New Member, New Computer

[MSchmiess]

So I'm going to be doing my first build pretty soon here (once Vista comes out and prices drop on video cards (or so I hear)). You guys will be getting a lot more questions once I start buying/building. My plan is to shoot for around $1000. I plan on doing some gaming (HL2, CS: Source, maybe some others if I find good ones), but I'm also going to be using it for music/movies, regular stuff. Here's an idea of the parts I'm looking at right now:

Motherboard Manufacturer and Model: I need help finding a mobo. SLI would be nice, but it's not a must. I doubt I'll ever go SLI, but just in case. GA-965G-DS3
BIOS Revision Number (if known): What's that?
CPU/Speed: Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13GHz
RAM Manufacturer/Type/Module Size: 1GB Corsair XMS DDR2 PC800 single stick
CDRW/CDROM/DVD Manufacturer and Spec: Sony AW-Q170A-B2
Disk Drive(s): Manufacturer and Spec: Western Digital WD2500KS 250Gb 7200RPM
Video Card: Manufacturer and Type: eVGA GeForce 7600GT
Sound Card: Manufacturer and Model: Probably just go onboard
NIC Manufacturer/Model: ???
Power Supply Brand and Wattage: Cooler Master 550W
Operating System: Vista Basic

Price on that adds up to $880, w/o Vista.

This is nothing set in stone, just getting an idea for price range. If you have any suggestions for any of the parts, I'm all ears...err eyes I guess. Also, should I wait for Quad Cores, dual GPUs, PCI-E II, etc to come out for prices to drop even more? Thanks.

 

[Raffaz]

Maybe think of getting 2gb of RAM for vista

 

[Mattyl110792]

BIOS Revision Number (if known): What's that?

The BIOS ([size=-1]Basic Input/Output System) is the thing that you see when you press (usually) the Del key on bootup...it's usually a blue background screen with options allowing you to do numerous things, including overclocking (to make the pc run at a higher than tested speed)...the revision is just the version of the BIOS that it's running..

[/size] NIC Manufacturer/Model: ???

NIC ([size=-1]Network Interface Card) is like the Network connection for your home/office network or your broadband internet. Most motherboard these days have an NIC card onboard, so you shouldn't need to worry abut purchasing one.

[/size] Disk Drive(s): Manufacturer and Spec: Western Digital WD2500KS 250Gb 7200RPM

I would strongly suggest you get a SATAII harddrive (also known as Sata 3GB/s), it will be faster.

RAM Manufacturer/Type/Module Size: 1GB Corsair XMS DDR2 PC800 single stick

Why not go Dual Channel and get 2 sticks of 1Gb, or 2 sticks of 512 if you only want 1GB...
[size=-1]Matt
[/size]

 

[MSchmiess]

That helps a lot. Thanks. By the time it comes to actually buying these parts, stuff should be a little cheaper and I should have a lot more money so 2 gigs of RAM will probably happen.

 

[akshay313]

wow i have the exact same computer. except i got 2 gigs ram.

 

[MSchmiess]

How is it working out for you? Do you use it for games at all?

 

[akshay313]

works great. i play halo pc, warcraft 3, GRAW, FEAR, and many others. it can handle any games out today.

 

[Copperhead]

i would definitely agree with posts 2 and 3, thats what i woulda said

 

[Celegorm]

that corsair RAM is nice, i have the beefed up version in my comptuer. but like matty said, you'd be better off getting two sticks of RAM to equal what you want to utilize dual channel.

i'm not sure what your current price total is, but i think i found a board for ya. I've had a few in stock where i work and they have gone out like wild-fire. one customer came back and had us order another one. Linky: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131028 It supports sli, and your PC2-6400.

if you don't get that one, but happen to get a nice surplus of cash, i'd recomend the EVGA 680i. its expensive, but its extreamly customizeable, and is just a dream. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813188009 (this is the board i have in my rig. i love it. flashed to new bios right away and have had no problems what so ever. don't let the newegg reviews scare you.)

 

[lhuser]

Well, the first suggestion would be to add another GB of RAM. And for Vista, I'd look for Home Premium. In my opinion, it's the best OS you can get after Ultimate.