I'm thinking of building my first system and I've come up with these specs and now I need your advice. Is everything compatible? Have I forgotten some major component? Any changes that you would make?

Processor-3.16GHZ Intel Core 2 duo $286.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3826349&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detai lspecs
Motherboard- EVGA SLI Motherboard $277.99
EVGA nforce 780i SLI Motherboard - A1 Version, NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI, Socket 775, ATX, Audio, PCI Express 2.0, Dual Gigabit LAN, SPDIF, USB 2.0, Firewire, Serial ATA, RAID 132-CK-NF78-A1 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
RAM- Corsair Dual Channel 4GB $46.99<O></O>
Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 2048MB) TWIN2X4096-6400C5 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
Hard drive- Seagate Baracuda 500GB w/ vista $229.99<O></O>
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB Hard Drive Bundle With Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit DSP OEM DVD in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
DVD Burner- Sony DVD Burner $44.99<O></O>
Sony DRU-V200SBR DVD Rewritable Drive SATA - 20x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+R DL, 12x DVD-R DL, 12x DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-ROM, 48x CD-R, 32x CD-RW, 48x CD-ROM, Black DRUV200SBR in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
Power Supply-Thermaltake 500W $63.99<O></O>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2932371&CatId=1079
Graphics Card- EVGA Geforce 8600 $77.99<O></O>
EVGA GeForce 8600 GT Video Card - 512MB DDR2, PCI Express, SLI Ready, DVI, VGA, HDTV, Video Card 512-P2-N756-TR in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
Cables- Thermaltake 18” SATA Cable (x2) $13.99<O></O>
Thermaltake XRound Cable 18" SATA UV Blue A2096 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
Thermal Gel- Masscool $6.99<O></O>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=480215&csid=_21

Thanks for taking the time to look this over, I really appreciate it.

 

i personaly would get this thermal gel
Cooler Master Thermal Compound HTK002U1 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca
also, you forgot a case, in your case(pun not intended) i would suggest any full tower case
and for the problem with the processor, i would probably get some kind of aftermarket heatsink such as
Noctua NH-U12P High Performance Cooler

but that is just my opinion

 

I was going to ask about a case. I have thought about saying heck with all this store bought all in one shtuff and putting one together that actually meets my needs and doesnt have all the fluff I do not need. Was wondering and please forgive me if I sound stupid but do they sell empty towers that you add your own components to?
How does one know how much this or that they will actually need? Are there actually people to sit down with you and discuss it who are not in it to benefit financially? (by you buying what they say you will need from them personally)
To OP I am sorry if I took over a bit but seems like this was a good place for answers and I would like to check out what you are buying for more understanding of what goes into building ones own computer.

 

Just a couple of thoughts, are you familiar with 64bit. If not you might want to do a little pondering before you make the jump. Programs, Apps. and drivers are not as widely available for 64bit as it is for 32bit. Some 32 bit programs will run ok however most of them will not without glitches.

As for the Vista (virus in a box)operating system, some like it, personally I wouldn't have it, been there done that. Went back to XP Pro.

Not bashing anything, just giving an honest opinion.
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hoosierbaby64, take someone with you that knows the in's and out's so you don't end up with more or even less than you need. You can also order the components online, but just have someone that knows about it to help you in choosing.

 

Hoosier, you can buy empty cases and everyother component you need to build a computer separtley, or you can buy what is called a "barebones" kit which is all of the components in a pre-selected package that you put together yourself (you save pretty decent $$ this way).

The best way to know which components/how much you need is to just read up on the industry and the requirements of programs. The best place to start is the recommended settings for vista and then looking at what you would use the computer for and go from there. As far as I know there isn't really anyone who will sit down with you and help you pick out parts besides someone who works in the store. The parts that I selected are for a high-mid range to low-upper end system if you want to take a look at them for ideas. You can also check out the forums on www.tomshardware.com for more info then you'll ever need.

exidenick, thanks for the advice, I have an old computer sitting around the house that I plan on cannibalizing the case from. Also the CPU comes with a fan, but I take it you recommend going a little higher end than what it comes with?
Sorry for the long post.

