternatives

If you want to overclock, then go with the 965. You get more bang for your buck. The P5WDH is a good board though

I believe the All-in-wonder is a PCI-express card? S0 I think that if you got that, you'd have to remove the Geforece. Otherwise you can just get a tv-tuner card like the ATI Tv-wonder 200, just make sure the card isnt PCI Express x16.

If you don't plan on overclocking, then get a cheaper mobo. The S3 version at most, but probably even cheaper than that.

If you DO plan on overclocking, that mobo is good. The ASUS is better, but it's alot more $$ too. If you do plan on OC'ing though, then you need some GOOD memory as well. Get 1 gig of some good RAM now, then add another 1 gig stick later. Also, then you'll need a GOOD PSU as well, and probably wanna go with a CPU cooler.

Otherwise, just keep it cheap. Save some money on the mobo and RAM and get a decent vid card and TV Tuner card. I'd personally keep them separate.....getting one that has a combined use limits you down the road. Far easier to just get a tuner card and whatever vid card you want.......then down the road just replace the vid card and you're happy playing newer games that come out.

My suggestion: if no OC'ing, get a cheaper mobo, value RAM, separate TV tuner, and then whatever vid card you can for your remaining budget. A 7600GT should do you just fine....excellent performance for $120  


Oh, one last thing: I doubt anyone here will recommend NOT to go with a Lian-Li case.....unless you want something cheaper. Lian Li cases are great, and if you want one, then it's a great choice. However, you may want to consider the PC-7 Plus case.....better cooling, etc than the PC-60. Worth a look IMO.

This is exactly the opposite of what raid does. If you want a setup like that get two different drives. One of them should be a smaller faster drive like a raptor and a larger one for music, pr0n, etc.

The P5b deluxe gives you things like a stereo microphone and other gadgets that you probably don't need if you're trying to keep costs low. The DS3 or a P5B-E are great mid range boards if you want to overclock at some point. Keep in mind that you're going to have to get better memory for overclocking.

ok so if i want to OC down the line what memory would you guys suggest? I am not really clear on all of the benefits and risks of OCing so I want to do some more research before deciding, or if someone could please point me in the right direction. As far as the tv tuner card and the geforce goes i am a little confused. The Geforce would use a PCI 16x slot and would the tv tuner card also use a pci 16x? Finally, what the goal of the two drives is for me is to have one store the OS and apps and another for multimedia, games, etc. So do you suggest going with a smaller hard drive, such as a 40GB, for apps and the OS and a larger one for the multimedai? I would like to be able to partition the drive holding the OS to allow me to run both windows media center and vista in the future. What size would you recommend and vendor? Thanks, this forumn has been alot of help and I am still learning as I go.

If you might wanna do some OC'ing in the future, then don't get really expensive stuff, it's a waste. Just go with some cheaper RAM that will handle some overclocking.......this would do you fine:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

Yeah...ddr800 at cas 5 seems to be a sweet spot of price/performance anything faster is really expensive and there isn't too much of a price jump from ram clocked at slightly lower clock speeds.

would getting just one stick of ddr800 work such as the one listed here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1682...

and then upgrading in the future. also are there any compatibility issues with the ga-965P-DS3 when it comes to memory. any manufacturers to stay away from?