Help with new computer

[freecw]

I was thinking of building a desktop, it will be my first time, so I just wanted to ask for some advice. My friend that built his own computer will help me with it. I just want some advice on the parts to see if there is something i could/should change that i can get for cheaper or that would work better. The computer won't be for multiboxing, just for playing games. I want to be able to get decent fps in wow (right now i get 10 fps with graphics set to low) and to be able to play games like crysis with graphics on high.
I'm buying all the parts from newegg.com, if you know where i could get them for cheaper please let me know.

EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896-P3-1257-AR Video Card $140.00

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor $190.00

GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $53.00

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Memory $52.00

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case $70.00

Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive $70.00

Rosewill RP500-2 500W Power Supply $43.00

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model GH22LS30 LightScribe Support $27.00

Also, I was trying to decide which OS to get, 64 bit or 32 bit vista. any help would be appreciated.

[species6729]

R u 2,3,4 or 5 boxing.
the build U have now will be able to 2 or 3 box with medium to high, very low fps with 4 or more

Rosewill is not a very good PS, I will go with Corsair 550
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139004

U will be limiting yourself with a mb with only 2 dimm socket this will be better
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128380
my friend is using this with Windows 7 and was able to use 2 different video card with 4 monitors. ( I am trying talk him into letting me load wow on his pc and try to 5 box of it)

I will get the faster memory ddr 1066, it cost about the same and give u more room if u want to OC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231166

I will also buy a CPU cooler, I hate the way intel design, it is a pain to get all 4 pins in and make sure they still in. I will get a cpu with a back plate like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118003

[alcattle]

very bad choice for a MB, built in graphics is never a good thing in gaming. Brand is fine, look for a P965 or P45 chipset

[Bovidae]

I like the Q9550 better and its only $30 more. I'm sure your other games will appreciate the higher cpu speed.

/sign on the MB comments

And consider 4x2gb once you decide to upgrade your MB, RAM is cheap

[cybernerv]

did not see in your post if you plan on going sli/crossfire or if you just want to slap together a cheap costing computer that will play games at decent fps? Do you want to upgrade parts in the future or does this have to last for awhile?

what I can suggest is defiently do not get the rosewill psu, you want quality. The psu is a most important part in your system, if you try to cheat and get a lower costing psu you will pay for it in the long run.

I would get the corsair 850tx for a power supply, its $139 with a $30 mail-in-rebate

not a fan of micro motherboards, why not just get the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard
for $119 with a $15 mail in rebate.

and if you upgrade to this mother board, you can upgrade your memory for around the same price

g.skill 4GB(2x2GB) 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR1066 dual channel memory model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK

and for the OS, why not wait til october and buy windows 7? you can get windows 7 RC x64 from MS in the meantime(if they still have downloads for it). if you plan on getting 4GB of memory, you'll want to get a x64 os, so you can use you're 4GB and not have your computer use 3.5 GB if using x86

hope this helps

[jak3676]

I would definitely go with Win7 (64-bit). No matter what - go 64-bit with a new PC. Only reason to stick to 32-bit is if you have some old hardware or software that's not 64-bit capable. Anymore there just isn't much of that going around.

I'd also concur on the 9550 vs 9400 - for $30 more it's a nice upgrade.

I've never been a big fan of getting expensive power supplies. I generally stick to the generic ones (like rosewill). Still 500 watts can go pretty quick, if you see a 600 watt one for $10 more, then go for it. Personally I still have my $480 watt PS and it's running fine with about everything you have listed here except I have 3 hard drives. Maybe I've just been lucky that I've never been bit by going with a cheap PS though

As for your motherboard, I would definitly look at something a little better. 4x RAM slots are pretty much a required item for me. 4GB of RAM will get you by for now, but if you want to do any multiboxing beyond 2 chars then I'd definitly go with 8GB. But so long as you have 4x RAM slots and 2 of them are empty, you can always upgrade that later.

Unless you are going with some pretty large overclocks I disagree with getting a seperate CPU cooler. You can even overclock a little bit with the stock heatsink if you want. Total waste of money IMHO. If you want to spend an extra $80 to get a higher clock speen - then get a better CPU in the first place (core i7 920) and run that one with the stock heat sink.

[Barelan]

I have a similar spec to the OP and I run 5 with no issue.

The 260 runs my main with all the graphics maxed, but I do turn down the settings on the alts.

My CPU is rarely above 50%