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[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Im thinking about building my own PC, and need some help as to where I should buy parts. Id also like input on whether or not the setup Im looking at currently is worthwile:

Motherboard and CPU:
Asus A8V Deluxe 939 Socket ATX Motherboard and AMD Athlon 64 3400+ processor

40 GB Western Digital Harddrive

512mb ddr ram x 2 (gonna get a friend to order one to get by the one per household rule)

Sound Card dont really care much for high quality sound, but is this all i need?

So essentially, what Im considering right now is: A motherboard and CPU, a hard drive, RAM, and a sound card. I still need to find a graphics card, and a case. What else? Do I need a cpu cooling fan and heatsink(obviously I need them, but is there some package I can buy that comes with them)? Can anyone recommend me a good case power supply combo? How much power would I be looking at if Im going for a mid-high end graphics card?
thanks in advance!

First time building a pc for me, so excuse the "noob" questions!

 

[Outlaw Pro Mod]

Be sure a power supply comes with the case.

I'd bump up the hard drive to 80 or more. If you check out some sites with rebates, you can get some 100+ gb drives dirt cheap.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

How much power do you think Id need?

Also, Im confused as to how I should pick out a cpu cooling fan and heatsink...
Can anyone recommend something for the CPU ive chosen?

Would this hard drive be ok?
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=423018&Sku=THD-2000JB P

 

[EviLore]

MUCH better hdd choice. The first one is tiny, 2mb cache and 5400 rpm...unnecessary bottleneck for your system.

 

[Gorey]

You stated that high quality sound isn't important to you, and that motherboard has on-board sound. Do you really need the soundblaster card? Perhaps you could put that off and use the 60 bucks elsewhere, at least for the time being. For instance, an extra 60 bucks into the case fund will pay off in the long run...

 

[Shadowmancer]

Heres a good CPU cooler http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Mer...reen=PROD&Product_Code=1567&Category_Code=5.6

Thermalright makes the best heatsinks on the market right now, hands down. You'll need a fan to go with it, preferably something with a heat sensor, something like this one http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=674639&CatId=806

That a powerful CPU, and u got lots of RAM. May I ask what u intend to do with this system?

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Alright, thx gorey. No sound card for me.

Im wondering, will my motherboard that Im going for be able to run a Raden x700 pro video card? It seems like a nice budget card, and Im interested in buying it. I just dont want to be stuck with compatibility issues. Can anyone look over the motherboard and my gfx card and see if they are compatible?
http://www.xpcgear.com/atipciex700pro.html

mother board:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=1024725&sku=A455-2110

What do I intend to do with this system? Play WoW, Half Life 2, and Battlefield 2 as well as do work. Im checking your recommendations right now shadowmancer. thnx. looks good.

 

[G4life98]

try these sites:
www.newegg.com
www.pricewatch.com
www.pricegrabber.com

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Ok guys, another question. I might be able to go for a Radeon X800 Pro graphics card, and Ive heard that you might be able to modifiy X800 pros to X800 XT speed if it has VIVO.

Would this card be able to do the mod?
http://www.bigfootcomputers.com/Mer...en=PROD&Product_Code=9621&Category_Code=950.1

Also, do you think its a good idea to go for this card? Or should I settle for something cheaper?

 

[Dkong]

Why would you buy a motherboard with an AGP-slot if you're going to upgrade the whole system anyway?
With an eye on the future, it would probably be better to buy a socket 939 motherboard which features a PCI-e slot for your graphics card, the X800 and the likes are available for that slot too.

 

[Dr.Guru of Peru]

Yeah, thats come to my attention recently. Im looking for a PCI-E slot mobo now. Also thinking about waiting until January for the X800XL.