Vetting my first build

[limeydb7]

i'm yet another first time builder looking for some help making sure i'm not going about this all wrong. right now i'm looking to replace my older 15" powerbook with a fubar screen, with a cheaper PC. being a bit of a gamer, i'd like to be able to play new games at above average/higher settings, for at least a year or two. however, i'm also trying to build the computer with future expansion in mind.


COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz
SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V
Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-116DBK - OEM

a couple of questions:
i'm thinking of either going for the recently reduced price SAMSUNG 2243SWX or the cheaper Acer X223Wbd, but i'm curious as to whether or not my video card will have difficult time running at 1080p. i'm assuming that the samsung will have better visual fidelity regardless, but it be nice to use it in all its glory. also, if the video card is what's holding it back, would bumping it up to the SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 make that large of a difference?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The build looks pretty good. You've obviously done your homework.

I'd up the HD to the Black version for an extra $5.

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&Tpk=wd6401aals $74.99

I would also ditch the IDE DVD burner for a SATA model for the same price.

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152 $24.99

The 4850 is a nice GPU for your system, but the 4870 1GB would be a nice step up if you can squeeze it into the build.

You should also consider getting a 64-bit OS so you can use all 4GB of RAM.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488 $99.99

 

[limeydb7]

thanks. i meant to grab a Caviar Black and optical drive with SATA, but wasn't paying attention. thanks for spotting that.

OS isn't a problem as i have family that worked for MS for many years, and as a result they buy from the company store.

i guess the only concerns i have now are should i go for the radeon 4870, and is it worth going for a slighty higher wattage PS. i'm thinking down the road i might put a quad core in there and maybe crossfire, but that wouldn't be for at least a year or two.