Help building a new computer

Brian888

[Note: This is also in the Help/Advice Forum; I'm not sure which one is the correct place for it.]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking about building a gaming computer from the ground up for the first time. After looking around here, this is what I've come up with so far. How does this look? Is it all compatible? Is it fairly high-end? Is there anything critical I missed? I really appreciate the help. Thanks in advance.

Case: Apevia X-Pleasure http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144128

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ES ST3500630NS 500 GB SATA OEM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148151

Motherboard: Asus P5B Deluxe/Wi Fi-AP LGA 775 Intel P965 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131028

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115003

Video: EVGA GE Force 8800 GTS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130071

Power: Raidmax RX-630A http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152026

RAM: CORSAIR Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145043

DVD Drive: LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM IDE DVD-ROM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106066

Monitor: BenQ FP202W Black 20.1" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 600:1 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014105


I already have a mouse, keyboard and speakers. Thanks again for the help!

BlueDestiny

Not to hijack this but I also have a quick computer building question: If I want to upgrade from a single core cpu to multi-core, do I need a new motherboard?

imbalanced

BlueDestiny wrote: »

Not to hijack this but I also have a quick computer building question: If I want to upgrade from a single core cpu to multi-core, do I need a new motherboard?

Depends, what kind of motherboard do you have, AMD or Intel. Also, what socket?

Brian888

Edited to fix the links.

BlueDestiny

AMD, pretty sure it's socket 939.

Marty81

OP: That RAM might not work in that Motherboard. I'm not sure how DDR2 800 vs DDR2 1066 works.

Other than that, looks good.

Inigo Montoya

I might suggest going for DDR2 800, if you felt like saving some money. I've seen deals on 2 X 1GB DDR2 800 kits for around $80~$90.

If you were to overclock the E6600 to say 3.6 GHz at a 9x multiplier that's only equivalent to a 400 MHz FSB = DDR2 800.

*Shrugs* At least that's how I understand the relationship goes; from what I've gathered the faster FSBs > 400 are usually needed for the lower multiplier CPUs, or those that are unlocked and that people might drop the multiplier and up the FSB to get some extra MHz or better stability.

I just read tech forums though, don't take my word without making sure yourself.


edit: I see you don't have an aftermarket CPU cooler there, so I'm assuming you're doing moderate to no overclocking; if that were the case the 1066 memory does seem like overkill. If you do plan on doing substantial OCing, I would invest in a CPU cooler to replace the retail Intel one. The Thermalright 120 and Tuniq Tower(roughly $50-$60) are the really high end - and heavy - air coolers, but I think there are some decent ones for less ($30-$40), Anandtech has a good comparison of CPU Fan coolers, you might check that out.

Deusfaux

case and PSU suck, and you need backup for that 500GB HDD. you cant get away with a single drive or you're fucked