Building my first PC on a budget!

[Conura]

Hi guys, been searching for an active computer forum for a while and came across this one. I was going to buy a prebuilt but have been recommended to build my own PC. I'm reasonably confident at this after reading a few guides and doing upgrades myself in the past, however I'm not entirely sure if everything I've chosen will work together. The child in me would be extremely disappointed if I bought this machine and couldn't use it right away!

Anyway, here are the parts.

Case/PSU:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141707 - I've read that it's better to spend a lot on a PSU, but I've checked some reviews and this case/psu combo seem like a good option? - Another thing, does this PSU have what is required to run my Sata HDD and DVD drive, or will I need to buy converters? It says it has Sata connectors and Molex connections but I'm not 100% sure what these are! Also, the graphics card seems to be quite large, should all the components etc fit in the case?

DVD Drive:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142274 - seems pretty standard, cheap and capable. comes with no Sata cable so I have bought one extra.

Ram:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/98710 - Cheap, seems fast enough according to spec for gaming, little low but should be okay when couples with windows XP I believe?

Motherboard:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128047 - I know it's not the best of brands, but I've heard some good things about MSI and a friends MSI motherboard has served him fine. Will this be alright for gaming?

CPU:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139971 - I've spent a little extra on the CPU as from what I've read it's pretty central to performance. Is this a good choice and compatible with the motherboard? From what I can tell it is, but I'm not 100%! (also, should it come with thermal paste?)

Cooling:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/97857
and
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149248 - Am I going over the top on these fans? The case apparently has a fan with it, so perhaps I should drop one? Also, will these fans work with my motherboard?

Sata cables:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/57657 X 2 - My DVD drive and HDD apparently do not come with Seta cables, will these, coupled with the PSU Sata power cables be everything I need to get these parts working?

Graphics card:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149065 - Read good things about the ATI 4850 but I've had problems with ATI cards in the past and Nvidia cards have never given me any problems. I know the 1485 will give a slightly higher FPS but have heard good things about this card. Only issue is the lack of VGA which is a problem commented on below!

Monitor:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/116840
Well I need a new monitor, as the new video card is DVI. Thing is, the monitor does not have a DVI cable, only VGA, which I believe is useless for use with the 9800? I've found this: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/31424 - Is this all I need to connect my graphics card and monitor to one another?

Hard disk drive:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/122660 - It's a tiny bit on the small side compared to most new drives, but I'm upgrading from an 80GB drive so space will be fine for me. It states this is OEM so I'm guessing it won't have any cables. Will the extra Sata cable suffice for making this work, along with the power supply cable?



Thats pretty much everything, I've left out a sound card at the moment as I'll probably just use a USB headset. Also I havent linked the keyboard and mouse as the are just generic cheap stuff keeping in line with my budget. How should this machine handle running modern games at an acceptable resolution on the monitor?

If I order everything on that list, will it all work together and do I need to buy anything else? For example cables to convert things. Does it look as though it comes with -everything- I need to just set it all up and use it right away? I already have a windows XP cd.

I'll probably purchase this today, but would really like some reassurance that I'm not lacking cables/parts!

Any help greatly appreciated and thanks for taking the time to help

 

[LukaszR1]

great choice of Processor. i have the E8400 running in my gaming rig and i am very happy with its performance.
Nice choice for video card, but a lot of people here will tell you to go with the ATI 4850, and i would too. much better card...if i didn't buy my 9800GTX then i would have gone with the ATI.

Otherwise it looks good!!!
as for cables/parts...look like you have everything there. Most of the cables for like the harddrive's and stuff will come with the motherboard. and ofcourse if you are missing something, i'm sure you can go down to your local computer store and pick them up.
Looks like a good build, good luck building it Mate!!!

Also you vga card will fit!...just don't put your harddrive in the same line of the vga...cause then it would come a little tight.

 

[worshipme]

Ram:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/98710 - Cheap, seems fast enough according to spec for gaming, little low but should be okay when couples with windows XP I believe?

2 gigs is enough for XP, you don't need anymore unless you upgrade to Vista 64 bit.

Motherboard:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128047 - I know it's not the best of brands, but I've heard some good things about MSI and a friends MSI motherboard has served him fine. Will this be alright for gaming?

MSI are actually a top brand. And that motherboard would be more than good enough for someone who isn't overclocking.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139971 - I've spent a little extra on the CPU as from what I've read it's pretty central to performance. Is this a good choice and compatible with the motherboard? From what I can tell it is, but I'm not 100%! (also, should it come with thermal paste?)

The E8400 is a great CPU, I have it's twin sister, the E3110. As you can see from my sig, they overclock really well!

Cooling:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/97857
and
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149248 - Am I going over the top on these fans? The case apparently has a fan with it, so perhaps I should drop one? Also, will these fans work with my motherboard?

The case should already have some pre mounted fans. But if you want to swap them out for some higher RPM models, you can. Just stick with 120mm though, no 80mms.

Sata cables:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/57657 X 2 - My DVD drive and HDD apparently do not come with Seta cables, will these, coupled with the PSU Sata power cables be everything I need to get these parts working?

The motherboard will come with all the SATA cables you need, no need to buy anything extra.

Graphics card:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149065 - Read good things about the ATI 4850 but I've had problems with ATI cards in the past and Nvidia cards have never given me any problems. I know the 1485 will give a slightly higher FPS but have heard good things about this card. Only issue is the lack of VGA which is a problem commented on below!

ATi's driver problems are a thing of the past. Their quality shot upwards a few years ago, and now they're probably better than Nvidia's. At least they don't bombard us with Beta releases. The HD 4850 is noticeably faster than the 8800GT/9800GT (same card), I know since I used to own an 8800GT. Palit are a great brand and their non reference 4850 has a better cooler.