Building a new computer for the first time...need help

[njs]

Hello all, I'm getting ready to start building my new comp for college, and I have never built one before. I'm trying to find guides online that tells you how to do it, can anyone suggest a good guide?

Anyways, here's what I'm looking to get:

Athlon xp 2600+ (when it comes out...it should be out soon right? I need to have the comp ready by sep. 20 ish, will the chip be released in time?)
Asus AV78X (same as above)
WD 80gb 7200 rpm HD
Geforce 4 ti 4200 128mb

What would you guys suggest for the case? sound card? speakers? c
Also how do I know what kind of cooling devices I need?
I'm gonna get a CD-RW and a DVD/CD drive too.
And is there anything else I need to get?

Bestbuy currently has a deal for the Samsung 171v LCD monitor, it's $600 after $100 mail in rebate, and the deal ends this week. What I need though is a monitor that supports those AV input, or whatever they are called. Basically, I want to be able to play my playstation 2 with my comp monitor, so I would need a monitor that supports those input, where I can plug in those red, white, yellow cables. Or is there another way to do this?

Anyways, sorry for so many dumb & newbie questions, thanks in advance for you guys' help and advices.

[edit]
Almost forgot about the memory, I'm currently looking to get PC 3200 512mb DDR SDRAM. Which brand's should I buy? also what about power supplies? And I also need to get the traditional 3.5" disk thing huh? ack so many questions...
[/edit]

 

[Kartajan]

Case: All depends on what you need it to do. I have the Antec SX-835II. Front panel USB/ Firewire <warning- If Motherboard manufacturer is not VERY helpful, you may never get to use that feature>, decent PS, 3 ext 5-1/4, 3 ext 3-1/2. You could get by with a less expensive case if $$$ is the primary concern.
Sound Card. I would try to avoid the SB cards. Others may disagree, but I don't like some of the bus issues they seem to be having lately.
Speakers- way too subjective to suggest. Try some out, and pick what you like.
CD-RW. I only buy plextor CR-RW's. I get good response. Some may disagree.
DVD. For general purpose use, any name brand works fine.

** HD: make sure you get the "Special Edition". 8M of HDD Cache is the bomb.
** GeForce 4 4200: You may want to consider going 4400.
Memory. I like Corsair and Crucial. If you are overclocking, get the best you can find.
Cooling. If you are NOT overclocking, stock (OEM) cooling should be fine.
Monitor. If I am reading it right, no component inputs on the monitor. You'd need the 171MP model for that.

 

[njs]

Thanks for your help!

After doing some research today, here's what I have in my plan so far:

Athlon xp 2200+ (2600+ probably won't come out in time for me)
Asus A7V8X
Antec SX-835II
WD 80GB 7200rpm 8MB cache
Geforce 4 Ti 4200 128 mb
Creative Labs Audigy Gamer(I am thinking about that Santa Cruz card though)
PC 3200 512 mb DDR(or should I go for the PC 2700?)
A case fan (no clue what i should get...suggestions?)
Samsung 171v + myurl this ViewSonic gadget so I can play ps2 with the monitor (or should i go for the samsung 150mp/170mp? hmm)
CD-RW (still haven't decided what to get)
DVD-ROM (same as above)
speakers (same as above)
logitech cordless freedom mouse + keyboard combo (?)
Linksys 10/100 fast ethernet card

any help?

 

[Gibson12345]

I'd go for a Toshiba, Lite-On, or Pioneer DVD drive. All are good name brands, so get whichever is cheapest. Any burner from Plextor or TDK will serve you well, just make sure that the drive you buy ships with Nero.

The GeForce4 Ti. 4200 128 mb is a fantastic choice, as they're cheap, fast, and overclock incredibly well. Mine is running at 295/550 at the moment, stable (and artifact free) through a 16-hour 3DMark loop, and I know that others have had even better results.

People have complained about the Audigy on Athlon platforms, specifically the "scream of death." I am running the Audigy X-Gamer on an Intel rig, though, so I can't comment too much. I'd do a bit of research and see if Creative has cleaned up its drivers for use with the AthlonXP. If they have, the Audigy's sound quality is second to none, so definately go for it.

I wasted a lot of money getting DDR400, and I now have it clocked at 333 mhz, C2, because my PC won't boot when it's clocked to its full speed. There are no chipsets currently that officially support DDR400, and most run more slowly on the memory. The SiS 648DX looks to support DDR400 without issue, but that's still on the horizon. For now, I'd go with DDR333, just make sure you can clock it at C2 latency.

Logitech makes some great speaker systems for some really great prices, including an incredible 4.1, THX certified system for $200. That's just a tip, though, as speakers are a really personal choice.

I'd buy an aluminum case, because, well, they look so cool. Also, most aluminum cases ship without power supplies, allowing you to choose one from a reputable, name-brand. Antec's TruePower series is great. If you get an Antec case, though, obviously the power supply issue is moot.

Don't get a wireless combo setup. They're pains in the butt, from changing batteries to inconsistent tracking. Two extra cords really isn't that big of a deal.

*takes a deep breath*

Hopefully something I said helped...

 

[njs]

Thanks!

Looks like I'll get a PC 2700 512 mb DDR then. And I don't really know if I want to spend 200 bucks on speakers...dunno about the sound card either...that santa cruz sound card looks good but it's 20 bucks more expensive then audigy gamer.

Also anyone know what case fan I should get?

BTW, I really, really want to do whatever possible to get away from the damn infinite loop error. My current comp has that annoying issues when I play certain games, and I don't know what's causing it and I certainly hope this new one will be free of it.