Hey everyone, this is my first custom build. I've followed the budget system Tom's Hardware recently built for the Builder Marathon. However, certain parts I have changed due to availability (Canada) and price and need (HD). I'm really concerned about the PSU and the RAM, however all input is much appreciated!!! Because I know practically nothing!!! Thanks.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ EE Dual Core Processor AM2 Windsor 2.0GHZ 512KBX2 65W 90NM Retail Box

MSI K9NU NEO-V ATX ULI M1697 AM2 DDR2 PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 RAID Sound LAN Motherboard

XFX GeForce 7600GT 580MHZ AGP 256MB DDR3 Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card

Kingston ValueRAM PC2700 1GB DDR333 CL2.5 184PIN DIMM Memory

NEC AD-7170A DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 Dual Layer 8X IDE Beige OEM No Software

Silverstone Element ST50EF-PLUS 500W ATX12V 24PIN Power Supply W/120MM Fan Active PFC 80PLUS RoHS

Coolermaster CAC-T05 Centurion 5 Aluminum ATX Tower Case 5X5.25 1X3.5 4X3.5INT SILVER-BLACK No PS

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive

The RAM and MB will not work together, from what they say. LInks would verify but DDR2 is 240 pins.

thats a solid psu, good brand and more than enough wattage for your system.

AMD AM2 cpu's use DDR2 RAM, not DDR. On top of that, you will want DDR2 800 to maximize the cpu's capability. And get 2x1GB sticks.

Plus, the video card you chose is AGP, that will also not work with that motherboard. You want PCI-Express.

Do you do a lot of gaming? If so, you would want an X1950Pro or 7900GS at the minimum. I would recommend the X1950XT myself but some of the X1950XT approach the cost of the 8800GTS 320 MB which is vastly superior and supports DX10 if that matters to you.

If you are not a gamer, then a 7600GT or X1650XT (remember PCI-Express Version) which ever is cheapest would be enough for you.

For price comparison in US dollars, the X1950Pro can be bought for around 130-140 while the X1950XT is around 180-200. The 8800 GTS 320MB version is around 260-300. For reference purposes only. ;-)

Nice hard drive (I have it) and good case & PSU.

What about operating system, monitor, mouse, keyboard?

wow thanks for the quick replies... much appreciated
I plan on using my current mouse/speakers/keyboard and I would like to run Vista. I'm not huge into gaming, but if something comes along I wouldn't want to be limited because of my PC. Now I'll look into those recommendations
thanks again everyone