First time PC building help, (have most parts)

[lim1017]

Here it is.. at least what i have so far. i am from CANADA so no newegg.. =( This will mostly for school and stuff, some casual gaming etc. would like to play sc2 or d3 when they come out. And yes i know no one knows the requirements for those games but w/e.

As always trying to keep price AS LOW AS CAN GO. my budget was originally about 800 but since i found a cheap video card let see if we can keep it under 700.


I need help with choosing a mother board... ive heard there can be compatibility issues and everything and i'm pretty scared as **** about choosing something that doesnt fit... i dont know much about mother boards, but im looking for one thats can be upgraded a bit. (eg 4 ram slots instead of 2 or something)

Processor: cant decided.. big difference in performance?
130$ Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Dual Core
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=29805&promoid=1014
180$ Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3574211&CatId=2398

Video card
70$ BFG GeForce 9600GT
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28662&promoid=1014

Ram
40$ 2GB DDR 2 OCZ 800 (this manufacturer any good?). or should i just go for 4gb for 80?
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=19337&vpn=OCZ2P800R22GK&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology

HDD
70$ 500 gb (might end up changing it for 250gb.. save 15$ lol)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3323621&CatId=8

DVD
25$ HP
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3901538&CatId=4


monitor, speakers, mouse keyboard i have.

i know i am also missing a power supply, fan and case and maybe something else as well? if someone could help me choose those it would be great as well. Ive heard from people that if i get a bad power supply i can meltdown my whole computer? how many Watts do i need?


Thanks in advance!

[RickyTick]

Take a look at the Antec Sonata III case with a 500watt power supply. Its an excellent choice and the price is very reasonable.

I like all your choices. You could probably find some ram thats a few dollars cheaper, but its ok.

If you need to save money, the E7200 should be more the adequate for basic computing, surfing, email, gaming, and such.

I would suggest the Asus P5Q motherboard.

[Damlite]

For a setup like yours as it stands, a 500W power supply is more than enough. Just make sure its a good quality one that is efficient, reliable and easy to manage. I'd suggest the Asus 9600GT graphics card to accompany the P5Q motherboard suggested

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30418&vpn=P5Q%20Pro&manufacture=ASUS
Link to the Asus P5Q Pro, which has a lot of combos up at the moment that you might be interested in, particularly to the Corsair 620HX power supply that this forum generally recommends. Everything will fit onto it, and has a lot of potential if you want to change your mind in future and go through a monster upgrade transformation. Its a great buy.