Newbie Needs Help

[Marlorn]

I was referred to this site by a buddy of mine, and I hope someone can help me out. I would like to attempt to build a computer for the first time (with the aid of some friends who know what they're doing), but unfortunately don't know much when it comes to hardware. However, I am very willing and eager to learn as much as I can, so I'm looking at this as a learning experience. I want to know the why's behind the decisions made when it comes to choosing parts, compatibily, etc. I obviously don't want to drop a ton of money into something that won't work. Anyway, I have some initial questions:

- Is there any technology coming out in the next few months that would be wise to hold out for?

- I'm familiar with newegg.com and mwave.com -- any other recommended sites?

- The age old question of AMD vs. Intel -- is one really better?

I've had a bunch of my friends build their dream machine in wishlist format so I can get a sense of what brands are reliable, overall compatibility, noise reduction, etc. Here's one list of parts I received. Tell me what you think:

- COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
- GIGABYTE GA-965G-DS3 Socket T (LGA 775) Intel G965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
- XFX PVT71JYHE9 GeForce 7950GT 512MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP ExTreme Edition Video Card
- Rosewill RP550-2 ATX 2.01 550W Power Supply
- Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600
- CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (I'd like to Raid 0 two, and have a third for the OS)
- MASSCOOL FD08025S1M4 80mm Case Fan
(Am I missing anything? Do I need multiple fans, heatsinks, etc?)

I'm pretty set on the 2GB RAM and a dual core (whether AMD or Intel) system. I do a lot of graphic design work, 3D animation, and gaming so I want something that'll be able to meet those needs. My budget is around $1500 -- I'm not looking for the most cutting edge stuff on the market, but I do want the most bang for my buck.

Sorry for all the newbie questions, but we all gotta start somewhere, right? Thanks for any and all help, I really appreciate it!

 

[pkme2]

Welcome to AT!

Hope your experience is great and rewarding.

Buy what you need now and wait till after Xmas to buy the rest. Prices should get better.

Good luck on your build.

 

[jackschmittusa]

With a couple of exceptions, your list should fit your needs.

Forget the Rosewell psu. It is pretty low end. There are several other better choices. I personally use Antec TruPower psus. Some have had problems with them according to some posts, but I have used several of them with no complaints. They have a 5yr warranty, and voltage regulation is stipulated at ±3%, rather than the standard ±5%.

All of the types of apps you want to run can use up disk space pretty fast and you may want several types of optical drives as well. I would suggest a full tower case to make sure you do not run out of room.

I also like 120mm case fans that move a lot of air without a lot of noise. A 120mm intake blowing over the big, fast hds is good insurance too.