First Build Ever

[UMSwimmer]

I'm new here and I have been going through the forums trying to find out what type of options I can have for a new build. I have never built a machine before, only put upgrades (memory, video, audio, etc) in existing machines. This will be my first foray into working with a new mobo or new processor. Being new to building, I figure I should hit you guys up for some advice.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I will be doing some gaming (Counterstrike mainly, but i play other FPS as well) and photoshop with this. And some minor video editing.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Would like to stay under $1000. Obviously, the lower the better without sacrificing too much in terms of performance. Would love to be under that with taxes and shipping included, but I do have a small amount of flexibility.
3) Where do you live? St Petersburg, FL
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
I need it all. Case, Mobo, CPU, RAM, HDD, PSU, Video card, DVD burners, would like an internal card reader, Operating system. Basically I need to go from nothing to a fully functional system.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I will not be reusing anything internal. I will be reusing my keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, and headset.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No.
7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?
I have a 20" LCD.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next month (i.e. January or early February), although I can hold off slightly if someone thinks that I can get a better deal later.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Not really sure. I would like eSATA for my external hard drive (right now it is on my case I have picked out). I would like to try Crossfire to raise the GPU performance, but I am not tied to it if there are good reasons to go another route. Good onboard audio would be nice.

Here is what I have right now picked out on Newegg. I will buy everything from newegg unless I can find a better deal in person at a box store in town.

PSU: Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply $89.99
DVD Burners: 2 x SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEM $25.99 each = $51.98
Card Reader: SABRENT CRW-UINB 68-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Card Reader w/ USB 2.0 Port supports SDHC/VISTA - Retail $13.99
Case: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $79.99
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TFORCE TA790GX A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $99.99
Graphics card: SAPPHIRE 100258-1GL Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $166.99
CPU: AMD Phenom 9850 BLACK EDITION 2.5GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HD985ZXAGHBOX - Retail $147.99
Ram: 2xOCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P10664GK - Retail $62.99 each = $125.98
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $119.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM $99.99

Total right now is $996.88 before taxes and shipping. Any thoughts or tips? Should I purchase cables for the HDD and the DVDs since they are OEM? Will all of these parts work together well or should I sub something out? Also, is there anything that I can get cheaper that will not sacrifice performance too much? Again, I am completely new at this, so any and all advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

Addendum 1: I also want to know how well Crossfire would work with this GPU and mobo combination. I think it would work, but I have never done it and have no idea on how it works. If you have any tips on that as well, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[engiNURD]

...

1. I would like eSATA for my external hard drive (right now it is on my case I have picked out).
2. I would like to try Crossfire to raise the GPU performance, but I am not tied to it if there are good reasons to go another route.
   ...
3. Should I purchase cables for the HDD and the DVDs since they are OEM?
4. Will all of these parts work together well or should I sub something out?
5. Also, is there anything that I can get cheaper that will not sacrifice performance too much?
6. I also want to know how well Crossfire would work with this GPU and mobo combination. I think it would work, but I have never done it and have no idea on how it works. If you have any tips on that as well, I would greatly appreciate it.

1. You can turn any internal SATA port into an eSATA port with a PCI SATA Bracket.
2. Crossfire isn't worth it unless you're gaming at 1920x1080 or higher. Though, even at that res, there are good single card options. Since you're only gaming at 16x12, don't bother with Crossfire.
3. Your motherboard should come with all the necessary cables.
4. They look fine, though I have little experience with Phenom setups.
5. You can wait for deals, especially on the PSU. Also check out any possible combos on newegg. Oh, ditch the RAM. Get the G.Skill 4GB DDR2-1000 kit for $45 instead.
6. Check out reviews for HD4850 1GB in Crossfire to help give you an idea of the performance you'll get. There's a bunch of review sites listed in the FAQ, and there's always gpureview.com for a ton of GPU info.

Why 2 DVD burners... of the same model?

 

[UMSwimmer]

You can turn any internal SATA port into an eSATA port with a PCI SATA Bracket.

Yeah, but since the case has one, I will just use it. I only need the one for now. I can always expand later if I want.

Crossfire isn't worth it unless you're gaming at 1920x1080 or higher. Though, even at that res, there are good single card options. Since you're only gaming at 16x12, don't bother with Crossfire.

Cool. Makes my job easier. Is there a better single card option in the price range I am at or is the 4850 the best bang for my buck?

You can wait for deals, especially on the PSU. Also check out any possible combos on newegg. Oh, ditch the RAM. Get the G.Skill 4GB DDR2-1000 kit for $45 instead.

No problem on the RAM. I wasn't sure if there was a better option out there, that is why I asked

Why 2 DVD burners... of the same model?

Basically, I like having two optical drives and I thought it was a pretty good buy for those two. They don't need to both be burners. I may just switch one out for a regular DVD drive.

Thanks for the help. If there are any more suggestions, please let me know. I will probably be buying this in the next couple of weeks.

 

[engiNURD]

The only reason I have two optical devices in my system is so I can burn/rip two discs at the same time. Other than that, I don't really see the point of having two. Burning from one disc to another still copies the data to the HDD first anyhow, so a single drive is all thats needed. Another reason I would have two is in case one drive didn't work with a certain disc, then I'd have another drive to use -- however, if both drives are the same, this may not work out too well. If you stick with two, get different models.

The G.Skills are a better option for the money.

Nope, the HD4850 is the best bang for buck... or the HD4870 512MB.