Need advice on building my first selfbuilt PC

[feriluce]

So I currently have a so-so laptop and a 6 year-old prefab desktop, and they're just not doing the job for me anymore so i've decided to upgrade to something with a bit more muscles.
I am however not very experienced with hardware and have never built my own pc before so i thought i'd ask here for advice.
Well, here goes:

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE:Haven't really decided yet, but most likely sometime this month. BUDGET RANGE: $1100-1300

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, watching movies, misc.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I dont need anything but the pc itself, although i'm not sure if a new monitor is needed. (Currently have a 19" lcd)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: As i'm from denmark i'll most likely be buying from Komplett.dk (Komplett.ie for english version)

PARTS PREFERENCES: No real prefenrences.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe

MONITOR RESOLUTION: My current monitor resolution is 1280x1024, but I wouldnt mind bumping that up with a newer monitor.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Nothing special is really needed, although led's are always fun


Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[batuchka]

Well why not get a rig as per your resolution/needs? For 1280 x 1024 multi GPU isn't needed and for smooth gaming you'd be looking at stuff like HD 4770/4850/GTS 250

 

[feriluce]

Well, I might upgrade my monitor at some point, since HD and widescreen is quite nice. Just not sure i have the cash for that right now though.

 

[drunknmunkys]

AMD Phenom™ II X3 720 Black Edition
Triple Core, 2,8Ghz, AM3, 95W, Boxed
Article number: 434415
Stock status: in order, expected 8 pieces on 2009-06-16
139.00

Zalman CNPS9300AT CPU Cooler
Socket 775\AM3\AM2+\AM2\754\ 940\939, PWM Control, Low-noise 92mm fan
Article number: 450248
Stock status: 5 pieces on stock
36.00

Acer 21.5" Wide V223HQ
1920x1080 (16:9 HD), 10000:1, 5ms, VGA
Article number: 425732
Stock status: 4 pieces on stock
149.00

Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 x2
PCI-Express 2.0, DVI, VGA, HDMI, HDCP, Lite-Retail
Article number: 439020
Stock status: 8 pieces on stock
198.00

Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4, Socket-AM2+/AM3
AMD 790X+SB750, DDR2, ATX, GbLAN, Firewire, 2xPCI-Ex(2.0)x16
Article number: 436615
Stock status: 11 pieces on stock
96.50

Western Digital Caviar® Black™ 640GB,Sata 3 Gb/s, 32MB Cache, 7200RPM
Article number: 391646
Stock status: 8 pieces on stock
72.00

Corsair TWIN2X PC8500 DDR2 4GB KIT CL5
Kit w/2x 2GB XMS2-8500 dimm's, CL5-5-5-15, 1066MHz, E.P.P
Article number: 366762
Stock status: 8 pieces on stock
60.00

Antec Three Hundred Black
140mm Fan (Without PSU)
Article number: 354717
Stock status: in order, expected 30 pieces on 2009-06-19
53.00

Corsair Powersupply 650W Black, ATX/EPS,120mm Fan, 8xSATA, SLI
Article number: 340676
Stock status: 31 pieces on stock
90.00

Total: 893.50 (euros)

There's something to get you going

 

[feriluce]

Very interesting, ty. Its something along the lines of what I've been looking at already. However, im just wondering. Is it worth it sticking with DDR2 instead of going for DDR3?

 

[drunknmunkys]

Asus M4A78T-E, Socket-AM3
AM3 mobo
130 euros

Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333MHz 4GB CL9
DDR3 ram
64 euros

You could probably get cheaper DDR2 ram than i listed, but if its worth at least 40 euros to you then go for it. You won't see any benefit now, but might in the future. DDR3 is nice to have but I don't think it's critical, and its not worth sacrificing other parts for. Seeing how we're at the upper end of your budget already, I chose to leave it out. (your budget was in dollars, not euros, right?)

 

[feriluce]

Yea, I'd like to be able to use it at least 2-3 years or more in the future, so maybe i should go for the DDR3.
And yes budget was in dollars.

Edit: Another question: Wouldnt a hd4890 be worth it over 2x 4850? From what i've heard they perform almost the same, and at about the same price. However, it seems like not all games are able to use the dual gpu, the 4890 is using DDR5, and at last you have the option to upgrade with another 4890 sometime in the future. I havent really been able to find many benchmarks for 2x 4850 though so i might be wrong.

 

[feriluce]

Another thing. If anyone know any good guides on building a pc, please do share as I have no experience with that.

Edit: Oh, sorry for double post :/

 

[drunknmunkys]

Yea, I'd like to be able to use it at least 2-3 years or more in the future, so maybe i should go for the DDR3.
And yes budget was in dollars.

Edit: Another question: Wouldnt a hd4890 be worth it over 2x 4850? From what i've heard they perform almost the same, and at about the same price. However, it seems like not all games are able to use the dual gpu, the 4890 is using DDR5, and at last you have the option to upgrade with another 4890 sometime in the future. I havent really been able to find many benchmarks for 2x 4850 though so i might be wrong.

2x 4850 will beat the the 4890 in many benchmarks for a similar price (or cheaper), but many people prefer single card GPU solutions because ATI drivers are *** and a lot of people have issues with vfire drivers. So, the 4850 is slightly better, but the 4890 is simpler (and as you've noticed, you can add a 2nd one in the future - however, if you don't add it within 6 months it will probably be outdated and you'll be better off upgrading to the nextgen gpu, see: dx11).

As for building the computer, it's like legos. Make sure you don't put too much thermal paste on your CPU (read a few articles, its not hard). Read the mobo manuel and it'll tell you how to plug everything in. The only tool you need is a screwdriver. If you're really worried, I'm sure there are some videos on youtube you can watch although I don't have specific links.

Most important thing to watch out for is static electricity. Just take your time and have fun. Don't hesitate to reread the manual or look something up if you're unsure.