Building First Comp... Need Advice

[Jojitsu]

Alright I've been looking into this for a lil' bit now and started coming up with a list... since this is my first build any advice / recommendations would be wonderful. Basically have a $700 limit, so trying not to go over it that much. What I'm aiming for is a nice lil' mid-gaming system if possible.

Processor: Opteron 144 -($160)
http://www.tankguys.biz/opteron-cache-s...sCsid=860753eba6c68301a98fb55acdae5ea5

Mobo: ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 -($66.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813157081

RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) -($81)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145440

HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint P80SD HD040GJ 40GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive -($49)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822152023

Case: RAIDMAX X1 ATX-909WB Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case -($49)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811156179

Powersupply: FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN ATX12V 450W Power Supply -($50)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817104954

Having a lil' dilemma with deciding the gfx card, was thinking about one of two things, either:

SAPPHIRE 100106-RD Radeon X850XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card -($218)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102483

OR

SAPPHIRE Radeon X800GTO2 100130SR Deluxe Video Card -($199 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814102634

Can't decide which or if the $20 change in price for gfx is worth it or not.

As for a monitor I already have a 2005 widescreen dell, so no need for that.

Hoping to moderately overclock and wondering if the while system will work out alright. Any thoughts are really appreciated, thanks.

 

[i1o0i]

I would recommend to get SAPPHIRE Radeon X800GTO2 because you can tweak the pixelpipelines from 12 to 16, you can overclock it to X850xtpe range and plus its cheaper than x850xt.

 

[Pyrokinetic]

If you want to overclock, you might not want the ASRock board. The board you have picked is a compromise solution used to provide a bridge between old and new tech. It is designed primarily to be stable, not to overclock. Why you would want a board that tosses in old tech compatability when you are buying all new stuff does not make much sense.

I'll recommend the Epox EP-9NPA+Ultra or the DFI nF4 Ultra-Infinity which are both known as good overclockers. They run about $100, but are well worth the investment.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813136163

As for your processor, the Opterons are being discontinued, and your particular link shows out-of-stock with no ETA. Newegg doesn't have any more 144s either. So just go with the AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice, which is basically the same chip anyway and costs the same. Since you want a moderate overclock anyway, no real need for the(arguably) "better" silicon of the Opterons.

A 40GB hard drive is rather small, at least an 80GB would be preferable. Your choice has SATA 3.0, which means nothing as no SATA drive even comes close to saturating the older standard of SATA150. For $6 more, you can double your space with the same performance: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822135106

As for your graphics card, the Sapphire GTO2s can be potentially unlocked and overclocked to X850XT PE levels, though this is not guaranteed and you need to know what you are doing. The X850XT you have as an option makes the GTO2 a stupid choice as it comes already unlocked to 16 pixelpipelines and you can most likely overclock it to PE levels rather easily. For $20, less of a gamble and a better stock cooler.

As for the case, power supply, and memory, seems ok.

 

[Bonesdad]

Agree with Pyro...you need a larger hard drive. 40 GB will not cut it. You can often pick up a nice 80-120 GB drive at a local Office Max or Best Buy for less than $49 after rebates (if you don't mind rebates). Everything else looks alright to me. I assume this is a gaming box...?