Advice on a First Builder

[JarekT]

This will be my first endeavor into a custom setup, although I'm generally familiar with it through my brother and the old system I bought off of him. I haven't been able to play new games for the last year or so on my current build (DFI nF4 Ultra-D, AMD 64 3000+, Radeon X850XT (shader model 2.0 ) I know...ancient. So basically I'm taking out the meat of it and keeping all the rest (monitor, hard drive, sound card etc etc.)

I'm going for a performance/dollar approach. I don't want to cheap out on anything, since the rig will primarily be used for gaming, but I'm not looking for a supercomputer here. This is what I've picked out so far, and I'm looking for some knowledgeable opinions. Feel free to make any suggestions on different hardware.

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P 168.99 CDN w/ free shipping on Newegg.ca
-I chose it because its a good price, and I've heard good things about Gigabyte's quality online and through my brother. The Crossfire support isn't needed for me at the time, but for an extra few dollars over the UD3R, is it not a bad idea to keep the option open?
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358&Tpk=GA-EP45-UD3P

CPU: Intel E8400 214.99 CDN on memoryexpress.com
-This is the most expensive processor I'm really willing to buy right now I think, and considering its legendary OC ability, is it my best bet?
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX19796(ME).aspx

Vid Card: MSI Radeon HD 4850 512-MB 193.99 CDN on Newegg.ca
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127401&Tpk=MIS radeon 4850
or
HIS ICEQ4 Turbo Radeon HD 4850 512-MB 212.40 CDN on Newegg.ca
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161244

-After reading lots of customer and professional reviews, it was a toss up between the 4850 and the 9800GTX+, as (I think) they were pretty close to performing the same. I ended up picking the 4850 because its a tad cheaper, has some companies that throw out some good extra cooling, and leaves the option of linking two of them together in crossfire. I'm not sure whether to pick the MSI or the HIS in this case, so does someone know if one has a better warranty/customer service or a little extra performance?

Memory: Now I'm not sure what to buy in this regard. Part of the reason I'm asking this is I know virtually nothing about memory (as I did with most of the other components) and don't want to spend the time wading through reviews and forum posts.
Just going on "What people bought" on newegg from my Mobo, I picked out:
G.Skill 2X2GB (4GB) DDR2 SDRAM 1066 (PC2 8500) 69.49 CDN on Newegg.ca
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
G.Skill 2X2GB (4GB) DDR2 SDRAM 800 (PC2 6400) 57.49 CDN AND free shipping on Newegg.ca
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166
G.Skill 2X2GB (4GB) DDR2 SDRAM 1100 (PC2 8800) 74.99 CDN on Newegg.ca
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231194

A note on overclocking: I've never done it before, but I'd like to try tweaking some of my hardware, especially considering the OC ability of the E8400. If I can get a free .6 GHz out of it (to 3.6 GHz) maximum, I'd be happy. The bottom line is, I'm not looking to go crazy with OCing, but to be able to squeeze out some extra performance without stressing my system, and not having to buy extra cooling, would be nice. Is that plausible?

So, what do you think? Altogether I'm looking at about a $700 total, and I really wouldn't like to go above that...Thank you.

 

[xthekidx]

Get this memory, its a super deal with the MIR
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184

What PSU do you have in your current setup? This is an important component and if its a cheap no-name PSU then I would highly recommend you get a new one for this build. It will be powering a more powerful system than it has been and the added stress may cause it to fail, which can be disastrous for your system. I recommend getting this one if your current one isn't a good one:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005&Tpk=corsair%20650tx

 

[JarekT]

Oh right. I forgot that the antec PSU we had died and we replaced it with a 400W cheap one. Is there anything thats possibly cheaper that would be ok, or is that what price range I should be aiming for a PSU these days? Also...how much wattage do you suggest...

 

[alvine]

for the 4850 i would go for cheapest, both have aftermarket heatsinks so you cant go wring with them

as for the memory if you will be doing high overcloking then go for ddr2 1066
thats what is holding my q6600 right now because im running 4gb ddr800 @1050 and get get it stable above that.

since those chips hit 4ghz i would go with ddr 1066 just for safety to have stable build

 

[drippyfausett]

You can take a look at this website to help determine a PSU. Choose one from tier 1 or 2 and you should be fine. http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

 

[xthekidx]

The PSU I linked would be good if you want to be able to xfire later. If you didn't need that option, then a 450w PSU would work, as long as it had at least 25A on the 12v rail.

 

[theAnimal]

I'm going for a performance/dollar approach.

Buy from ncix.com, no PST if outside BC. Check pricecanada.com and shopbot.ca for best prices and price match.