First time building from scratch and I want to make sure

[GesusGeorge]

I'm thinking about building my own computer for the first time and I was wondering if all my components are compatable and whether I'm making any poor choices. I went off of the sub-$1000 build, but made a few different choices here and there. I'm mostly going to use it for everyday uses (web, word, etc...), graphics programs, CAD, and a little bit of gaming - nothing extreme, just a little WOW, Starcraft, Diablo. I've got a copy of XP that I plan to load for my OS, but I've been thinking about putting Linux/Ubuntu on my old/current computer. Here's what I've come up with:

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=8893912

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 - $27.99

COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $64.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $84.99

PNY VCG88512GXEB-FLB GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - $110.99

SILVERSTONE ST400 400W ATX 12V 2.2 Power Supply - $47.99

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK - $44.99

MSI P7N SLI Platinum LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - $149.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400-$169.99

2 KGEAR D12SL-12 120mm Case Fan - $8.98

COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-L9U1-GP 92mm Hyper TX2 CPU Cooler - $23.99


Also, what is a good site for tips or step-by-step instructions on setting up, so I don't make as many mistakes?

Thanks for any help.

 

[dagger]

Get 4gb of ram instead of 2. Most new games plus background processes will end up overshooting the 2gb amount. CAD use a lot of ram.

Also consider q6600 instead of dual core. Multithreading is the future. New games take advantage of quad, so do cad programs.

 

[GesusGeorge]

Thanks, but I really want to stay with the e8400 for my CPU. What about my power situation? I figure that with my build having one 8800GT instead of the two that the articles build has that power shouldn't be an issue, but I don't know. If I'm not a hardcore gamer, but still want to play games occasionally, will just the one 8800GT be OK?

 

[dagger]

Single 8800gt is enough for casual gaming. See frame rates for each game:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=14
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=16
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=17
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=18
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=19

400w is bit of a stretch, but should be enough.

 

[GesusGeorge]

How many watts should I get if I want to be able to run 2 8800GT's in SLI in the future? Other than that everything is compatable?

 

[lunyone]

CPU/mobo combo - $275
e8400/Asus P5Q Pro p45 mobo combo, Look at 4th combo down on the list

GPU - $280 shipped!! One of the best you can get right now.
VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

Case - $80 shipped!!! One of the best you can get for the $!!
Cooler Master 690 without Power Supply

PSU - $93 - $20 MIR = $73!!! Has 2 x 6+2 pin (8 Pin) PCI-e power connectors!!
Corsair TX 650W ATX12V Power Supply

Memory - $79 - $20 MIR = $59!!! One of the better sets to get for 4 gb's total!!
CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

HD - $85 640gb model you selected!!
DVD Burner - $25

Total = $917 - $40 = $877!!! Now that leaves you room for any upgrade, if you want or room for a 64bit OS to take advantage of the 4gb's of DDR2. Or you can dump the the 64bit OS and use your XP copy and drop down to 2 gb's of DDR and save about $20-30 more!! You can decide, but for $877 that is a hard package to beat!!