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Help with Budget Gaming, 1st Time

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1 week - 1 month

BUDGET RANGE: 700-800$, preferably before rebates, but after if needed.

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Mid-Level Gaming (want to be able to at least run most games, and some games like WoW or Starcraft 2 at near Max settigns), School, other

PARTS NOT REQUIRED:
Have 22" LCD Moniter (linked below)
USB Keyboard
USB Mouse
Speakers
Might have a Case (if you could provide options on this, I'd appreciate it, this item can cause me to go over budget up to 850$)
OS not needed (As I have XP 64-bit, and plan on getting W7 64-bit asap)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg is preferred, but if prices are better elsewhere I'll buy there
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: Want to use an i5 processor. All else negotiable.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes, for future (Want to get one VC now, and have the option of getting a second later to up Graphic performance)

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Moniter is : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I built what I think might work, any edits to it are fine. I'm unsure about PSU, whether the Ram I selected would work at its top settings on the Mobo I have, and if the VC I picked is the best value, and really if the whole thing is "optimized" with the best I can get in each catorgory.

I've done some research, but I know the limits of what I know and I need help. I can assemble, or if I can't I have someone who could help me that knows what they're doing, so that isn't an issue.

Thank you so much for any help.

Inexperienced Build:
i5-750
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Thermaltake Toughpower XT W0229RU 750W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Sony Optiarc Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

With bundles, this one comes to just about 700$ after MiRebates.

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My only gripes with your rig would be the RAM, HDD, and PSU.

Replace your RAM with a 1600 bandwidth and lower timings. It will be faster than that 2000 bandwidth, which is overkill. You can always OC your RAM in the future.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Also your HDD is dated and slow. Your much better off with the Spinpoint F3 500GB for $54.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I would swap that PSU for an Antec or Corsair 750W. They advertise 750W but give you quite a bit more. Its not modular but it will handle your rig no problem for the same price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Other than that, Solid Rig!

What I did for my first build was YouTube as many PC build tutorials as I could before I knew everything I needed to know about building your basic rig. Right before and while building I watched the tutorials just to make sure and everything came out great!

Also buy a static strip for your wrist, just to be safe. Rosewill makes one for like $5

Thank you both for you suggestions and advice. I greatly appreciate it.

The HDD and Ram changes seem great and I've already made them in my personal list, but I have an additional question about the PSU. Currently the PSU listed here is comboed with a 30$ discount with the VC and brings the whole build down by about 20$ in total after rebates. Is the PSU you linked enough of a value to justify the increased price or will the one currently chosen suffice for my needs?
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The PSU is more of a personal choice. Many people on this forum are going to tell you "better buy a top name PSU like Antec and Corsair or your rig will explode" or "Corsair and Seasonic or the most effiecient, everything else sucks." There are plenty of people in the world that own Thermaltake and OCZ PSU's and have no problem.

I'm in the process of putting together my first build too. Very similar to yours. I bought most of my stuff from NewEgg. If you have access to Micro Center, get the processor there. Their prices are insanely low. They must be loosing money on them.

Here's one thing I've learned about buying from NewEgg...
If your item, doesn't work, you have to send it back to them at your cost. If you want a refund and what you bought is part of a package deal, you have to return the whole package. I received a bad PSU and will have to pay $12 to return it via UPS. I ended up buying a replacement PSU at Micro Center because PSU's have a very high failure rate compared to other components and they're heavy and hence are expensive to ship.

It's not so much that your comp will explode, it's just that you want your PSU to last a while, so you can use it through multiple builds--so you buy a higher end one. The same logic applies to the case as well. Besides, I've had my PSU blow up on my, and although no parts were damaged, it really sucked balls. I would go with the better quality one for only a slight increase in price, well worth the investment.
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