Please check my build

[kingtas]

Well my son wants a gaming PC it's either a Dell XPS 400 with a Pentium D 930, 1 GB PC 5?? RAM, Geforce 7900GT, 375 Watt PSU, and 19" monitor, as well as all the peripherals for around $1300. Or I can build one (have some PC tech knowledge) and get more for my money in the $1000 price range. This is what I came up with at Newegg.com. I know nothing as far as what brand is better than the other, so if you know the good, bad and the ugly of brands and my choices, please help me out. Thanks.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: CAC-T05-UW
Item #: N82E16811119068
$49.99

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: AX450-PN
Item #: N82E16817104954
$51.50

BIOSTAR TFORCE 550 Socket AM2 NVIDIA nForce 550 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: TFORCE 550
Item #: N82E16813138026
$79.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Dual Core Processor Model ADA3800IAA5CU - Retail
Model #: ADA3800CUBOX
$149.00

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model TWIN2X1024A-6400 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X1024A-6400
Item #: N82E16820145566
$110.00

BIOSTAR V7602GS51 Geforce 7600GS 512MB GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: V7602GS51
Item #: N82E16814141032
$134.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822144701
Model #: WD2500KS
$77.99

NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
Item #: N82E16827152058
$28.99

ViewSonic VE710B Black 17" 8ms LCD Monitor - Retail
Model #: VE710b
Item #: N82E16824116314
$172.99

Logitech X-230 32 Watts 2.1 Black Speakers - Retail
Model #: 970123-0403
Item #: N82E16836121119
$33.99

Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM
Model #: B2L-00047S
Item #: N82E16823109156
$21.99

Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
Model #: N09-01528
Item #: N82E16837102059
$89.99

Total $1002
Shipping $64
Grand Total $1066

 

[Howard]

How old is your son, if you don't mind my curiosity?

 

[kingtas]

He just turned 13.

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: Howard
How old is your son, if you don't mind my curiosity?

Yes, I would also like to know too! Hehehehehehe... (Kidding!)

If he's a "geek" (no offense), then I think you should let him pick the parts. I'm not bashing anybody's son but I think its in your best interest to let your son pick the parts, provided that he is indeed technology savvy.

EDIT - Damn, I posted a minute too late.

 

[sniperruff]

it looks good.

 

[Kromis]

Anyways, I think you should ditch the 7600GS and get the 7600GT instead.

 

[kingtas]

He only knows he want's to play cool games. I only know I want him to be able to play cool games for the next five years so my money isn't wasted on a web surfing PC.

 

[kingtas]

Would a 7600 256 GT be better than a 512 GS card?

 

[Kromis]

Of course! The 7600GS simply does not have enough power to use up all that 512MB of memory! Its really a marketing technique/scheme that they employ to lure uneducated buyers to think that "higher must mean better!" when in fact the extra memory doesn't really do a damn thing except for making you spend some more money on a mediocre product. This usually applies to low-end cards.

 

[kingtas]

Exactly why I started this thread. Thanks.

 

[Kromis]

No problem! Just make sure you take good care of your son and don't let him turn into a game addict like me!

 

[xanis]

Looks really good. The only thing I would do differently is change the RAM you listed to ValueSelect and bump the video card up to a 7900GS or something.

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: Xanis
Looks really good. The only thing I would do differently is change the RAM you listed to ValueSelect and bump the video card up to a 7900GS or something.

If he can find/get one!

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Originally posted by: Xanis
Looks really good. The only thing I would do differently is change the RAM you listed to ValueSelect and bump the video card up to a 7900GS or something.

seconded. corsair valueram is excellent.