First Build Gaming/Video Rig

[ajgators]

Hey all, I found this site through a friend and thought it would be nice to get some feedback. I Haven't played pc games or watched movies on a computer in a long time. I think 2 years to be exact. I've been doing a little bit of research and found some gear I'd like to use for my build but would also love some input on thoughts or suggestions about how it would perform. I don't know exactly how great of a rig I would need to run some of these newer pc games maxed out, but I do know a few games I intend on playing. Crysis I do know is very hardware demanding so I'd like to say I'm building my rig around that game. But I'd like to play Bioshock 1 & 2 whenever that releases, Crysis 1 and Warhead, and Left 4 Dead. I'll probably pick up other games also but I know those I'll end up getting for sure. My monitor supports 1280 x 1024 / 75 Hz max. Hopefully that helps a bit. But heres the rig I'm looking to build.

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 940 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103471

Mobo- GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387

RAM- Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146785
Not sure if I would need 8 gigs, at MOST I'd be running a game while burning a dvd and limewire is always open. I don't necessarily plan on doing that but if 4 gigs could tank that I'm straight.

HDD- Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3500320NS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148294

Video- EVGA 01G-P3-1280-TR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130492

Optical Drive- SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151176

Case- Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

PS- Antec EA-750 750W Continuous Power ATX12V version 2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371026

OS- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

I don't know if I need a better cooling heatsink, I don't plan on overclocking anything. This is my first build and I don't have much of an idea how to access bios or anything if I need to update to run my ram to run at its normal potential. But I'm sure I could google it and figure it out without ruining anything. I do have a friend that could help me put it together but I would like to do it myself. But how do you think that rig would handle games and videos? Thanks, Alan.

 

[Why_Me]

See about making these changes to your build. The gtx 280 is being phased out not to mention it's over kill for your resolution. The psu you have chosen is great of your running SLI or Crossfire, otherwise it's major over kill. These WD640's are fast, not to mention the combo deal with Windows. btw 4 gigs of RAM is plenty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143183 $234.99 Free Shipping*
BFG Tech BFGEGTX275896OCE GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Free Call of Duty: World at War w/ purchase, limited offer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004 $99.99 ($79.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
$10 off w/ promo code Maypsu10, ends 5/28

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 $8.99 Free Shipping*
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.186064 Combo Discount: -$20.00 Combo Price: $154.98
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

 

[stonebattle]

Your choices seem ok to me and will do a great job in the games you mentioned at the resolution of your monitor. Shop around and you may save a bit.