Building my first gaming rig! Any suggestions?

[anherox]

Hey everyone, I'm new here. I'm going to start my first build soon and want to know if what I've picked out is good for a gaming rig (want to play crysis on high). I'm really trying to keep this under $800.
Any suggestions?


Motherboard- EVGA nvidia nforce 750i FTW SLI



CPU- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400



Video Card- EVGA GeForce 9800GTX+




RAM- OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227210




Power supply- Ultra LS500 Lifetime Series 500W Power Supply

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3255392&CatId=1079




Case- RAIDMAX SMILODON Extreme




Hard drive- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, SATA-300

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2268595&CatId=2458




CD/DVD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106263

 

[bpogdowz]

the RAM probably won't be compatible just pick some PC 6400 instead

 

[dirtmountain]

Several changes to keep in budget, leave upgrade paths open for future improvement, more stable and less hassle prone build.

CPU - E8500 $190 - combo deal with motherboard knocks $25 off the price of this making it a free upgrade from the E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

Motherboard - P45 intel chipset not Nvidia, has crossfire at 8x/8x potential for future crossfire, better overclocking then the 750i, more stable than the 750i. Gigabyte EP45 UDP3 $117 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358

GPU - HD4850 $140 after rebate - better choice of graphic card and works with the mobo for crossfire.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770

Case - Antec 300 $60 and free shipping. Excellent cooling, can always add green fans if you like that color. Has combo deal for quality power supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770
green case fans not included in price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209012

PSU - Antec Earthwatts 650w - $55 after combo deal with case, free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

RAM - 2x2 GB DDR2 800 1.8v RAM - $50 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

DVD - SATA $24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106263

HD - Western Digital 640GB SATA - $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

Operating system - Vista Home Premium 64bit $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Should hit about $800 after rebates and shipping. At least it'll give you something to research.

 

[anherox]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I had been looking at the gigabyte board you showed me and was trying to decide between that and the P5Q-Pro. The main reason I was looking at that SLI board is because I heard such great reviews on the 9800GTX+. How much better is that gigabyte board over the P5Q-Pro? Also, I think I am going to hold off on the build until around christmas. I plan on getting a case as a gift, so I might just go with the smilodon.

I really want this to be able to perform really well with all the latest games (mainly crysis) lol. Would there be much difference between the HD4850 and the 9800GTX+?

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. I'm pretty good with computers, but I'm completely new to system building/PC gaming and really want to make sure I'm happy with what I get lol.

 

[huron]

+1 to Dirtmountain's suggestions.

I would go P45 and 4850/4870 if I had to build right now.

 

[funnyman06]

Your probably not going to SLI 2 9800GTX+'s so save your money on the SLI mobo and get the P45. Also id say for crysis on max your gonna need like a 280GTX or something super high end, go for High, the 4850 should be fine.

 

[anherox]

Alright, so I've been looking around at stuff and have decided to increase my budget from $800 to $1000. However, less than $1000 would be fantastic. Could anyone tell me if everything I have picked out looks alright? Here is my wishlist on newegg.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=13444987



It's just a tiny bit over my budget, but it is not that big of a deal. I could cut a little off the price if I settled for an HD 4850 and a different monitor. Would this be a good idea? I like the fact that that monitor supports 1080p.


With the i7's due out any time now, would I see any price drops in the Q6600 or any of the other current quads? I'm not going to consider a duo just because the quads are a little more "future proof", and I don't plan on updating for a while after I build. The case/PSU isn't listed on the wishlist because I am getting the Smilodon Extreme/powersupply combo for free.


Sorry if I don't sound very clear and don't offer many details right now, I'm kind of in a rush typing this. Let me know if I need to clear anything up. Thanks!