 

Yeah Vista is....alright.

I like it and I like some of the features but I would happily take XP pro if it made my laptop cheaper when I bought it. I think if you can save money by buying XP pro do it because XP is a good OS.

 

I like vista over XP. It's faster for one, and it seems to be pretty stable. ATI drivers have some issues with Vista so if you're going to run an ATI video card use XP pro. I also prefer AMD processors over INTEL. Better value, more bang for your buck.

 

I'd check out computer forums such as Ars Technica and bounce that list off the group.
I'd also avoid skimping on the case or power supply. Since MODEL is often more important than brand, look for reviews on Anandtech and Ars Technica before taking the plunge.

As for parts vendors, I've bought from Newegg for years and recommend them highly.

 

What do you use your computer for? I went a little on the high side performance wise on my build 2 months ago with an OEM AMD Phenom X4 9950 Quad Core. Most of my programs use all four cores as well. My CPU was $192 USD & the whole build was less than $600 USD.

While I like my quad, there is nothing wrong with an E8500. Have fun with your build.

 

Well, I took everybodys advice into consideration as well as a friend of mines, and I decided to make some changes to the build. Im now using vista 32 bit, an AMD Athlon X2, as well as more powerful powersupply and a Geforce 9500 and I decided to get a new case. All of this is now cheaper than the other config I had put together for about the same if not better specs. Here's the list
Motherboard/Processor-XFX nForce 750a w/ AMD Athlon X2 3.0GHZ $277.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4222215&CatId=2621
RAM- [B]Corsair Dual Channel 4GB $46.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3228139&CatId=3412
Hard drive- Seagate Baracuda 500GB w/ vista $229.99<o></o>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4303028&CatId=3778
DVD Burner- Sony DVD Burner $44.99<o></o>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3986421&CatId=1624
Power Supply-OCZ GameXStream $123.99<o></o>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2235424&csid=ITD&body=REVIEWS
Graphics Card- EVGA Geforce 9500 $70.99<o></o>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4035118&CatId=1826
Hard Drive Cables- Thermaltake 18” SATA Cable (x2) $13.99<o></o>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3516751&CatId=84
CPU Heatsink/Fan- Masscool Ball Bearing $34.99<o></o>
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1504105&CatId=2545
Case: Coolermaster Centurion 5 $69.99
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1028568&CatId=1842

 

You might consider holding off on the video card until you see how good the onboard Nivida video chip is on the MB. I bought the Gigabyte MA790GP-DS4H MB with the 790GX chipset & the intgeated ATI HD 3300 video chip. It will play 1080P Blu-ray without a stutter. If you are going to play Crisis, you will need high end video card/s.

 

If you only surf & email, (I watch streaming TV on mine) watch the Black Friday ads. Walmart had a $300 laptop already but only 10 per store. I think I paid $400 for mine 3 years ago. If you really want to build your own desktop (it really is easy to do), I'll find some good links that tell & show generally how to put one together.

Ex Hoosier from Cromwell, IN . Ok, so you can't find it, its in Noble county.

 

I'll be using this computer mostly for watching videos/converting video files to DVD format so that I can burn them, and listen to music (lots of music). And some light gaming but nothing insane like bioshock or crisis. Now that I look at it, the system will play the games I'd play with the onboard card. It looks like if I do decided some insane games it'll run them as well, just not at full settings.

 

How do you get software on this PC?? I thought all this new MS stuff was security-coded and only worked on one machine.. So you need to drop a few hundred dollars on a new microsoft OS too??

 

Yes I will need to buy a new OS, but I don't mind because I want to upgrade from XP and I found a deal where I can get the hard drive and Vista for a little more than the price of just the hard drive.

You can use a version of vista that you "had on your old PC" but the OS will reconize it. It will still work, but your computer will randomly shut itself down, as far as i know some features are also disabled.