PC Componets

[The_Spaceman]

Basically my PC is over 4 years old and I'm looking to get a new rig for gaming. I've done some research and I've come up with list of parts. I would appreciate any comments on the build. I am also unsure on how to shop for a power supply, I think I would need a 650 watt to power this, but I'm unsure.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131196

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289

EVGA 640-P2-N829-AR GeForce 8800GTS SSC 640MB 320-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130317

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R W/ 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106057

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009125

Case:

Powertek PT-eviltek-case100 Black W/Side Panel Window - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811713001

or

Thermaltake Armor+MX VH8000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133062

 

[Nogib]

Should be fine. Be forewarned that the stock heatsink that comes with the 8400 has the crappiest retention mechanism I've seen in years. It does a fine job keeping the proc cool, just the whole push-pin nonsense of it makes it feel insecure and cheap. Other than that I think both cases are ugly as sin, but that's just me.

Also bear in mind that in order to actually utilize all 4GB of that memory you'll have to run 64-bit version of Windows. Otherwise on standard 32-bit versions, it can only use up to 3GB of it and that's it.

 

[SOSTrooper]

Pick another video card. The one you picked out is very outdated (2 yrs old); it runs slower and more expensive than the current mid-range 8800GT 512MB cards. This Asus 8800GT 512MB is $130 after rebate with free shipping and will be faster than the 8800GTS you picked out.

I don't know what your budget is, but based on the parts you picked out, you've got some cash headroom for the power supply. This Corsair 650W will probably do you good.

 

[The_Spaceman]

[quote name='SOSTrooper']Pick another video card. The one you picked out is very outdated (2 yrs old); it runs slower and more expensive than the current mid-range 8800GT 512MB cards. This Asus 8800GT 512MB is $130 after rebate with free shipping and will be faster than the 8800GTS you picked out.[/quote]

Ok Based on the Specs of the Asus and this Gigabyte (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125088) they both have PCI-E 2.0 support, would it be wise to find a MoBo that supports PCI-E 2.0? Also it seems that the Gigabyte is a better card than the Asus.

Since Windows 32-bit will only see 3GB, I've decided to scale back to 2GB of RAM. I'm deciding between OCZ Platinum (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227178) and Crucial Ballistix (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148069). Based on each specs both seem to be comparable to each other. I'm leaning more toward OCZ at the moment.

Thanks for the input so far.

 

[SOSTrooper]

It's always good to get a motherboard that has PCI-Express 2.0 if you can fork out the extra dollars. Generally Gigabyte and Asus are probably on par as far as video card quality goes, but I do think brands like XFX and EVGA are likely more reputable than MSI, Asus, Gigabyte, PNY. Though it is all about your preference and experience. Personally I wouldn't mind spending the money on XFX cards. So get a brand you're comfortable with and within your price range.

Right now I would get the OCZ Platinum memory because there are many reports lately about random blue screens and errors while running the latest Crucial Ballistix memory. I have a pair of the new Ballistix Tracers on my other PC and every now and then I get random blue screens. So until they stop using low quality memory chips, I'd pick the OCZ.