I'm back from Dell Hell and I need a computer

Does that include a monitor of any type?
Also what do you plan to use the system for? That 8600GT is pretty weak for gaming.
My neighbor ordered a Dell Inspiron 530 last Thursday and it was delivered yesterday. I was over to watch him set it up and he was up & running in a hour (which included a long peek inside the case). His was $825 with shipping and a pretty nice 20" widescreen monitor.

Should be no problem working up a better system since you don't need a monitor. No reason not to look at that tasty ATI 3850 video card its not that much more expensive than the 8600GT. You never know what game you'll be playing next year.

Just to get you started look over the article @ Anandtech
Its a budget builders guide to AMD and Intel systems.
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3148

Yes, but do NOT use the included power supply, trust me. Get a good PCP&C or Corsair; it's worth the extra money for a a stable, safe computer. Running a tier 4 PSU could cause huge damage to components...

I went on newegg and came up with the following list of items:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADX6000CZBOX
$159.99

BIOSTAR TForce TF570SLI AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
$87.99

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864AA80E
$67.99

PNY VCG86GTS5XWB-OC GeForce 8600GTS 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$209.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$69.99

Rosewill TU-155 Black 0.8mm SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply
$44.99

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack
$89.99

Antec earthwatts EA500 ATX12V v2.0 500W Power Supply
$74.99

Total: $833.75

I went with a better processor since I want this computer to last as long as it can. I didn't need Vista and XP Home will do. I got the extra power supply (500W over 400W). I found a cool tower (hopefully it works). The video card I wanted was sold out so I got another one.

If I order the items above, will I have everything I need to build a computer? (cords, fans, etc)?

The retail boxed Athlon 64 X2 6000+ comes with the stock AMD heatsink fan and thermal compound.
You can easily do without the AS5 and AC Freezer 64 Pro HSF. If you DO think you might want to overclock the CPU then the upgraded thermal compound and HSF make sense.

The Rosewill case looks nice and it will hold everything fine. It only comes with 1x80mm fan though. I'd suggest 1x80mm fan for the front of the case - Rosewill 80mm case fan $5 with speed cntrl
More info about that case: Rosewill TU-155 case

That video card 8600GTS @ that $210 price is a big Uhh Ohhhhh! For the SAME price (or $10 more after rebate) you can get a XFX 8800GT 256MB The OC model is just $10 more after rebate. Much more powerful GPU.
It's roughly 1.5-2x as powerful as the 8600GTS. (ps- grab it quick)

All the rest looks OK if you already have keyboard, mouse and DVD.
The motherboard and PSU will have all the Sata data and power cables.

I took out the heatsinc and gluey stuff and put in another fan of the size you mentioned. It's all blue and cool. LOL

Is that all I need? Does the motherboard have the right slot for the video card? Processor too?

Hmmmmmmm I'd go for a DVD drive instead of CD - a lot of newer games only come on DVD.

May as well get the Crucial Tracer ones. imo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820148076

There arent a lot of 8800GT/256MB models out at the moment so they will go fast. Even if you dont order the rest right awat - I'd grab the video card you want right now.

@OP: Welcome from Dell Hell

I recommend that you drop the X2 6000+ and get a E6550 or better (or lower if willing to OC). Also go with a DS3x (P35 chip set recommended) like the P35-DS3L. The new Intel chips OC very well even the low end CPUs can gain substantial performance gains from a relatively easy OC. If you don't believe me look below:

http://www.mediafire.com/imageview [...] dn&thumb=4
http://www.mediafire.com/imageview [...] lw&thumb=4

Plus, the way the way AMD is going right now is not good....(K10 any one?http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] w=0&nojs=0)

Later when money permits you can upgrade to a Quad core. (Q6600 is selling at $280 now and will be cheaper by mid of next year)

Give us an update and let us know how things go.

I got the case today and should get everything else tomorrow.

I've been researching what I need to do online and have come across some really good resources.

The case is really nice, and has usb slots in the front! I had to run a usb extender around the front of my old computer.

The extra power supply was a good choice, wasn't it? Thankfully newegg.com allows for refunds if I find it's not needed.

Hi!

It was a success, but there are things I still want to upgrade now that I have some more cash.

The biggest problem I have right now is overheating. I'm not overclocking anything, but the computer gets massively hot (still) when I play certain online games and I have to take off the side and blow air in for it to not turn off my computer.

I think my problem is two fold.

I have no fan on the front blowing in air. I didn't realize I needed one until recently.

My application of thermal gel was faulty. I believe what I did was put down a small glob, and use a plastic bag with my finger inside to spread it out all over the processor (someone suggested I do it that way in one thread on some forum). The more I read online, the better way of doing it is to just put a half a pea size glob in the middle and the contact of the heatsinc to the processor will do all the work (spread it out for me). Can anyone back this up as a good way of doing it?

I finally have some money again, so I am looking to upgrade the following items.

Case
Memory
Video Card
Heatsinc

This is the case I like so far:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
It has a lot more fans, and a big fan on top that can suck the heat off the processor.

I like this heatsinc:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186019
It has two fans back to back, which means no fan sticking out the case. I feel 2 fans could better circulate the hot air away from the processor.

I like these memory pieces:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231122
My computer only has 2GB of ram, and I definitely feel a need to upgrade to 4GB. I don't want 4 sticks of 1GB each, because that leaves no slots to addon to in the future, so I will add on 2 sticks of 2GB each, and then replace the 1GBs later with more. Can someone check and see if I can equip all 4 pieces, or are they not the same type, or whatever problem?

I like this video card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130339
I am surprised at what I cannot play now. I just got done with a trial of Left4Dead (FPS) and on normal settings, it was so laggy I couldn't even play it. I had to turn all the settings to low before I could play it without any lag. I don't like that. I don't want to play games on MAX settings, but normal settings need to be possible. Other games like Warhammer Online, I can't show all effects on everyone, because the game lags too much. I have to set it to just effects on me showing for it to run fine.

So, these 4 items would be upgraded/replaced.

Any thoughts on these items? Suggestions for better items?

Any help is SUPER APPRECIATED!

Thanks for the reply!

Any suggestions on video cards? I just went to newegg and sorted by what was the highest rated cards.

Okay, so I finally got my new stuff in and transferred all the hardware from my old case to my new case.

I think I did much better this time than when I first made a computer.

When installing the new heatsinc (it was HUGE), I put about a pea/half a pea right in the middle and just set the heatsinc on top of it. The heatsinc was very easy to hook onto the motherboard, much easier than my old one, and even though it is huge, it doesn't seem to budge at all.

I did make one mistake when installing stuff. The front compartments where hard drives go slides out through the front, and I slid one out to put the HD on and slid it back in, and pushed it too hard and one of the cords that control the speed of the fan attached to that compartment was cut in half. So, I didn't hook that fan up to power in fear that a live wire could lead to problems. I will probably contact an electrician or the manufacturer and see if I can get it fixed.

I think the hardest part was finding the right way to coordinate the wires. I had wires coming from the top of the case and needing power from the power supply installed at the bottom of the case. I think I did it good, though. I am still learning which ties are better. I like the white ones better than the black ones with holes and notches in it.

I haven't tested my new configuration out in video games yet. I am still worried that my processor will overheat again. I don't think I made any mistakes in the installation of it, and with so many fans, the air supply should be top notch.

I'll test it out sometime and get back.