My first system build, need advice!

[vectorwolf]

So, I've decided it's time to get a new PC, and figured I'd learn how to do it myself this time around. I still have a ~5 year old Pentium 4 system I'm happy with, so I'm not really concerned about cutting-edge performance. I'm on a fairly tight budget, and trying to stay at about $500-600 if possible (less would be even better!). My biggest concern at this point is getting a nice, stable platform that I can potentially upgrade over the next couple of years (faster quad core, better video, etc...), and just saving as much as I can up-front so I'm able to get a working system as soon as possible.

At this point, I have my eye on a 775 socket board, reasonable dual-core, and a (hopefully) decent video card. The system will primarily be used for gaming. A few I play are: Supreme Commander, World of Warcraft, Soulstorm, among others. Again, I've been playing most of these on a fairly old system and have been content with their performance. I can wait to get around to the good parts down the road.

Anyways, before I settle on a build, I would like to make sure the parts I've so far selected are at the very least going to be compatible. Still not certain what aspects of a component I need to check to ensure they'll work properly both with a given Motherboard, and the rest of the system's parts. Any adjustments, tips, or recommendations would be appreciated!



Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard


CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115206
Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 Wolfdale 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7400


Video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719
SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card


RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161042
WINTEC AMPX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT8500C5-2048K


HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive


Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133069
Thermaltake Strike Mx VI6001BNS Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case


Disk Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149
LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15


Power: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply


Think I got all of the correct links in there...


Oh, one last note... The only Windows disk I have at the moment is a copy of XP 64-bit. Would it be too difficult to get the system running with that, or are drivers and such hard to find? Thanks in advance for any help!

**Descriptions Added**

 

[theAnimal]

Add product descriptions for your links.

 

[batuchka]

$595.89 before $30 rebates
$7.59 shipping

 

[aevm]

Geta HD 4830, it's the same price as the HD 3870 but has twice as many stream processors.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127394

 

[theAnimal]

Get a better PSU. Antec Earthwatts, Corsair or Seasonic. 400W+

 

[shortstuff_mt]

+1 to the 4830 and PSU upgrade comments. You should also look into getting 4GB of RAM, especially since you'll be using a 64-bit OS.

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731 $47.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008 $59.99 - $10 MIR + 10% promo code "Febsave20", ends 2/10

 

[lauxenburg]

Alright. You have a pretty good economic build going on there. Spending too much can sometimes be a waste as lots of sites and applications are not advanced to the point where your hardware is pointless.

So. I do have a few suggestions....

I would recommend going for a bit moreRAM. Your current RAM selection is very nice, I would just go for a little more for 64 bit, 4 GB maybe even 8 GB if you are going to be running any higher end programs. The video card should do the trick, however you can get HD4000 series now for not much more.

Again, I do not know exactly what you are planning to do with your PC, but you may want a slightly better hard drive. I do not mean necessarily more space, but some better specs on it. You could look at something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136320. That hard drive has 32 mb of cache vs. 6 mb of cache you had down. This will make running programs off a HDD a bit less laggy and so forth. If your crazy, you can try a 10,000 RPM or 15,000 RPM HDD (yours is 7,200), but those are mostly server hard drives or hard drives that will be running alot.

Regarding your case: you might want to get a case with slightly more ventilation and cooling, because if you are going to expand (more cores and what not). Try something not too much more expensive with some more fans and vents. Something like: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133069 . Big fan, nicer looking, even better brand. =)

Ok, have fun.

Lauxenburg

 

[vectorwolf]

Thanks all, keep the suggestions coming!

Kk, I can try to put some more RAM in the budget, no problem there. Also replaced the video card, and will check into the PSU. Any specific features I'll need to look for atm, or anything above 400w will work?

The HDD cache will create a noticable difference? Hadn't thought to look into that yet.

As for the case, I wasn't sure if the huge side fans worked as well as they look like they would, but I'd definitely be interested in getting one like that!

 

[theAnimal]

Thanks all, keep the suggestions coming!

Kk, I can try to put some more RAM in the budget, no problem there. Also replaced the video card, and will check into the PSU. Any specific features I'll need to look for atm, or anything above 400w will work?

The HDD cache will create a noticable difference? Hadn't thought to look into that yet.

As for the case, I wasn't sure if the huge side fans worked as well as they look like they would, but I'd definitely be interested in getting one like that!

400W or above is good, but not "anything". The PSU is the one place in your system you don't want to go too cheap. As another option, here is a case which includes a good quality PSU.

Get a WD 320 or 640 Caviar SE16, they're faster because they have higher density platters.

 

[gkay09]

Hw abt tis case wit 430W 80 PLUS powersupply...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129045 -$99.99

 

[Onus]

I've put a few +1s up there (to the usual suspects .

 

[lauxenburg]

Ok, right. Well for power supplies, if you haven't made your mind up yet, are really important. You should make sure they are properly rated, look at their amps and rails. As for wattage, without overclocking 400W should be more than enough. When overclocking anything in your computer, you need masses of power. An OC to 4.0 GHz on the CPU would mean you may need a power supply from 650 to 700W.

Good Luck.