New computer - parts list review and critique

[pellaz]

First off, I want to say this sight and board is a wonderful resource. I've learned a lot in browsing it lately, and really appreciate all the time and effort the active members of the community seem to take to help out us random strangers trying to figure out a computer from a toaster.

In this build I've tried to take a few pieces of advice from some of Jamie's excellent posts. My budget that I've set for myself is in this general area - while it wouldn't be the end of the world if I needed to spend more, my miserly heart would be awfully reluctant to. Everything is from New Egg and (hopefully) linked. Any advice or help with the questions I have would be much appreciated.

The generalities: I'm looking to build a solid gaming rig that will let me confront at least the next year confidently - An eye to AoC in particular, but some toys like Crysis also. I'm currently running a Gateway GT5012 (pentD), and would like to see a significant step up in performance. A key factor is the ability to upgrade for a good long while though, without replacing 90% of the rig.

Mother Board: GIGABYTE GA-P35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813128048)
I think this has all I need. Not interested in SLI ever, and the reviews I've read on these forums haven't exactly made me die for it. I'm to understand that this will support all intel chipsets that are on the immediate horizon but not released yet.

Processor:Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115029)
Until I read the thoughts on this site and did a little more research myself, I was planning on an AMD 64x2 6400 - with that in mind, this seems like the correct chip for me.

PSU:CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817139001)
Basing this pretty much completely on a post of Jamie's - I don't quite understand how much amperage is needed vs what is given.

RAM:CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145034)

Video Card:EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130312)
I'm leaning to this over the 8800GT - it's more expensive, but with a 20 dollar mail in rebate and a free copy of Crysis (while supplies last? am I asking to get screwed on that?) which I'll surely purchase anyway, this comes out to only 20-30 dollars more. I think the upgrade is worth that?

Hard Drive:Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136073)
I have a 250GB Sata in my current machine that I plan on pulling over also - I haven't gotten around to reading much about RAID set-ups, but I don't think they're for me, I would just be doing so for the extra storage.

Optical Drive: LITE-ON LightScribe Black 20X DVD±R Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write Black IDE Model LH-20A1H-186 - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106045)
Pretty much only because LightScribe always sounded nifty to me. I'm also highly interested in getting a second cd/dvd reader only that is both fast and quiet.

Case: Undecided. I'd like something reasonably cool looking and affordable. This will be sitting to the right of my monitor. The green Raidmax Smilodon is high on my maybe list, although in a perfect world the case would be on the quiet side and have an easy way to adjust or toggle LEDs.

OS: XP Pro, just not quite ready for vista yet.

total: 1027.xx, before case and OS.

There we have it - I *think* that that's pretty much every last thing I need to complete building. One concern is will I get all the cables and wires I need? I'm pretty much out in the technological boonies where I am - running out to the shop to pick up a spare sata cable or the like isn't going to be a possibility. I need to make sure I have every last thing I need purchased online.

[The Wise Monkey]

I can't think of changing anything on that list - they are all great components. :D

You should be fine when it comes to cables as you are not going overboard with HDs and optical drives - your motherboard should come with a few SATA cables etc.

[RickyTick]

Are you referring to this Raidmax
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156062

If so, thats a pretty cool case, and reasonably priced. I personally don't like cases with a front door. You have to open and close the door a lot, and depending on your desk setup, there could be something in the way of the door. Also, and its no biggie, some case manufacturers have started putting the PSU on the bottom. I like it on the bottom, although I'm not quite sure why. :rolleyes:

Just something to think about.
I think that's a great setup.

[pellaz]

That case is rather high on my list also, although I was refering to this one. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078)

For me a door is a little annoying, but on the other hand, if it comes down to it, if I hate it completely, I reckon I could remove it. I'm pretty open to case suggestions though. A lot of people recommend the Antec 900 as the ultimate cooling case, but damn, that thing even LOOKS loud - plus, all the mesh may make for great cooling, but seems like it would be a nightmare with the cat we have :) It's also a little bit more than I'd like to pay for a case atm, and since I'm not planning on overclocking anything, I'm not anticipating cooling issues.

On the silent side of things, I've also been tossing around getting a few "silent" fans to replace the case fans - any thoughts on those?

I know I could get a foam padded case for noise reduction, but style does have to count for something, so I'd like to have a window. I'm not really concerned about being 100% silent, but definately don't want a noisy beast.

PSU on the bottom certainly makes sense from a thermo point of view, but it does concern me as a lot of reviews I've read through back cable length problems. A recurring nightmare I have is that I'll end up missing some part, part gets delayed somehow, and I miss the RMA window and wind up with a heap of slag. Paranoid? yup.

I forgot to mention that I'll also be wanting to get an internal USB hub card, but I figure that that's pretty impossible to screw up.

[Jamie Nixx]

Your running a high spec PC, so you should always anticipate cooling issues.

The Antec 900 is a superb case, its VERY silent, also, i have four cats and two dogs including a German Shepherd (they malt like crazy) and the mesh front doesn't pose a problem.

The HX520 cables will be fine, i have a HX in my own Antec 900 :D

Its a little more expensive then the Raidmax, but you will almost certainly notice the difference in quality, the 900 also looks really good, although the newegg pictures make it look like crap lol.

IF you can get the revision GTS for only $30 more than the GT, thats great, definately go with that however, if it turns out to be in excess of $50 more, DO NOT get one, they are NOT that much better.

[RickyTick]

Yeah, I agree w/Jamie. The 900 is awesome. Mine is virtually silent. When I'm gaming, the only thing I hear is the 8800GT crank up when the temp gets above 55 degrees.

And I had no cabling issues either.

[pellaz]

Hrm, I may well go with the Antec 900 then - I'm quite surprised to hear that it's fairly quiet :D

As for the graphics card, if I decided to go with a gt, would this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130318) EVGA card be my best option?

If I made those two changes, I'd come in at 1208.xx including xp pro, with 60 dollars in mail-ins, for a total of right around 1150 - that seems about right to me considering components here, but does that sound correct to you guys? Or should I be looking for better deals elsewhere/elsewhen?

[The Wise Monkey]

Thermaltake Tsunami ftw. :D

[RickyTick]

This card is $60 more, but comes with Crysis
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130312

Shop around a little. I bought 80% of my computer from zipzoomfly.

[Jamie Nixx]

The price is good, honestly if you tried to spec a computer like this from Dell or another company it would more than likely cost about $2000 upwards.

I would go with the GTS Rickytick suggested, its $60 more, but thats $20 extra for the card and $40 for the game, so its a good deal.

If the mesh front of the 900 worries you or the noise (not that it makes any) you could go for its big brother, the Antec P182, its on sale at newegg for $99.99.