Parts for a new rig

[padavoine]

Hi.

I'm planning to build my own PC.

This is my first build, so if anyone could take a look at the parts I'm planning to use and tell me if anything is wrong in terms of quality / intercompatibility / performance (I want good performance for recent games such as Crysis), it would be really helpful.

Tower: Gigabyte 3D Mars (w/o PSU)

Mobo: ASRock Penryn1600SLIX3-WiFi (w/NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI chipset)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Q6600

RAM: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT25664AA804: 4 GB (2 * 2 GB) PC6400 CL4 DDR2

GPU (muahaha): 2 * GeForce 8800GTS 512MB on PCI-e 2.0 SLI (Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 9600 is less powerful, the 9800GTX is the same with a higher clock speed, and the 9800GX2 is too expensive).

HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax 22 500 Go 7200 RPM 32 Mo SATA II

PSU: Corsair TX650W: 650W ATX 12V 2.2

I'm worried about PSU:
Is it good quality? Is it powerful enough? Does it have all the required cables, including for PCI expansion cards?

I have no idea about the Mobo, HDD, and tower. From the features I know I want and reviews I saw online they seem ok, but any advice is welcome.

One of the most noobish posts ever I guess ...

Thanks in advance for any answers.

Jonathan

 

[Onus]

That PSU should be sufficient, and is a quality brand.
Although I personally can't say I've had the same problems, I've stopped buying Maxtor disks based on overwhelming comments around here on problems with them. Preferences seem to run to Seagate, Western Digital, and sometimes Samsung. Seagate's Barracuda x.11 revision is out now, and supposedly performs quite well.
You'll need an optical drive for your build. Get a Retail (rather than OEM) package in order to get software with it; for example you'll need a decoder in order to watch movies.
Make sure you have good airflow in your case. Add fans if needed. You may want a better CPU cooler too, especially if you plan to overclock.
The Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro ($32) has been a good budget choice (I've used five of them in the last year or so), but lately people are saying the Xigmatek S1283 is better, for another $5.

 

[padavoine]

Thanks a lot. I don't plan on overclocking for the time being, do you think I should still buy additional fans (there are some included in the tower)?
I chose a new HDD following your advice: the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11: 500 Go 7200 RPM 32 Mo SATA II. Any other comments?

 

[Onus]

If the case has fans arranged in it to provide good airflow through it, then that should be sufficient. Have fun with your build.