Please Help a Newbie to this Forum choose parts for my build!!!

I am a complete and total newcomer to this forum. Have read and learned A LOT here from just reading over the last couple weeks since I found it. I am not really much of a gamer right now, definitely not an overclocker (never will be an o/c’er).

I use a PC to surf the web, I store and edit a LOT of photos for my business, I create Video DVD and CD demo’s for my business, I do emails, a lot of MSWord and a good bit of Publisher type stuff. As far as gaming goes, Championship Bass or other fishing-type games, something like that from time-to-time is about as far as I go.

Currently have a 2002 vintage Compaq ~ AM37 / XP 2400 / 768 DDR / with AGP NVIDIA MX 440-SE, 40G, and DSL connection that does pretty much anything I want it to do. Never had a problem or failure (hw or sw) that I couldn’t resolve. So really, I am basically happy overall with what this PC does and how it does it.

My career was in IT Tech Support until I went to work for myself in 1996. In that job I supported HW and SW for others, so I pretty much know my way around the inside of a platform. Have upgraded CPU / DDR / and AGP in PC above myself.

Have wanted to build my own PC for years. With parts so inexpensive now seems like the time to do it. Will continue to have the above uses for PC, will stay with XP for as long as it is supported (no fan of Vista AT ALL) and until it becomes obsolete.

Just want to build a nice PC, one that I should never have to go into to upgrade if I pick the right parts now, one that will support Vista when we all are forced to go that way. Would rather get the right parts NOW, and build it in NOW than have or want to replace / upgrade later because I didn’t choose right parts in the first place.

I am definitely open to suggestions, but here is the list of parts I am planning to use at this point…


Case –

Cooler Master – I have access to one NIB with NO PS, I just like the looks of the case. I see the “toolless” design, but still plan to use screws anyway where possible.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...


Power Supply –

DEFINITELY need some help here, don’t even have a clue. See all kinds of choices, but most seem to have a bad review somewhere or another. Fairly sure that I would never need or want SLI / Crossfire. Just want a good stable PS that is rated for slightly more than I would ever need. My guess would be something in the 400W – 450W range, BRAND UNKNOWN at this point.

I kinda like the idea of that one (Ultra X-Connect) that has the “modular” leads, where you only use the leads you need to keep a case “cleaner” inside, but to me, that seems like too many places for a bad connection that could fry something…

Ultra? Antec? Cooler Master? Sparkle? Corsair? Thermaltake?

…ideas, anyone…

Motherboard –

ASUS M2NBP-VM CSM AM2 NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S Micro ATX AMD Motherboard – $76.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E1681...

Looks like it would do anything I would ever need to do either now or in future of this PC. Might even be a little overkill, but a mobo is NOT something I want to change later. Would rather get a little more than I need instead of wishing later that I had done one better than I did. To me seems like WELL worth more than $25.00 or so additional cost over choice #2.


CPU –

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Brisbane 2.7GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5200DOBOX-$109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I understand the Brisbane core CPU to run a little cooler, and 65W will draw less power, but STILL should do anything I need for it to do. Could also go one step or down. Just seems like a better choice than an X2 4000 for the $50 or so price difference, while I just don’t think I need the X2 6000 if it costs another $100.00.

Memory-

Obviously, will go with 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 PC2 6400

Don’t really know what brand yet, if any well-known name brand that offers a lifetime warranty is that much better than another ???


Internal Hard Drives-

Prefer Seagate, obviously want a SATA connection.

Will use one (maybe two) separate drive for all data, personal files, photo’s – 160 - 200GB, 7200 RPM, 8MB Cache. Still plan to partition, can only imagine running DEFRAG on a large capacity drive like 250G or more.

Also plan to use a 60G – 80G (< 100G), 7200 RPM, 8MB cache, for the OS and System files ONLY, and to boot from, obviously.

Having separate drives for System and data just makes sense to me as far as security, recovery, replacement, etc.
DVD Burner-

I already have a brand NIB HP 1040i DVD burner with LightScribe capability. It is IDE, but still might do fine, OR I can get a SATA drive if it is THAT much better.

For the LightScribe, I know better than to use the Nero software and instead, would download off the Lightscribe website, right?

Don’t even use LightScribe that much yet, just want the capability in case it ever gets really cool in the future, like offering colors or something…

What am I missing?

I need to choose a power supply, both brand and size…

I need to choose the DDR2, brand and size. At the current price of DDR2 will get plenty now. Probably 2G sticks, 2 at a time, 3 total = 6 (Mobo maxes out @ 8G).

I don’t know if I will need any more than the video card this is already in the mobo. Even that should be far better than what I have in my current pc…

I see comments about where someone added a fan to the inside of the case, or put one in the side air duct. Since I am not o/c’ing, running a 65W Brisbane, don’t know if this is really necessary or not.

Also understand it better to replace the CPU / HS fan now, as they have shortcomings, right?

WHAT ABOUT those HD fans that fit in an empty slot. If I am running multiple hard drives, my thinking is that it might be cheap insurance to add one at build time.

Anything else I am missing, or maybe need to adjust some?

THANKS, a LOT, for any suggestions or feedback offered!