Suggestions, Please, on Gaming Machine

[jonelr]

I want to build a decent gaming machine and have been visiting newegg. This is what I have found. Could ya'll please evaluate and make suggestions.
I already have the following:
Antec Tower Case
ATI Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro video card
18" LCD Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers
Floppy Drive
Maxtor External 160GB drive

I need the following items and these are what I have found so far:

Motherboard:
Asus A8V Deluxe VIA K8T800 Pro - 129.00 or
MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum Nvidia nForce3 Ultra - 134.00

CPU
AMD Athlon64 3500+ Socket 939 Retail - $ 319.00 (Is the heatsink/fan on the retail package enough, or should I get the OEM package and but heatsink/fan separately...if so, what do you recommend?)

Hard Drives:
Western Digital 80GB 7200 - 58.00 (for boot drive)
Western Digital 200GB 7200 - 111.00 (for secondary drive)

CD/RW:
Optowrite 52x32x52 - $23.00
Lite-On 52x32x52 - $27.00

DVD/RW:
Plextor 12x DVD+/-RW - $102.00 (has $30.00 rebate)
NEC 8x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW - $62.00
Optowrite 8x DVD+RW/-RW - $ $53.00
Lite-On 8x Double Layer DVD+/-RW - $70.00

MEMORY: 1 GB(2x512 PC 3200)
PDP Systems Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 - $154.00
Corsair Value Select Dual Pack - $157.00
Kingston Value Ram Dual Channel - $168.00
Mushkin Basic Green Dual Pack - $169.00

Power Supply:
Cool Max 450W - $45.00
Allied 500W - $59.00
Antec 450W - $62.00

The configuration is around $900.00. Are any of these in combination good choices or is there a better way to go for a decent GAMING machine that will last for a couple of years?

 

[etruscan]

Dump the 3500+, get the 3000+ or 3200+ (yes, newegg has socket 939 3200 and 3000).

Use the money you save ($150) to get a 6800 (for about 270) or 6800 GT.

 

[diablo111]

Motherboard: Go with the MSI, nForce3 baby!

CPU: As long as you aren't overclocking the retail HSF should be fine.

HDD: Go SATA for better performance. WD rocks...can't go wrong there.

CD/RW: Stick with Lite-on...definately worth another $4

DVD/RW: See above (Lite On) The Plextor would be nice, but I would go Dual Layer.

Memory: Corsair Value Select. I love this memory, I use it exclusively for my business. Rock solid...

PSU: Cool Max=NO!!...Allied=NO!!...Antec=YES!! But not that 450w which by the price I'm guessing is a smart power. Go with the 430w Trupower, much better PSU (26A on the 12v rail)...remember wattage isn't everything.

As for something you can do better for gaming...I don't see a sound card listed...onboard sound, while coming a long way in the last few years, will still suck more CPU cycles than a dedicated PCI card. Go with a decent sound card for better performance.

 

[jonelr]

Thanks for the suggestion on the cpu. Is the fan/heatsink on the retail version enough, or would you recommend something else?

MB: If I go with the MSI, I need an audio card - suggestions please!

CD/DVD: Would you think that I need both a CD/RW & a DVD/RW or just a Cd Writer and a DVD Reader?

 

[etruscan]

The retail fan/hs works (of course), but it won't allow much room for overclocking. It's all about what you want to do.

 

[sdk]

Jonelr if you got a CD/RW and a DVD Burner you would never be able to burn DVD's. Get a DVD Burner and a 16X DVD Drive

 

[jonelr]

Thanks for the great responses. This is where I am now after all of the suggestion:

CPU: Athlon 64 3200+ @ $218.00
MB: Still cannot decide between MSI ($132.00), ASUS ($129.00) & ABIT ($114.00)

HD: 37.5 WD Raptor SATA for Boot Drive ($113.00) & 1 200GB SATA WD Drive ($118.00)

RAM: Corsair Dual Pack 1GB (2x512) @ 158.00

PS: Antec 430W Power Supply(True Power) @ $69.99. Would the 480W be a better choice?

DVD/CW: Should we wait on the DVD burners until the get faster, or are they fast enough now? I do like the: Lite-On 8X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model SOHW-832S WHT, Retail @ $68.00

At about $880.00. Will this be a good gaming machine for a while or is there a better way to go?

 

[starhawk]

(1) mobo: definitely the a8v
(2) dvd burner: check this out, it may change your mind about a dedicated burner:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=27-106-937&depa=1

 

[jonelr]

Would you just go with the combo drive or have 2 cd drives? I have always preferred having 2 so that I don't have to do as much disk swapping, especially if I am copying a disk. If I go with the combo drive, should I get the DVD writer also?

Why do you like the A8V over the MSI board? Is there any difference between the Asus and the Abit AV8 boards, other than the price?

Thanks, in advance, for you help.

 

[starhawk]

(1) just 1. maybe disk swapping is a prob... i do like the idea of a dedicated dvd drive, but you don't get any faster... i guess if you can afford it
(2) k8t has no s/pdif but a8v does.

 

[etruscan]

Thanks for the great responses. This is where I am now after all of the suggestion:

CPU: Athlon 64 3200+ @ $218.00
MB: Still cannot decide between MSI ($132.00), ASUS ($129.00) & ABIT ($114.00)

HD: 37.5 WD Raptor SATA for Boot Drive ($113.00) & 1 200GB SATA WD Drive ($118.00)

RAM: Corsair Dual Pack 1GB (2x512) @ 158.00

PS: Antec 430W Power Supply(True Power) @ $69.99. Would the 480W be a better choice?

DVD/CW: Should we wait on the DVD burners until the get faster, or are they fast enough now? I do like the: Lite-On 8X Double Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model SOHW-832S WHT, Retail @ $68.00

At about $880.00. Will this be a good gaming machine for a while or is there a better way to go?

If you plan to overclock heavily, get the Antec 480.

I would get the Asus board. I've had a few and they're rock stable. I'm getting an MSI now, but reviews I have seen are mixed.

Get the Plextor 12x DVD burner from newegg $102 - $30 mail in rebate.

 

[jonelr]

Thanks to everyone for their great suggestions. I am looking forward to getting all the stuff and building the computer.

 

[starhawk]

post pics!!!!