Hey everyone, this is my first time I will be building a comp. I was going to buy a pre-made computer but I realized I can get more bang for my buck by buying the parts and installing them myself.

Here lies the problem, I dont really know what to buy, I have 3 monitors, speakers, and a mouse and keyboard already. I am looking to spend no more than $3,000. What I will be using this computer for is some gaming, but mostly work, I use a lot of programs like Photoshop, Cinema 4d, Maya, etc.

I went to Newegg and picked out some parts, can someone let me know if im missing any parts I would need to build the computer or if you have any recommendations as to different parts. Here is what I currently have selected....



AMD Opteron 285 Italy 2.6GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket 940 Dual Core Processor - Retail
$534.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103004

mushkin 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
$549.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146690

PHILIPS Black 12X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 4X DVD+R DL 12X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 2X BD-ROM 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-R 24X CD-RW 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD Burner with Free 25GB Blu-ray Disc - Retail
$499.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827248005

Atech Flash Xm-4U 11-in-1 USB 2.0 Black & Silver Internal card reader - Retail
$24.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820176825

Seagate ST3750640A-RK 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - Retail
$299.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148216

Creative Sound Blaster SB0570 Audigy SE 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
$29.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829102002

[ b]ATI 100-435906 Radeon HD 2900XT 512MB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
Free game w/ select video card combos, ends 8/13[/b]
$449.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 82E1681419 5044

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$49.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119068

ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 590 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
$169.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131011

Antec True Power Trio TP3-650 ATX12V 650W Power Supply with Three 12V Rails 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, C-tick, CCC, CB - Retail
$129.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817371001

Im really new to this, like I didnt even know I needed a motherboard or power supply till a few mins ago, so if someone could let me know if Im missing something or if im all set would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Get the Antec NeoPower Blue 650W (It's slightly more expensive, but a lot more high end than the TruePower Trio). drop the Opteron and the ASUS mobo, what you need is some serious CPU power and RAM for those apps, get an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 and a Gigabyte motherboard GA-P35-DS3R. And you also need a SATA HDD, Well something like this:

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146565

(Two of these for 4 Gigs)

Antec NeoPower 650 Blue ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TÜV, CCC, C-tick - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 0&Tpk=Ante c%2bNeopower%2bBlue

(Newest product in the NeoHE series... simply amazing)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128050

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130071

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136073

No need for sound card, onboard audio have come long ways and it's good enough for most of us mortals.

Incase you don't know the difference between the Antec Neopower Blue 650W and the Antec TruePower Trio 650W, The Antec TruePower Trio 650W has about 41-42A combined in the 12V Rails, on the otherhand, the NeoPower Blue is able to output 52A (which is considerably more), aside from that, the NeoHE series are built with higher quality standards than the TruePower Trio Series. I own an Antec NeoHE 500 myself and it's awesome with my GTS-320.

There are other high quality units that output similar current that I usually favor, which are the Seasonic S12 650W and the Corsair 620HX.

I second everything Emp suggest but the power supply, I personally would never pay $160 for Antec and go with Corsair 620HX instead. Here's a video review of it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4TrEHFpP7Y4

Also, I'd spend a little more on a video card, EVGA or MSI 8800 GTX are fine choices.

And lastly, when you get all the parts shipped to you, if you are not 100% comfortable with setting it all up, I suggest visiting your local craigslist.org and hiring someone to do the job for you for probably around $50, this way it will be faster and could save you a lot of potential headache, unless of course you are trying to learn everything yourself, then google and forums such as thing one are your best friends

Good luck

I wont be setting this up myself, Im in a wheelchair and it would be too hard to do it, thanks for the advice guys, its really helpful. I will buy what you guys suggested, I might get the Corsair 620HX power supply, that review looked good.

Also I have a question, on newegg the reviews, for the MSI 8800 GTX say it runs really hot, would this be an issue with the corsair power supply?

Thanks

All 8800 are known to run hot and no, 8800GTX would not be a problem for either 520HX or 620HX.
Glad to help.

Hey guys, I know this might sound stupid, but from the looks of things, the parts you guys recommended put together total around $2,000. I still have another $1,000 to spare, is there anything else I can pump into this computer or is this the best bang for my buck?

Thanks

If you really wanna spend more money, get the 8800 GTX card.

You can get a nice CPU heatsink and fan and try to overclock? lol

Or you could get a 64-bit OS and go for 4 GB RAM

Man, the NeoPower Blue 650W and 620HX are both manufactured by Seasonic and just labeled different by each company before sent to retail, explain me how they are any different in quality? The only difference is that the NeoPower Blue has been out for a very very small period of time and the HX series have been out a long time. Antec started to sell NeoPower Blues because they saw that they needed a more high quality high end product on the same NeoHE line up that would compete with the HX series quality.

It's like saying Seasonic M12 600W, Antec NeoPower Blue 650W, and Corsair 620HX share different quality standards, however all were made on a modular design by the same company. Seasonic.

Im actually getting the 4gb RAM, Im buying 2 of the ones Emp recommended and im getting the 8800 GTX card. I might get another 500GB hdd to use as my D drive.

As to the power supply, idk anymore lol, either the corsair or the neo power blue one.

Hey I sent you a pm

Well, if you really want to spend more you could get a $999 QX6850 instead of the $266 Q6600. The Q6600 is far better value for money though. If your main priority is gaming then definitely get a GTX, maybe something already overclocked to the max like the BFG OC2 or eVGA ACS3.