I'm doing my fist build ever in the near future and would like it if you could take a look at what I plan on getting so I don't totally screw this up. I going to use XP for now just because im used to it but if anyone thinks I should go for Vista just tell me.

Processor: E8400 3.0 GHz

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

Graphics Card: EVGA 8800GT 512mb

RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel

Power Supply: SILVERSTONE SST-ST56F ATX 12V 2.01 & EPS 12V 560W Power Supply 90V ~ 264V (Auto Range)

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Monitor: Acer X193W+BD Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2000:1 (ACM)

If there is something seriously wrong please help me. I was going to go for a 22" before realizing my current monitor is only 15" and thought that kind of jump in size would be difficult to adjust to. I going to use onboard sound for now and I'll get a crappy mouse/keyboard compo for like ten bucks.

I'm on a tight budget so I really don't want to spend over $1200 including a monitor. I almost forgot, I'll be using this for mainly gaming along with a few image editing/graphic design apps.

All comments and criticism is appreciated.

Looks good. I think Samsung makes a better monitor than Acer, the 940B is good, have 2 of them. As for adjusting to a larger monitor, it's like adjusting to a faster car, doesn't take long, a day or so. If you're not overclocking, A DATA makes good RAM and will save a bit.

Thanks for the help! I changed the RAM to some A-DATA DDR2 800 for only $43 on newegg. I'm going to stick with the Acer for now just because of the high contrast ratio and higher native res. but I'll keep my eye out for a good Samsung. Luckily changing the monitor won't really effect my other components.

Looks like a pretty good system. The case however is on the low end compared to the rest of the components.

DVDRW? Or did you just not bother to list the pedestrian components?

Good system. Consider the Abit IP 35 Pro. Mines been great.

I agree that Samsung makes some of the best monitor around also take a look at BENQ they are also very good as well as affordable, If you are going to do gaming try and find a 2ms response time 22" or 19" depends on budget of course. It doesn't take long to get used and you won't be disappointed at all!

You have made some good choices can't relly fault them, not bad.

Greetz South Africa

I didn't bother to mention the DVDRW just because I don't really need help with that, it should work no matter what I do to change my current setup.

I found a really good looking Samsung, the 206BW, it's a little pricy but I should be able to afford it.

As to the case, it was the cheapest aluminum case I could find and I felt that it was one component I could skimp out on a little. I'll look around some more for a beeter case but otherwise I can live with a cheap case for a while.

Cool Master makes good cases and that has the advantage of having the hdds face out, really convenient for switching hdd but it certainly is a Liam aluminum case but also doesn't cost over a $100. The thing with cases is that it is likely the most long lasting part in that it can be used for any number of future builds, it's really your longest term investment. That being said, I wouldn't downgrade a CPU or mobo for a case. I have a Antec Sonata and 2 Sonata IIs that I'm "unfortunately" very happy with, i.e., have no reason to replace. The only feature they don't have that I will get on my next one is the ports on top. Have the cases on the floor, actually they're sitting on low stands, and to plug in a flash drive I have to kneel down, makes like so trying. Have Samsung, Lite-On, and LG DVDs and really like the Samsung, it's the quietest and easiest to upgrade the firmware. I'd also suggest a Floppy. They're $7 and if you ever need one for the BIOS or to check a hdd, they're invaluable, although many will disagree.

The DVDRW I picked happens to be a Samsung! I also planned to get a floppy, $7 could save alot of fustration with BIOS and such.

I didn't really think about how long the case would last over other components. I'll look for a higher quality case, antec seems to make good cases.

Thanks for all the help!

Antecs makes good cases. The Sonata III is a nice case and comes with a good PSU, which means you save by not having to buy one, and frequently on sale

The Sonata III looks good but will the 500W PSU run everything good? If so it's perfect. Thanks for the suggestions and help.

It'll handle your system. Just saw this special on newegg, don't know how long the discount code is. Also looks like a nice case but you can't go wrong with the Sonata. Just don't want to make your life too easy
http://promotions.newegg.com/NEema [...] -Moredeals

Yes. It's also a very good PSU, with 80%+ efficiency.

Thanks for all the help, I really do appreciate it. It is great to be able to get other's opinions, especially if Its about something as exspensive as a computer.

All thats left to do is whip out the credit card buy the stuff. Its a shame that tax season is coming up so soon!