My New System: What do I need to know about these components?

[tigerx82]

So Im new to the computer building scene. Up till now i've been a dell/hp shopper kinda guy. So I usually get my PCs Pre-loaded with the things I need.

After reading the different sections of this forum, I've made decisions here and there on components
And I now need help on things i might have missed.

Here are the components en-route to me from NewEgg.

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3400+, Newcastle core
Motherboard: ASUS "K8N-E Deluxe" NVIDIA nForce3 250 GB
RAM: 1 Gig: 2xCorsair Value Select 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
Video Card: eVGA nVIDIA GeForce 6800GT Video Card, 256MB GDDR3
Sound Card: TBD
HardDrive: SAMSUNG 160GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Case: Cooler Master Wave Master
Power Supply: None Yet
DVD Drive: Samsung Black 52X32X52X16 DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive


The OS will be XP Pro. I am curious as to what I need to know if there are any specific setups or drivers for the components I have. Besides the usual Install from CD approach. The Computer will be used mainly for gaming.

Also, how would some of you people rate the System that I have put together? I tried to go High end but not too high.

 

[nick1985]

nice picks, i give it a 9/10

 

[Cheetah8799]

For mobo drivers, make sure to check the ASUS website for new BIOS revisions and driver releases. The CDs often aren't up-to-date.

Other than that, you should be fine with those components.

 

[tigerx82]

Cool, Thanks for the input.

Based on the components I have can someone recommend any Power Supply options? I dont want to pay too much, But I dont want to pay too little for crap also?



As far as sound cards, does anyone know if sound cards can be plugged in to stereo receivers, Basically I want a sound card that i will eventually be able to plug into a reciever with stereo inputs(Red/White) Is there some adapter that I will have to use to go from the Sound card to the receiver?

 

[tyanni]

Radio shack - obviously it depends on the soundcard and what you are trying to get (i.e surround sound or stereo) but you just need a mini plug to rca converter to go from your line out to your stereo.

 

[lrmat]

i built a system very similar to yours here.

the psu i ended up getting was the thermaltake 480w butterfly (kinda kept it one brand and it had the goofy lights to go with the window of the case). so far so good.

i read great things about antec's psu's though.

 

[tigerx82]

cool, Im now looking at thermaltakes for my power supply.

Anyone have any input on the soundcards per my previous post?

Thanks