I am purchasing parts for a new computer. All the parts will be from newegg. It will be my first computer that I built myself, so I'd like to eliminate as many possible problems as possible. Here is the part list:

Case: NZXT Apollo Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Network Card: Intel PWLA8391GT 10/ 100/ 1000Mbps PCI PRO/1000 GT Desktop Adapter - OEM
GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N875-AR GeForce 9800 GTX KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Disc Drive: Sony NEC Optiarc Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1615/B2s - OEM
Sound card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
Cooling: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
PSU: PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W EPS12V Power Supply - Retail


I realize that 750w is more than I need for my system, but I'd like to have room for upgrade in the future.

Please feel free to suggest any changes in the system or leave me a few tips for when I put it all together. Thanks!

Case: If your the type that likes to manage the cables nicely i'd go for a different case. Antec p182 has great cable management features. And i think the Antec 900 does as well.

HD: The WD Caviar i beleive is about the ame price but you get 320gb.

Network Card: If your motherboard has onboard networking then that's all you'll most likely need.

GPU: 8800GTS 512mb performs the same and in some cases better at a cheaper price.

Disc Drive: No objections.

Sound Card: Great Card, BUT be sure to install the latest drivers and ALchemy since your under Vista, otherwise certain games will lack EAX.

Memory: I've heard good things about G.Skill, so you should be good there.

Motherboard: Good Mobo.

CPU: Great Processor.

OS: Make sure to disable all the annoying stuff in Vista, aka driver signing thing, and the "are you sure??" thing. I forget what it's called.

Cooling: I've heard good things about that cooler. Should do well for Ocing.

PSU: Again in the interest of cable management i'd go for the Silverstone Decathlon. Similar specs as the on you have listed but 100% modular. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817256017

I agree with all the suggestion above except for the PSU. The one you chose is an outstanding unit, although a little overkill, and you should look no further.

Something like this would be plenty to power that system
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005

hehe yeah i tend to go overboard with the PSU, i have that exact PSU in my rig

My reasoning is for a computer it's the last thing i want to fail.

But on the conservative front, i agree the PSU you suggested would be perfect. Another PSU with a beautiful beafy single 12v rail

Case: Yeah I think I'm going to switch to the Antec 900. It's a very nice one!

GPU: Are there any charts/graphs to back this? I was also thinking of getting a BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXOCE GeForce 8800GTX instead. Will this outperform a 9800gtx?

I'll see if i can find one or two, i know Dagger has one hotkeyed

As for the GTX it's not worth the money, unless your playing at a really high resolution. Even still i'd get the 8800gts 512mb.

EDIT: I may have exaggerated that the 8800gts 512mb beats the 9800gtx in some cases. That would only happen if the 8800gts 512mb was OC.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/for [...] eview.html

At about $80 more then the 8800gts 512mb, the 9800gtx is still imo a little too expensive for it's small performance gain.

Cool, thanks for the info. As for the more expensive cards, what would you recommend? I'm trying to decide between 9800gtx sli (although a bit expensive), 8800gts sli, 8800ultra, or 9800gx2. Wow there are a lot of choices...I'll have to do some more research

9800gtx vs 8800gts benchmark:
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/03 [...] review/12/
Do not get 9800gtx for dual sli over g92 8800gts sli. If you do get it, go all out for tri sli, because g92 8800gts does not support tri sli.

8800gt - 8800gtx - g92 8800gts:
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/02 [...] p/?page=11

8800 ultra is still faster than any single gpu card. But not by a big margin. And it's far slower than any sli solution.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/02 [...] p/?page=12

9800gx2 is significantly faster than any single gpu card, but slower than any sli solution from 8800gts, 9800gts, or 8800ultra.

At current prices, g92 8800gts sli will give you the most performance for the buck.

Wow thanks a bunch for finding those charts, I had some trouble with that. If I do end up going with sli however, does anyone know some good mobos with sli that support my cpu?

So are you saying that the 9800gtx or 8800gts is better in dual sli? (tri sli is a little much for me)

8800gts for dual sli is better. It cost much less, for about the same performance. Also, 9800gtx use 2 pcie power connectors for each, for a total of 4, while 8800gts use 1 pcie connectors each, for total of 2. Make sure your psu have enough connectors for sli.

If you want to go SLI you are going to need another motherboard since not only does Gigabyte board your looking at only have one PCI-E x16 slot but it is also uses a P35 chipset which does not support SLI.

yep. I'm probobly going to use this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813141005

It's a little on the expensive side but it's the only one that I would feel comfortable using since the others had lots of reviews of people saying that sli didn't work properly, the mobo didn't last long, no driver support, etc.

nice that should work well. I do have just one other question. Why such a relativly small HD. I mean you can get a 500 gig for around $100