Son's computer build Christmas gift

My son only wants a box of computer parts from Santa.He gave me a list but a local computer store recomm better parts so I am all mixed up with sockets,overclocking,GHz,... Please advise what I should exchange or purchase. This is what I have bought or plan: Case:Antec 902 Motherboard: on order ASUS P6T Processor:maybe Intel i7 920 or i7 860 PSU:XION Power Real 1000W ATX Int.HardDrive3)Seagate Barracuda PC Memory:?Corsair-not ordered ProcessorCooler:?Zalman?CoolrMastr Video Card?ASUS RAdeonHD5850?other Thermal Paste:Arctic Silver5 Tools:UltraULT31344 Tool Kit Monitor:?AcerH213Hbmid 21inLCD OS:Windows Vista Home Premium for system builder with Window7 coupon Potical Drive:Sony Nec Optiarc AD-7241S-OB 24xdualDVD /-RW SATA with LtScribe Mouse:HP Gaming Mouse VoodooDNA Keyboard:Saitek EclipseII Son's use:Big gamer, but also future college student Thanks from worried Mom!

Check out the "How to Ask for New Build Advice" thread. That's really hard to read, and we have no idea on the budget. We can do a lot if we know details, and if anything set in stone...

To start, if that's the motherboard for sure, you have to go with the i7-920. It's the only one that will work that's not $550. To be honest, for gaming, this isn't the best choice. The i5-750 is nearly $100 cheaper and performs better in games. If you chose the i5-750 (or i7-860), this is a good board to get: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P. It will last longer, and it's a lot cheaper.

He does NOT need a 1000W power supply. A 650W-750W one would be more tha big enough. Look for ones from Corsair, OCZ or Antec.

Seagate hard drives aren't the best choice right now. How much space does he need? Currently, the best ones are Samsung Spinpoint F3s (500 GB or 1 TB).

Corsair memory is always over priced, and usally not that much better. If you go the i5/i7-860 route, here's an excellent pair that's cheap, low voltage, and great performance: G.Skill Eco DDR3 133 mhz CAS Latency 7. If you go with the i7-920, here's a great set that's still cheap and high performance: G.Skill 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 CAS Latency 7.

Don't buy Vista. Windows 7 is out already.

For a CPU cooler, a good choice is the Coolermaster Hyper 212.

The video card, case, thermal paste and optical drive are all good.

You probably don't need the tool kit if he has some smaller screwdrivers...

Pretty much what MadAdmiral said is true.

However the Spinpoint F3 has been thrown around this forum alot recently and it is one of the best if not the best Hard drive out right now, but it is also out of stock in mmost places so a close contender would be a WD Caviar Black.

This is important to note because all of this will be given as a gift for Christmas.

Spinpoint F3 is available: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152185

May I ask why it's not the best 1 TB drive? I wanna buy 21 drives, what is the better drive then

Thanks.

Both F3s and 7200.12 are priced ~$85, 500 GB platters, same 32 MB cache.

But F3: Average Seek Time - 8.9ms and Average Latency - 4.17ms
7200.12: Average Seek Time - VALUE MISSING! and Average Latency - 4.16ms

Now which one should I choose

Thank you, now this component is closed...gonna buy F3 drives only

Could you please provide me a link?

@samson2836 - I didn't mean to hijack your thread, my apologies!

That doesn't say what size F3 that is (and that makes a big difference).

To note, I was not speaking of the 1TB WD, but rather the WD 640gb black which i own 2 of. Got them on sale during black friday for just under $40ea. I am very pleased with the performance of the drives and have not had any problems with them.
To the OP it seems that you have gotten some good build advice. Goodluck with your build.