Purchase Advice?

[Berliad]

I'm a first time poster here. I'm not a pro, but I've been researching parts for several months for a (mostly) new computer that I intend to purchase and use primarily as a gaming platform (probably Neverwinter Nights 2, though probably other rpg's as well, including Oblivion). I have roughly a $1000 budget, and it's doubtful I'll upgrade in the future before needing an entirely new system. Currently, this is my plan, along with pricing from the Real Time Pricing Engine:

$ 263 - E6400 Core 2 Duo Processor
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4897
$ 155 - ASUS P965 p5b motherboard
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4708
$ 160 - 2gb OCZ DDR2 800 RAM
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4555
$ 286 - ATI X1900XT graphics card (MSI)
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4319
$ 105 - Antec 550W power supply
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=269997
$ 76 - Western Digital 250 gb 7200 RPM 3.0 Gbps SATA HDD
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=2323
Total: $1045, including shipping

I already have the other parts for the system (case, dvd, keyboard, monitor, etc). This price is helped dramatically by a $100 rebate on the x1900xt, a $40 rebate on the RAM, and a $5 rebate on the hard drive.

Two questions:
1. What do you folks think of this system? Any obvious problems? My only real concern is the P965 motherboard, as I've read about some odd driver immaturity issues with that chipset. But since I have no real expectation of going for dual-gpu now or in the future, it seems like a good choice for a core 2 duo system.
2. The $100 rebate on the video card has me tempted to buy now, though I'd originally planned to wait until ~October 1. However, I'm reading rumors that new, faster cards near this price point could be released by ATI or NVIDIA within the next few weeks, and that's why these prices are down. What would you folks do?

Thanks,
B

 

[acegazda]

Though I havn't hasd an experience with an antec psu, the general concensus is split between its reliability so I would choose something of higher quality. Plus, you don't need anywhere near 550w. A 400w psu from enhance, seasonic, enermax or fortron/sparkle will do you a world of good. If your goal is quiet computer, go with a 430w seasonic s12. The enhance 5140gh is a great buy at $69 with its 28 combined amps, and 80+ certification, while the enermax liberty is modular for $75. The fortron/sparkle fsp400-60thn is $55 and is another good buy. All prices are shipped. In the rhealm of hdd's, the seagate 7200.10 is the best 7200 rpm hdd. $80 shipped. Make sure your RAM is compatable. OCZ platinum is sometimes incompatable with a lot of MoBos, OCZ gold is a little better. Which RAM is it and from where? Good luck and welcome to the forums!

 

[Berliad]

Thanks for the advice.

I'd always thought Antec to be among the better brands for reliability, and have been running a 400w antec truepower for about 4 years in my present system. But I will look into these other options. I'm surprised to hear that I might be able to get away with that small of a power supply, but I guess I'm used to those pentium processor power draws.

The RAM I had picked out was this:
OCZ PC-6400 2x1024MB EL Gold GX XTC
http://labs.anandtech.com/alllinks.php?pfilter=4555

But I'm not committed to it. Just the best price for ddr2 800 that I could find among a brands I know. I don't buy pro ram because I'm cheap, but also don't buy value ram to avoid problems as much as possible.

What's the best way to find out if the RAM works with my particular motherboard? Just read consumer reviews on newegg and such?
Thanks,
-B

 

[acegazda]

ask around the forums. Newegg reviews are sometimes by people who have no idea what they're talking about.

 

[Berliad]

Thanks. Hopefully someone can chime in on this.

I've updated the first post to include links to the specific products I'm looking at.
Thanks!
-B