New to Computer Building

Alright. I'll post new system config sometime.

New System Configuration. What ya think?

Case - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137

Hard Drive - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288

Power Supply - PC Power & Cooling S610EPS EPS12V 610W Continuous @ 40°C Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Video Card - EVGA 512-P3-N841-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130325

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029

Memory - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820145034

Motherboard - ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813131219

CD/DVD Burner - SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16827151154

Should I get

Intel Core 2 Duo E8200 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115038

instead of the E6750?
 
For that price, no you shouldn't. The E8200 will only provide about a 10% performance increase on average over the E6750. If you can find an E8400 or E8500 for that price then that's great, but it's expensive for an E8200.
 
On other forums, people suggest I should get a small hard drive. Do you have any in mind? I'm trying to look around for western digital or seagate mostly. They're top quality right?
 
A small HDD? Well, it all depends on your storage needs. 500GB is a great capacity at the moment and is enough for almost everyone. But if you don't need that much, then don't get that much. If you're talking about 3.5" drives and 2.5" drives then definitely get the 3.5". What's the point in getting a smaller laptop HDD for a desktop? WD and Seagate are reputable brands, but they're not the only ones. Samsung, Hitachi, and Maxtor all make good drives.
 
Should I buy a case where the power supply slot is on the bottom or top? I've heard mixed things about the placement of the power supply on the bottom. What do you guys think?
 
Should I buy a case where the power supply slot is on the bottom or top? I've heard mixed things about the placement of the power supply on the bottom. What do you guys think?

A lot of the Antec and Lian Li cases I know have the PSU mounted at the bottom. It's supposed to help general cooling and airflow but there is not really any evidence as to whether it makes much of a difference. So don't make it a big priority when choosing your case.
 
I guess my last question is. Am I making a good choice by getting the X38 over the P35? Again I plan not to re-build system for sometime. Hoping this will last for a while.
 
Well, unless you're going to be doing a multi-GPU setup (Crossfire) then I think the P35 is a better buy. The only other real advantage the X38 is going to bring you is PCI-E 2.0 support. But graphics cards won't use that for at least another year and PCI-E 2.0 graphics cards are backwards compatible with PCI-E 1.0a anyway (what the P35 has) I recommend this P35 board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059
 
One more question, lol. How is Vista on gaming compared to xp. And whats the better buy. 32 bit or 64 bit. I've heard vista makes you lag in games. And xp is more stable. What do you think. I'm hoping you've had both.
 
Wow, you certainly have a lot of questions! Vista does require more resources than XP, but you will have to make the switch at some point (Q4 2008 is supposed to be the cut off point). I am running Vista and I can't say I'd willingly go back to XP. The system you built is more than capable of running the new OS. SP1 is out now which pretty much corrects all of Vista's few flaws. Go for Home Premium which is the best balanced version. And for 32 bit vs 64 bit. The difference is that a 64 bit OS, unlike 32 bit, can see/address/use more than 3GB of memory. So logically, 64 bit is the best choice, but just make sure your periphials (printers etc...) have Vista 64 bit drivers. They most definitely will unless they're made by some obscure brand.
 
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