Now that I have the parts, how do I put it together? :)

Hi,

First time putting a gaming rig together. I have modified/upgraded pre-built systems but I am doing this one from the ground up. I have searched and most sites tell you what parts to buy. I am looking for the RIGHT way to put them together. Anyone know of a quality guide/site they would recommend for the right way to build your rig?

Also, here is my build what do you think? Thanks for the help with both questions.

Motherboard: Asus Striker Extreme (I know retail it is way too expensive. My buddy hooked me up with one for only $200--do you think it is good for that price?)

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 /w/ Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme for cooling

Ram: CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

Video Card: BFG Tech GeForce 8800GTX OC

Case: Cooler Master CM Stacker 830 Evo

Power Supply: Antec 650W TruePower Trio TP3-650 EPS12V (I see some of you aren't Antec fans, but I got it for $60-I have heard it is a decent power supply but what do you think?)

Hard Drives: 2 x Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive

Optical Drive: Lite-On 20x DVD+RW/-RW LH-20A1S SATA

I think those are the main parts--using a G5 mouse, etc but the above are the guts. Thanks again for your help pointing me towards a good guide for putting all this electronic goodness together.

SMiko1

MAKE SURE ALL THE STANDALONES ARE INSTALLED !!!11 DO NOT LEAVE ANY OUT (lol bad experiences) also a tiny bit of advice, at canadian tire or a ford dealership, they sell those blue Motomaster rubber mechanics gloves, which are disposable. greatest thing ever since you can grip each piece with the utmost control, and you dont need to worry about shorting anything out ^^

The Manuals for the mobo and cpu are good reference. Some of the things are quite simple. The most important step is the CPU, be slow with that!

This is how I did it, in order:

1 - Drives into the case (disc drive, hard drive(s))

2 - CPU, heatsink, ram

3 - Motherboard into the case (I have the same case as you.. make sure you're not pushing too hard, align the tray on the rails)

4 - Power supply (best to leave all those wires to the end.. don't want them hanging around when you'er pushing stuff in)

5 - Loose wiring that had to be completed

This is not a guide that you have to adhere to strictly, but in my opinion things go a bit easier that way. Great parts (and prices) by the way.