Critique my gaming build

[shujaa]

First time system builder, looking to get a nice gaming rig. Want to be able to overclock reasonably too.
Here's what I've come up with so far:

Case + PSU: Antec Sonata Piano III with 500W EarthWatts PSU £71

Motherboard: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP AiLifestyle Series P35 £90

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz £115

HSF: Zalman CNPS9500 £31

RAM: Corsair 2GB Kit DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 CL4(4-4-4-12) £50

Graphics: Zotac GeForce 8800GT 512MB AMP! Edition £180

Hard disk: Western Digital 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache £59

TOTAL: £596

Any advice is welcome, especially concerning motherboard/RAM, as I know the least about those. Thanks in advance

 

[shujaa]

Nothing?

 

[nightscope]

Everything looks good! In my opinion the motherboard is kind of expensive. You can go with a cheaper one if you don't want all the bells and whistles. A gigabyte ds3l or an abit ip35-e will be fine. Other than that, everything looks good.

I'm not too familiar with the Zotac brand so if someone else can make some input on that...

Also, if you're going to be overclocking, the stock cooler will be more than enough.

 

[Gir37]

Expanding on the Zotac comment:

I also haven't heard of Zotac but the the best NVIDIA card producers are EVGA, XFX, and BFG in that order....hope this helps a little.

 

[geofelt]

Looks good, I would second the suggestion of a less expensive gigabyte mobo:http://www.ebuyer.com/product/136363

At current prices, why not get 4gb up front?

The zalman cooler is high on "bling", but there are more effective coolers out there. Read some reviews like this: http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=2981&p=3

A good cooler overclocks better, and will keep your sustem quieter.

---good luck---

 

[shujaa]

Thanks for the tips, I'll do some more researching into the cooler and motherboard Although this Asus series of models does have a reputation for user friendliness - something I don't mind paying for since it's my first build!

About Zotac, I was suspicious of them at first too, but they are a subsidiary of PC Partner - who also owns Sapphire. The card has got good reviews and feedback, so I think it's a fairly safe bet.

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Shadow703793]

Look in to a P35-DS3L motherboard if possible. The P35-DS3 series motherboards are much better for OCing. Go with a 520HX if possible. Every thing else looks good.

 

[aevm]

I have a Sonata 3 at work and love it - you can't hear the computer. However, I'm not sure the cooling is good enough for an 8800GT.

Another vote for the DS3L.

I'd get an Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro instead of the Zalman. It's quiet, cheap, easy to install.

 

[Trull]

That looks very similar to my build

 

[geofelt]

For your first build, may I suggest that you go to the mobo and case web sites and download the installation manuals.