*updated* Ok I went with the gigabyte board suggested by a couple of you. I upgraded the video card to the GTS (G92) 512 as suggested. After looking at it I like the fact that not only is it more powerful, but it has an extra cooler that blows the hot air out the back.

I really like the power supply, so I'm hoping to stick with it, even though it does seem a bit pricey for 520watts.

I'm going with the crucial ballistix 2gb as suggested here, with the possibility of more later if possible.

And I went ahead and decided on the Zalmann 9500A for a cpu cooler, and a couple of thermaltake smart case fans. I really don't want to skimp on the cooling, although I am working within a budget. As I said before, my current pc has 3 fans all running at full speed, and it is LOUD. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to get a better case, I have my eye on the Antec P182, but I know this will have to come a bit later.

So any thoughts on my updated build? I am extremely grateful for all the excellent advice I have gotten on here, I am extremely glad I came here for help first.
*/update*

Hi, I am putting together a gaming pc, or at least the best i can muster within my 900$ budget. I do not plan to overclock, at least not anytime soon, as I have no idea how to do so. I'll just be happy if I can get this thing going at all. I would definitely appreciate any thoughts on the components I have picked, I am looking for some expert opinions.

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail $89.99
Model #: GA-P35-DS3L
Item #: N82E16813128059
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813128059

EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $314.99
Model #: 512-P3-N841-AR
Item #: N82E16814130325
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6814130325

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail $124.99
Model #: CMPSU-520HX
Item #: N82E16817139001
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6817139001

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail $244.99
Model #: BX80570E8400
Item #: N82E16819115037
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6819115037

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail $64.99
Model #: BL2KIT12864AA804
Item #: N82E16820146565
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6820146565


ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail $48.99
Model #: 9500A
Item #: N82E16835118223
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6835118223


2 Thermaltake A1357 80mm Case Fan - Retail $15.98
Model #: SMART FAN II FSC
Item #: N82E16835999111
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6835999111

*updated total=$904.92*

Any thoughts or tips?
I also plan on getting some quiet fans, my current pc is a leaf blower
Thanks for taking the time to look this over and for any input you offer.

Looks ok to me but:

If you are planning on sli, you might need a stronger PSU later. SLI is not a very good deal unless you already have the top speed single vga card. It's better to e-bay the old vga card and get a faster one later. If you do not plan on SLI, there are cheaper mobo options.

I would get 4gb up front, it does not cost much more :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145184

Look for quiet fan reviews at www.silentpcreview.com

---good luck---

If you can wait another 2 weeks 2 things will happen, 1-you will hopefully saved a bit more money and 2-the prices will have gone down a bit. From the looks of it you may throw some money away with the build as it stands. If you plan to do SLI then you might want the CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX and a better mobo and you may want to go with a Radeon HD 3870 or 3870x2 and you should list what case you have so we can see how good it is with cooling and you may need a heatsink.

Before we can offer any legitimate help, we need to know if you will be doing SLI within say 6 months about. After that its probably better to sell your old card and get the new thing.

After we know this then we can 1) get you better parts and 2) save money

OK well, truth be told, I probably will not do SLI within the next 6 months. I wanted the option, but deep down I don't think I'll actually use it for a good while.
I think I'll look around for a non SLI mobo and see what I can come up with. I wish I could say what type of case I had, but I don't know for sure. It is an extremely generic beige case that I use on my current pc.

And if I plan on using XP, am I able to use 4gb or ram? I thought the limitation of XP was 2gb, hence why I went that route.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far

Yea XP has a 2gb +- limit.

If no SLI then get a nice P35 motherboard.
Good choices are Gigabyte P35-DS3L or DS3R (if you need more sata and raid)
Asus P5K-E (better than those^)
or the Abit IP35 Pro

Also, if you can, sport the extra $50 to get the G92 GTS 512. Its nicer than the GT because of the dual slot cooler = quieter and cooler

I also suggest to switch the Ram to Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 4-4-4-12

Question, the memory standard for the Gigabyte p35-DS3L is DDR2 1066. I added the ram you suggested, but if I got this board, should I change my RAM to DDR2 1066? will there be a performance increase? Is it mandatory? Just kind of curious about these things, I'm still learning.

In XP you will see about 3.3gb, not the full 4gb because some is taken out for video mapping. Still, that is still a nice increase. To see the full 4gb,, you need a 64 bit os, either vista or xp.

The gigabyte DS3L will support 1066 ram, but 800 or 566 is fine also. The difference in real(vs. synthetic benchmark) application throughput between the fastest and slowest ram is <5% If you are going for record overclocks, that is another matter.

I would second Silverion77's suggestion of the G92-gts-512 for the same reasons, it is also a bit faster.

If no SLI go with the P35, has everything you need.

Go with the DDR2 800, 1066 isn't worth it IMO
+1 on the Ballistix (If you plan on OC'ing, ~ 35 bucks more and will be future proofed for OC-ing the E8400)

I'd stay with the 8800GT if you are trying to shave pennies.

For the price of that PS you could look into something with a little higher power rating unless you want the Modular Cabling. Power Supplies are the one item that can be "future proofed" (SLI, OC-ing, Future Graphics with onboard SLI)

Might want to look into an upgraded cooler if you plan to OC the machine. The E8400 overclocks to 3.6 in about 5 seconds.

Really get the G92 GTS 512 that's probably the best single video card out there and worth the little more money (35-50) and yes go with Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 very reliable memory.

My suggestion is if you are within your budget get the Abit IP35 Pro if not get the Gigabyte P35-DS3L which is rock-solid.

If you don't plan to OC or a tad bit you may be okay with the stock cooler which is supposedly "not bad" but if you want the best for a budget get a ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro which comes with a fan and is well worth the little it sells for.

Decide make your changes to the original post including prices so when can take another look and see where you are.

Ok I went with the gigabyte board suggested by a couple of you. I upgraded the video card to the GTS (G92) 512 as suggested. After looking at it I like the fact that not only is it more powerful, but it has an extra cooler that blows the hot air out the back.

I really like the power supply, so I'm hoping to stick with it, even though it does seem a bit pricey for for 520watts.

I'm going with the crucial ballistix 2gb as suggested here, with the possibility of more later if possible.

And I went ahead and decided on the Zalmann 9500A for a cpu cooler, and a couple of thermaltake smart case fans. I really don't want to skimp on the cooling, although I am working within a budget. As I said before, my current pc has 3 fans all running at full speed, and it is LOUD. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to get a better case, I have my eye on the Antec P182, but I know this will have to come a bit later.

So any thoughts on my updated build? I am extremely grateful for all the excellent advice I have gotten on here, I am extremely glad I came here for help first.

Looks good. So you don't need an optical drive, hard drive or OS

Oops, I accidentally edited this out of my original message. Yes, I do infact already have the optical drives, a hard drive, and the OS.

Looks good born, I'm building mine as we speak with almost the same components and so far so good, easy installation etc.

Good luck!