First Build, New System Build

This is my first build. My first computer was a compaq presario in 2000. I bought a top-of-the-line HP laptop in 2004. Now I'm looking to build a machine for gaming that I can use for the long term and upgrade as needed.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This Week
BUDGET RANGE: $900 After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, connecting to 50” HDTV for gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: CD/DVD Drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S.

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD

OVERCLOCKING: Yes
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe in future

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1600x1200 Monitor, or 50” HDTV

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: My old (2000) desktop with a 40 gig hard drive – It ran Windows ME, I upgraded to XP – Can I use the old hard drive on it as a springboard in a new system so I can get a Windows 7 Upgrade instead of having to buy the full package, and if so, will copying the old HD to the new also copy the OS without problem so I can get rid of my old 40 gig HD after I have installed the Windows 7 upgrade?

The game I will be playing is "Gears of War," which I have had for a year but not had a good system to play it on. Given this, my build may well exceed the gaming requirements, but I want to be able to have good resolution on my 50" HDTV for this and other games.

QUESTION: I noticed in some builds they suggest using 2 less expensive cards instead of one better card. Would I be better served using the 2x Gigabyte GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB (the same card that was used 4x in the $1250 build article)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Item #: N82E16811119137
-$15.00 Instant
$84.99
$69.99

Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136218
$69.99

GPU
HIS H489FP1G Radeon HD 4890 Turbo+ 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
Item #: N82E16814161298
-$10.00 Instant
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$199.99
$189.99

Power Supply
OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817341001
-$50.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$129.99
$79.99

Memory
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ
Item #: N82E16820231193
$89.99

Combo
Combo
• AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ965FBGIBOX - Retail
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
• ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813131402
-$35.00 Combo
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$315.98
$280.98

Subtotal: $780.93 Tax: $64.43
Shipping: $33.86
Grand Total: $879.22

Thanks shortstuff_mt! I have made all the changes you suggested. Regarding the Windows OEM, I didn't know what requirements I had to meet to buy the OEM version. The combo deals and Samsung drive are very helpful.

Any person building their own PC can use the OEM version of Windows. That's all I ever use. Good luck with the build!

Are they IDE or SATA? New motherboards only have a single IDE slot for a total of two devices. I prefer to spend the $30 on a new burner so I don't have a big IDE cable blocking airflow in my case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] esult=True

They are way before SATA - Thanks for the suggestion - I added the Lite-On iHAS424-98

Sorry, I mean the 4890 I spec'd?

No, I would not get two 9600GT's. Your motherboard doesn't support SLI anyway, so that's not even an option. The 4890 is a strong card.

Thanks overshocks for your help. I am very happy with my build now.