I am very new to building computers and am interested in building a gaming computer to play MMO games such as WoW. I am looking to spend 1600-1700 CAD on the computer not including monitor/mouse/keyboard.
I dont really know where to start and what to look for in compenents. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. i was looking around at a site called memory express and put together somthing that i thought looked good. any suggestions?


Comments:

Product Name Qty Unit Price Price
Cooler Master - Cosmos 1000 Silent Full Tower
ILC: 870423006336 SKU: MX18544
1 $199.95 $199.95

ARCTIC SILVER - Arctic Silver 5 High Density Silver Thermal Compound, 3.5g
ILC: ARCTICSIL5-3.5G SKU: MX1577
1 $9.99 $9.99

Lg - Super Multi Security DVD Writer 20x DVD +/-RW Dual-Layer, Black (OEM)
ILC: GSA-H55N-BK SKU: MX18022
1 $29.95 $29.95

Microsoft - Windows Vista Home Basic x64 (64-bit) DVD w/ SP1, OEM, 1-Pack
ILC: 66G-02141 SKU: MX20441
1 $99.95 $99.95

ANTEC - TruePower Quattro 850W Power Supply
ILC: 761345278508 SKU: MX18433
1 $149.95 $149.95

Western Digital - 500GB Caviar SE16 7200rpm SATA II w/ 16MB Cache
ILC: WD5000AAKS SKU: MX18678
1 $89.95 $89.95

Zalman - CNPS9700 NT Ultra Quiet CPU Cooler for Socket 775, AM2 / 754 / 939 / 940
ILC: 823884000986 SKU: MX15680
1 $54.95 $54.95

Intel - Core™2 Quad Processor Q9300 2.50GHz w/ 6MB Cache
ILC: 735858199759 SKU: MX20527
1 $279.95 $279.95

eVGA - nForce 780i SLI w/ DualDDR2 1200, 7.1 Audio, Dual GB Lan, 1394, PCI-E 2.0, 3-Way SLI
ILC: 843368002930 SKU: MX19592
1 $259.95 $259.95

Corsair - 4GB XMS2-8500D Dominator TWIN2X Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 2GB) w/ Airflow Fan
ILC: 843591000970 SKU: MX20277
1 $164.95 $164.95

eVGA - e-GeForce 9800 GTX KO Edition 512MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out
ILC: 843368005368 SKU: MX20816
1 $309.95 $309.95

Looks quite nice.

My thoughts:
That case is quite expensive. Check the Antec P182 as an alternative quiet case.

I don't think you need ARCTIC SILVER if you are new to building computers.
The stock thermal paste you get with the Zalman or other coolers should be good enough.

If you don't plan to go SLI get a P35/P45 based board. Something like this :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299
780i has it's share of issues.

I also recommend getting a WD6400AAKS harddisk (if it's not too expensive) as it is quite a bit faster than the WD5000AAKS.

Make sure the DVD burner is a SATA model.

The PSU is a great pick but it's a bit overkill if you do not plan to go SLI.

Q9300 is a good pick. I would get a Q6600 if it is much cheaper as they are not really that different from a performance point of view.

The Zalman cooler is good but the XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 is better if you can get it. It should also be quite a bit cheaper.

Dominator RAM is expensive and you only need it if you plan to try massive overclocks (not at all for a Q6600, a Q9300 would profit from it but only on a P45 or X48 based board).

Graphics : HD 48x0 are due out very soon. I would wait until it is released and buy what's best value for money then.

Good luck.

Stay away from Nvidea boards if you can help it. They are junk. The PSU is overkill. No need to spend that much money for what you need for a gaming rig. Better to save money now so incase some new fangled peice of hardware comes out you can upgrade to it later on in the future. btw, that acrticl cooling MX-2 > arctic silver 5 ...it brings your temps down more, there is no curring / set up time for it, it's non conductive, and it has alot longer life span. That memory with the cooler was like way overkill.

Ok there ya go.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] OLERMASTER $192.66
COOLER MASTER COSMOS RC-1000-KSN1-GP Full Tower Case Retail

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] re=CORSAIR $109.99 After Mail In Rebate: $99.99
Corsair TX650W 650W ATX 12V 52A 24PIN ATX Power Supply Active PFC 120MM Fan

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] ture=Intel $319.99
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Quad Core Processor LGA775 2.50GHZ 1333FSB 6MB OEM No HSF

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] e=Xigmatek $35.49
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S754 S939 S940 W 120MM PWM Fan

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] cture=ASUS $149.99
ASUS P5Q Pro ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E16 Crossfire 3PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Sound GBLAN eSATA Motherboard

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] re=CORSAIR $129.99 After Mail In Rebate: $109.99
Corsair XMS2 DHX TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX 4GB DDR2 2X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 CL 5-5-5-18 240PIN Memory Kit

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] gital%20WD $95.89
Western Digital Caviar GP 500GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Cache 3.5IN Power Saving Hard Drive OEM

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] ure=Liteon $34.19
Liteon LH-20A1L DVD+RW 20X8X16 DVD-RW 20X6X16 DL 8X SATA Lightscribe Black DVD Writer OEM

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] cture=eVGA $279.99
EVGA E-GEFORCE 9800GTX Superclocked 700MHZ 512MB 2.2GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] =Microsoft $106.95
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] %20Cooling $7.95
Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Compound Paste NON-ELECTRICAL Conductive 4 Gram

Total
$1,463.08 CAD
$1,443.08 CAD w/mail in rebates

WIndows Basic? WHY

Basic is terrible and does not even allow you to use Aero. Stay away and get Home Prem.

+1 for posts on no SLI and waiting on ATI cards (released tomorrow)