New build advice please

^ For what will the build be used for ? And when have you planned to purchase the PC ??

Gaming mostly. Playing games like WoW, Heroes of Newerth, and StarCraft II. I am trying to make the purchase by the end of this month if possible.

^ If gaming is the priority here, then there are many things to be improved on that build,...
From where will you be buying parts ? Monitor resolution ? Need OS ??

I already have a windows 7 os ready. id be buying the parts from magic micro. and i cant remember exactly what my monitor resolution is, nothing crazy good. probably a 720p

^ Any specific reason to buy from there ? Buying it as pre-built or you will be assembling the parts ?

was looking to customize it n buy it pre-built but is assembling the parts myself the better way to go? id have to do some research on that

also what do you recommend for the MHz on the 4GB DDR3? 1600, 1333, or 1066?

^ If you are fine with assembling the PC yourselves, then it would be the better and the cheaper way to go,...
Or you could compare the prices and if the difference is minimal, then you can get it assembled where you want to, but make sure you get full warranty on the parts that go into it and not just a standard 1 year warranty...

^^ RAM - If not high overclocking, then the 1333MHz is fine, else the 1600MHz,...

ok i will look into the pre-assembly vs the individual parts here in a min. but so far the new spec are:

CPU - AMD Phenom II x4 955

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3

RAM - 4GB DDR3 1333 - i dont think ill be overclocking this comp.

CASE - can i change this out for an APEVIA X-Plorer?

PSU - Antec Basiq 500w

HDD - is it a bad idea if i get a 500GB from western digital? or is the Samsung F3 series the best choice?

Graphics card - ATI Radeon HD 6850

also what about a cpu fan?

^ CASE - you can, but in terms of quality and airflow, I doubt it would be better though,...
Why not check out the NZXT M59 ? It has side-window, with 1 or 2 more fans, would be very good...

PSU - Dont get the Basiq, wither the ECO or TP or EA series are the ones that are 80+ Certified and hence better...

CPU Fan- If not overclocking, then the stock cooler would suffice

HDD - Samsung F3 would be faster,...

would this be an acceptable brand for the RAM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

for the psu i was told 600 and this was recommended:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

for the psu u recommended is this the model you are referring to?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

for the case what about a coolmaster elite 310? honestly id like the case to be something aesthetically pleasing if possible

^ That is a very good RAM,... But even this would do the job if no overclocking,...
Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PSU - I like the Antec ECO better than that Corsair - Same 40A @ the 12V rails, 3 years warranty compared to the 2 from Corsair, and not to forget it is cheaper...

CASE - Yes the Elite is fine, but it doesnt have as good airflow,... This would be very good
NZXT Gamma
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

I have done a bit of editing on my build, let me know what you think.

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(is 1TB too much?)

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(i saw you recommended mushkin enhanced essentials. would it still be better in this case?)

CASE - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
(i was told this case has pretty good air flow?)

PSU - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Graphics card - ASUS EAH6850 DirectCU/2DIS/1GD5 Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

one last concern is how do i know if all of these parts are compatible?

^ Nice,
RAM - That is a very good one, but this would be better for the same price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Or this as good for less
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CASE - It is a very good one, so stick with it

HDD - Too much ? I doubt  

GPU - Get this Gigabyte - Overclocked, cheaper and would be better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

re-edited build

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CASE - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PSU - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Graphics card - GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

the price of the final build on newegg came out to $732.56 so i could drop almost another $100 into the machine. any suggestions?

^ As you are probably going with a single card, why not get the HD 6870 ?? i.e., if you will probably upgrade your monitor anytime soon,...
Or maybe a SSD ??
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

awesome. i just upgraded for the 6870. one last thing, is it ok if i throw these two on the pc?

wireless
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

LG Black 22X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

other than that youd say my comp. is as good as the budget allows?

^ You have any plans to upgrade your monitor anytime soon ??
If Yes, then only go with 6870, else that money is well spent on a SSD IMO,...

And better DVD and Wireless
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

i went back to the 6850 cuz i dont plan on getting a new monitor any time soon and changed my wireless and dvd drive to the better ones that you suggested. but im not too familiar with ssd's, whats the benefit?

^ SSDs would significantly reduce the boot and app load times, also the apps installed on the SSDs would be snappier,...

i decided to pocket the left over money n save it for something else. last questions,since this mobo has an onboard graphics card, will it interfere with the graphics cards i have chosen? and is this psu definitely powerful enough?

Final Build:

HDD - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBRM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CASE - Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

PSU - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Graphics card - GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series GV-R685OC-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

OP Drive - ASUS 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 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Network Card - TP-LINK TL-WN781ND IEEE 802.11b/g/n PCI Express Wireless Adapter Up to 150Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, WPA, WPA2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Price is $709.91 which fits perfectly into my budget. Thank you for all your help. I greatly appreciate it!

Go For an ASROCK mobo Its value for money

^^ The onboard would not give any trouble as it would automatically be disabled if a graphic card is populated on the PCIe slot,...
If you are still skeptical, then get the 870 boards sans onboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ASRock boards do offer very good value for money, but has 1 major trade-off - Warranty,... They offer only 1 year warranty
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Is the only difference that one has an on board video card and the other doesnt?

GIGABYTE GA-870A-UD3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

^ Well in terms of features ya there is not much difference except that the 870 is a standard ATX board, has more PCI slots and no onboard video...

ok i decided on the 870 mobo and upgraded my RAM to the ripjaw (2x2GB) 1600 MHz:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
I think it is now completely finished. thanks so much!

RAM - This is as good -
Though 1333MHz, but has tighter timings hence as good,...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

ok i switched it out. might be a dumb question but does ordering one quantity of that item give me the two 2GB RAM or do i have to order 2 quantities of that item?

^ It is a 2x 2GB kit - means 2 RAM stick of 2GB each,...

ok thanks. thats what i thought. when i added it to my cart for some reason it counted 2 purchases. well im goin to go buy the parts now. thanks for everything

^ Good Luck,...
Some articles which might help
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274745-31-step-step-g...
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-perform-ste...

^ When have you planned to purchase the parts ? Do check for combos,...

thanks for the links. im trying to purchase the parts by friday so they will arrive before christmas. good call with the combos too, found a combo that already saved me $30. theres one other combo for the HDD and PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

This combo costs the same amount as the HDD and PSU I already have in my shopping cart, but is this a better value?

heres the psu i have now:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

CPU + Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

Might want to check this combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

awesome. got it.

^ Adding a front intake fan would be a good idea...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Get this video card -
SAPPHIRE 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB
$15 off with promo code HARDOCP1215A, ends 12/22
With $15 in rebates too,...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

nice. i switched out my card for that one. the only problem now is that the HDD i was planning on getting sold out...
is this a good replacement?

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Were you planning for the F3 ? It is available
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

yea i was. i checked it this morning and they said it was sold out. but thats good news that its back in stock now

do they restock items on a daily basis? because it shows the hdd being out of stock again... what if i got this drive instead? same thing just a Seagate Barracuda

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

^ I like the F3 better,... How about from amazon? Same price...
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Spinpoint-Cache-Desktop-H...

Best answer selected by voldemort7.