First build, advice and input extremely welcom

[neil44]

Hi everybody, I am new to both the forum and building my own pc. I'm really looking forward to this experience, but thought I'd get some advice before spending my money.
I am a college student with a fairly low budget ($800), so keep that in my mind if you recommend any components. This rig will be mostly for gaming and watching movies, which is kind of tough with a budget.

Here's my build so far:

Case+PSU- Apevia X-DREAMER3 Mid Tower Case w/ 450W PSU ($60 after rebate)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5250569&CatId=1509

MOBO- Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H ($70)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp EdpNo=4936681&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE

PCU- AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition ($118)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103644&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-AMD-_-19103644

Video Card- EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Video Card ($180 after rebate)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4369730&CatId=3585

HDD- WD1001FALS Caviar Black Hard Drive - 1TB ($95)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4034139&CatId=139

*considering the WD 750Gb for $75 but I like the idea of having 1TB

Memory- Crucial 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (x2 for $96)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3322895&Sku=C19-6032

Optical Drive- Lite-On IHAS22406 Internal DVD Writer ($25)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5204603&pagenumber=4&RSort=4&csid=ITD&recordsPerPage=5&body=#ReviewStart

*This is OEM, so I'm not sure if I will need to purchase a cable

Monitor- 22" ViewSonic VA2223wm DVI 1080p Widescreen LCD Monitor w/Speakers ($145)
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=VA2223WM-PB-R&cat=MON

That should be it, since I already have a keyboard, mouse, and speakers and I will probably just be using the MOBO soundcard.

Total price- $790, which might come down after bargain shopping.
Trying to keep this below $800

 

[jsc]

The Apevia PSU's are generally about one step above junk. I'd seriously consider a better PSU even if it is a budget buster.

The motherboard should come with enough SATA cables for both of your drives.

My first two choices for DVD drives are Samsung, following very closely by LG.

I notice that you are getting a lot of parts from TigerDirect. One of the reasons that newegg is the vendor of choice for many of us is that their return policies are much better than TigerDirect's.

And last, take a look at this thread while you are waiting for your parts:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

The checklist at the beginning may keep you from making a lot of the common noobish mistakes.

 

[xurwin]

get this gpu! 5770 its more ADVANCE than gtx260 . a slight cheaper too.

and 500gb platters are more faster hdd than those 640gbs. HERE a decent hdd
just advice

 

[xurwin]

heres a much WAY BETTER BUILD

gpu:ati 5850 (maybe too overkill? naah it fits the budget )
ram:gskill PI 4gb cl6
mobo/case:giga 770ta/rosewill fb-01
psu/hdd:antec earthwatts 650watts/samsung f3 1tb
cpu:athlon rana 440

$742.93

 

[mosox]

GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 + AMD Phenom II X4 945
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.407750
A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211364
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181
LG Black 24X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177
HIS H577FM1GD Radeon HD 5770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161317
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119203
ASUS VH232H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079

$817.91

Edited to get closer to the budget

 

[neil44]

Thanks for the responses everybody! I particularly like your build mosox. And jsc, the link is/will be very helpful in avoiding mistakes. Thanks a bunch.