Second Opinion Needed on First Time Build

[ronny77]

I posted this topic yesterday and was given two build options. (Thanks Why_Me) and I just wanted to get a second opinion if possible. I've posted the build options below. Particularly when focusing on the graphics card, which of the two builds would you recommend and what changes if any would you make? (I can go up to $800) Thanks.

ESTIMATED PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 Weeks

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Watching Videos, General Use
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard, Mouse, OS.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg although not required

PARTS PREFERENCES: None

OVERCLOCKING: Preferably Not

BUDGET: $800

First thanks in advance for any advice given. Basically I am looking to build a gaming rig that can run most games coming out this year at full specs without too much trouble Games I'm looking at are Borderlands, CODMW2, and Dragonage, and L4D2. I'm not really concerned about hitting max specs for crysis though. I will unfortunately need to purchase a monitor along with the parts so I am including that in my $800 budget (I might be able to to be a bit flexible though.)

Like I mentioned before, this is my first time building a PC so I really don't know where to start. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I should also mention that I can pick up a copy of 64-bit Windows XP for cheap from my school. Would this be recommended?

Build 1

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.245596 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $124.90 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Antec TruePower New TP-550 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P55M-D2 $299.98 | $284.98 - $15 off with P55 combo purchase w/ code OMGi5COMBO Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Socket 1156/ Intel P55/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-750 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.256275 Combo Discount: -$15.00 Combo Price: $219.98 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
SAPPHIRE 100279-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152181 $49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118030 $29.99 Free Shipping*
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM

Total: $709.84

Build 2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824236050 $169.99 ($149.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate Card)
ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 5000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.245591 -$15.00 Combo Price: $99.94 Free Shipping*
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Antec Basiq BP500U 500W Continuous Power ATX12V Version 2.01 Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-P55M-D2 Combo Price: $299.98 | $284.98 - $15 off with P55 combo purchase w/ code OMGi5COMBO Free Shipping
GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 Socket 1156/ Intel P55/ DDR3/ CrossFireX/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard
Intel Core i5 Processor i5-750 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1156 CPU, Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.256305 : -$15.00 Combo Price: $184.98 $10.00 Mail-In Rebate Price After Mail-In Rebate(s): $174.98 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL - Retail
MSI N250GTS-2D512-OCv2 GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152181 $49.99 Free Shipping*
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827118030 $29.99 Free Shipping*
Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM

Total: $664.98 *not including shipping and mail in rebates

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] %20x%20900

 

[evongugg]

Those are very good builds.
I see some parts missing: power supply, video card.
Maybe you already have these parts.

 

[gkay09]

^ The PSU and the video cards are present in the list...they are in the combos...

And @Ronny77 the 1st build is better than the 2nd for these reasons -
1. Faster graphics card.
2. Far better PSU.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

Your links are broken since you copied them from another post.

Using 64-bit Windows XP is a gamble. The software and driver support for it is pretty poor. I would highly suggest getting 64-bit Vista with a free upgrade to Windows 7 if at all possible. You can get the OS in a combo with your HD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.259577.22-152-181