First timer. Need some help, suggestions, answers.

[Thanty]

Well, the computer I use right now isn't good for gaming at all. Even on the lowest settings games get choppy, online play I end up being behind because of low performance. I mean I enter a game, the screen freezes, then I find myself dead. Also, I don't have much knowledge about computers. I look at specs, there are a lot of things I do not understand. Anyways, here is the situation for my computer, and I would like advice, tips, etc.

What I have already which I don't need to replace are pretty much everything not in the case. I have keyboard, mouse, printer, monitor(1920 x 1200), and speakers. My budget for my computer is $1,000 - $1,500. I went down the list on newegg and eventually ended up with this:

* Memory - 114.99
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069)

* Hard Drives - 109.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073)

* Video Cards - 309.99
E EVGA 512-P3-N806-A1 GeForce 8800GT SSC 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150254)

* CPUs / Processors - 279.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028)

* Computer Cases - 114.99
Antec Performance One P180B Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel for durability through the majority of chassis 1.0mm cold rolled steel around the 4 x HDD area ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129017)

* Motherboards - 229.99
EVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188013)

* Power Supplies - 129.99
Antec NeoPower 650 ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371011)

* CD / DVD Burners & Media - 29.99
Sony NEC Optiarc Silver 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache E-IDE / ATAPI DVD Burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827152077)

How are my parts? How do I know they are compatible? Is there anything which is obviously too weak it would create an bottleneck most of the time? What else do I need to get in order to have everything needed for a full functioning computer? What tools would I need to build it? I don't really know what is considered "good" or "weak," which limits my ability to make intelligent buying decision. Building a computer, though, will no doubt familiarize me with them. I hear certain high performance properties actually don't help at all in performance, and just cause bugs and problems.

[The Wise Monkey]

That is an excellent rig - everything is top quality. The only thing that I would suggest is to wait until the 29th because nVidia are releasing a new GFX card called the 8800GT, which is going to be about the same price as the GTS, but with better clock and memory speeds, as well as having 512MB of RAM, which you would probably need with your widescreen display.

Tools-wise, I really recommend buying Rob's book or checking out the website, as it is a very good guide to anyone building a computer for the first time.

If you still run into any problems, we are all here to help. :)

[Thanty]

That is good, because I will probably start buying about 3 weeks from now.

But importantly I would like to know what else I need, which is not included in the package I set up. I checked the tools, I am good with those. I just found I need an OS. Do I need any cooling devices? Anything else?

[The Wise Monkey]

You won't need an aftermarket CPU cooler unless you plan to overclock because the stock Intel fan is very good. Any other cooling is not really necessary.

[RickyTick]

You're going to need an Operating System.

There will be plenty of debate, but I have Vista 64 bit and it works great. A couple of compatibility issues at first, but nothing that couldn't be worked around.

[Thanty]

Okay, an OS is an important thing I need. I guess that adds another couple hundred bucks to it. Is there anything else I would need for it to work? I don't want any unwanted surprises. Also, how would I Know if I need Vista 64, or 32. What are the chances I will have compatibility issues.

[The Wise Monkey]

If you want a good Operating System for free, download Ubuntu 7.10. :)

I prefer XP over Vista, but it is your decision - my Vista experience was so bad that I decided to go back to XP, so I will probably be biased. :D

You may experience some problems with Vista 64 - check the manufacturers websites for you printer, or other devices, to see if they have Vista 64 bit drivers available. If they don't, then you may be better of with Vista 32 bit.

[Jamie Nixx]

Ubuntu is wicked, games wise though you need XP, Vista is too sketchy although i am starting to hear good things now, maybe i should install my copy :D

[Thanty]

Okay, I changed the video card as seen above. Supposedly the 8800GT is really nice in performance so I am glad I waited for it. Sadly it will probably be surpassed by another card soon enough. I also changed the case, the hard drive.

Thanks for the help people.