Hey Everyone,

This is my first build in years and needing input. I am on a modest budget and
I am wanting to keep it under 1K. If I can get it for including 17-19 LCD
monitor, that would be great.

The computer is going to be used for mainly for gaming (COD4, BioShock, etc) and then some video editing. I will be running Windows XP for now.

The only parts that I would be upgrading in the next few years would be:
1.) add 2G more RAM when/if I go to Windows Vista
2.) add another HDD for data storage
3.) upgrade the video card
These are the roughly the only things I did on my last build and the computer has served
me well for 4 years.

Here is the parts list that I have gathered for my new system:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz (thinking maybe E6850)

ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP (thinking of going with ECS, been good to me so far, and cheaper)

XFX PVT84JYAJG GeForce 8600GT 512MB

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA-300

Pioneer 18X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model DVR-212DBK

APEVIA X-JUPITER-JR S-Type X-JPJST-BK

APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 ATX 500W Power Supply

Windows XP (not sure if Home or Pro. I can get thru work for 65 & 99)

I do not have any fans listed, because I am uncertain what to get at this time. I did the pricing thru NewEgg (https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=10461427&WishListTitle=game)

I will be using my old keyboard, mouse, and 17 CRT monitor for now. I will not be building the system for about a month or so, I heard that Intel may be dropping the prices in April. If they are not, then I may start in a few weeks after I move.

Thanks in advance for everyones input and if you have any questions, need more info, then feel free to ask.

One thing I forgot to mention, I am not interested in OC.

I would get an HD 3870 or 8800GT instead of the 8600GT. Also, a Corsair 550VX PSU would be better .

Ok, I'm posting this photo and as of now, people will be buying P5K-E left & right:

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409 [...] 646ij6.jpg

It uses the same PCB as the Deluxe, minus some fancy craps (see specs for details).

The stock cpu cooler is ok for a stock pc.

Agree with aevm on HD3870 which is about $180, thanks to 9600GT release. It's more or less the performance of 8800GT.

Asus did the same thing with P5N32-E SLI and the Striker Extreme, so why not...

The $75 case and $25 PSU (after rebate) ratio is wrong. The PSU is much more important than the case.
How about Silverstone ST50F 500w PSU $60 (after rebate) and CM Centurion RC534 case $50. Only $10 more over all and a much better PSU/case ratio. (And of course a much better PSU).

Same thing for your MB ($195) and video card $90. Compare the P35K-E and P5K DELUXE side by side .
Asus P35K-E $140 and Evga 9600GT $180 or Saphire HD 3870 $185 $35-$40 more for a major upgrade in GPU power.

Pick the E8400 over the E6850.
Hopefully you can still squeeze a 19" $180 or 20" $190 Widescreen LCD into your budget

Get one of these. A power supply can take all of your investment with it if it goes bad:

Top Tier PSU:

http://www.tomswiki.com/page/Tiere [...] ngs?t=anon

You can also save some money by getting this GA-P35-DS3L motherboard for $90:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059

Compared to the P5K Deluxe, it has fewer features (no second video card slot, no RAID, no FireWire, only 4 SATA devices allowed). Looking at your list and budget, I suspect these are all OK. This would save you $100 and you can use the savings to get a video card that totally humiliates the 8600GT.

-I don't know the Apevias and don't see the Apevia's listed here so wouldn't know how to rate them.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088

I stick to Thermaltake or Antec Case / PSU combos for a "mainstream" builds.

You have plenty of MoBo and vid card recommendations preceding so will skip those.

Those old WD's are very slow compared to today's drives. I'd try and squeeze a 500 GB 7200.11 into my budget.

Check RAM prices daily....also saw a Corsair CAS 4 a 2 x 1GB combo yesterday that was like $34 after rebate....74 - 40 rebate IIRC.

That DVD burner sure has gotten some poor user reviews.....consider this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135156

If you don't need LightScribe, this is a good burner too for $10 less:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] k=SH-S203B

I never have tried any burners with Lightscribe. I currently have a Pioneer 16x (8x DL). Can't remember the model number (maybe 111), my main computer is in storage where I am in the middle of moving.

The video card, I have been getting Nvidia lately because ATI started giving me problems. I do not plan on SLI or Crossfire, just a single card at this time.

Just mostly a stock machine that will last me for a few years.

I would recommend the 8800GT also. Newegg has a MSI 8800GT for $219 after rebate. You won't regret getting a little better video card if you plan to do any gaming.

I also have to suggest the P5K-E over the Deluxe and dump that PSU. The good one was at buy.com but that is either over or they are sold out.