My First Build

[fred506]

I am going to build my first computer and these are the parts I pick out so far. I am in college and I want a good computer that is good for multitasking as well as decent for gaming and most importantly is around $1000. I hope to have this computer for 2-3yrs as cash is a little tight because of school so I also want to have a good upgrade path.

Already Purchased
Case:Antec LifeStyle SONATA II Piano Black Computer Case w/ 450WPSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129155
Motherboard:ASUS A8N5X ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569
RAM: Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220040
DVDRW #2:SAMSUNG 16X DVD±R DVD LightScribe ATA/ATAPI Model SH-S162L/BEBN
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151118

Still to Buy
Processor:AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2000MHz HT 2.0Socket 939 Dual Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103562
Videocard: eVGA Geforce 7900GT KO 256-P2-N564 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130015
Hard drive:Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144701
DVDRW #1:NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058


Total: $1,019.74

Mostly I just want to make sure all these parts are compatable. Since I have no intention of ever using SLI I decided to go with a cheaper motherboard (had intended to use the ASUS A8N-SLI ATX AMD) and use the included PSU and instead plan to buy a better video card (the 7900 GT KO instead of a 7600GT).

I know two drives are not necessary but he main reason I want two is that I plan on using #1 for daily use (games, etc.) and the other for burning. And since they only cost ~$35, I feel that it will be fine.

I also wanted to make sure it is ok to have a SATA 3.0Gb/s hard drive since my Motherboard only supports SATA 1.5Gb/s.

I also am using an LCD monitor with a VGA plug and I want to make sure that is compatable with the graphics card.

 

[vfrex]

You will miss out on the transition to DDR2 ram, but I guess that's already in the books. One idea would be to hold off a bit to see if AMD drops prices on the 939 chips once AM2 and Conroe hit. Then you can pick up the higher end of the DDR1 compatible processors for less.