First Time build- $1000 budget!

[mrmsix]

Hey everyone, first time posting after a lot of reading. I'm going to be building my first PC pretty soon here after I decide which parts to go with. My budget is $1000. This will be my primary PC with which I will be gaming, downloading, web surfing, word processing, etc. I want to be able to play some of the new games coming out in the next couple of months (bioshock/crysis) at a reasonable frame rate, as well as handling WoW at high-ish settings.

I've been researching components for several days now and this is what I have so far:

DVD: Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model AW-Q170A-B2 - OEM --- $30.99

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail --- $49.99

Monitor: SCEPTRE X20WG-1080P Black 20.1" 5ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail --- $179.99

GPU: SAPPHIRE 100176L Radeon X1950PRO 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card --- $136.99

PSU: Antec NeoHE 500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail --- $89.99

RAM: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ --- $88.99

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA4600CUBOX - Retail --- $98.99

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM --- $79.99

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM --- $111.99

Motherboard: None yet

TOTAL (with shipping)- $927.59

As you can see I need everything except a mouse and speakers. The part I am most unsure about is what motherboard would suit my needs, as well as whether the PSU is appropriate for this PC. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[emp]

Very good job, however I'd like to suggest a change in video cards:

SAPPHIRE 100186L Radeon X1950XT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102067

The se mobos seem decent:

GIGABYTE GA-M57SLI-S4 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128014

GIGABYTE GA-MA69G-S3H Socket AM2 AMD 690G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128052

Also, I'd get Vista 64 Home Premium instead, especially if you intend on playing Crysis, which is said by the developers to run better on an 64-bit environment.

 

[paq7512]

The "XT" version is that card is a lot faster, and better. I did just see that Pro in action and it preformed well, although the stock cooler was not great and idleing at about 55c. The card got a aftermarket cooler and went down 10c. But then that was $30. The XT has a better cooler. Keep in mind this computer has great cooling and the idle with the stock was high until upgrade.