Suggestions needed for Custom build

[puttsthree]

Newbie here, and going to build my first computer. This will be for some gaming, but mostly for s/w applications (mostly windows based). Here is my build list, but would like recommendations:

Case: ASPIRE X-Navigator Silver Aluminum ATX Mid-Tower Case with side window and 500W Power Supply (this one has 1 front LED fan, 1 side 120mm LED fan, 2 rear LED fan, 1 top LED fan).

Motherboard: ASUS "P5GDC-V Deluxe" 915G Chipset Motherboard For Intel LGA 775 CPU -RETAIL

CPU: Intel LGA 775 Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz (Plan to OC, but should I go with the 540?)

RAM: Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200
or: Corsair XMS Extreme Memory Speed Series, (Twin Pack) 184 Pin 1GB (512MBx2) DDR PC-3200 - Retail

Video Card: I plan on waiting to get a PCI-express video card when they come down in price. (Suggestions?)

Audio Card: Probably get one when I get the video card. (Suggestions?)

DVD burner: LG Electronics DVD+/-RW 16X Mulitformat Drive, Model GSA-4163BI

HD: Hitachi 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

Paste: Arctic Silver 5.

OS: Windows XP professional

This computer will probably last me for 3 years until I build another.

 

[fbrdphreak]

First of all, welcome to the forums.
Second of all, wrong forum.

Third:
I'm not up on the latest Intel chipsets, but isn't there a 925 out also? IIRC, the 925 supports DDR2 which from your selection of RAM, the 915 apparently does not. Right now there is not much performance difference between DDR1 & DDR2, but in terms of being as ahead of the curve as possible (while still being practical), I would suggest going with DDR2. DDR2 prices aren't much higher than DDR1 (at least I think so) and it would benefit you to spend that little extra money to have the ability to upgrade to the "current" technology later in life (i.e. getting better DDR2 later when their latencies have improved).
For regular DDR, the Corsair RAM you have selected is fine. The XMS is awesome stuff, which you should get if you plan on overclocking. If you don't plan on overclocking, then don't bother. If you plan on OCing, I would probably go with a higher speed RAM, like PC3500 or PC4000, as Intel boards thrive on OCing the FSB and higher memory bandwidth goes hand in hand with that.
As far as the video card goes, ifyou do "some" gaming then the nVidia 6600GT is your best bet. These run about $200 right now and run any game out there, you just might not be able to turn on all the eye candy @ 1600x1200.

Audio Card: I believe Intel has their integrated "HD Audio" or whatever. That will work for now, depending on whether you listen to a lot of music, watch a lot of movies, or game a lot. I would stick with that and wait for PCI-E audio cards to come out in quantity, no point in taking a step backwards while you're trying to go forwards.

HDD: Your hard drive selectio nseems fine. The only thing you might want to look at is a drive that supports SATA II or Native Command Queueing (SP?), as it seems to be that these technologies will be more prevalent in the coming years. Also, what is the warranty on Hitachi? I know Seagate drives now have 5 year warranties, which is excellent; on top of being some of the best drives on the market.

DVDRW: I'm not familiar with the LG, but I would imagine it will do fine. Depending on price, an alternative would be the NEC 3500A based models (aka Pioneer DVR 108).

CPU: I would say the 3.0 is a good place to start. Performance difference between the 3.0 & 3.2 is probably not worth the cost difference, but if its only a few $ why not. If you would post prices with these components, it would assist in evaluating your decision. OCing wise, these chips can run pretty high even on air cooling. One thing to keep in mind with the P4 Prescott's is that they run VERY warm: you should be okay with stock cooling on the 3.0 with no OCing. But if your case doesn't have good ventilation and/or you start OCing, you will want to upgrade the heatsink/fan on the CPU.

PSU: I noticed the case you are going with has a 500W PSU. One thing to keep in mind: with power supplies, quality is most important. It may say 500W, but it might not put out nearly as much power as a quality Antec, OCZ, etc PSU. If you have any instabilities in the system that don't seem heat related, I would check the PSU first. And if you start OCing at all, definitely swap that PSU out for a quality model. Cooling, power, and memory quality truly can determine OCing potential.

Please write back if you have anymore questions!

 

[puttsthree]

Sorry about the wrong forum, can someone move this to the correct forum.

Thanks for the input. Here are some more details/prices/etc. I do plan on Overclocking. The prices are from newegg.com (at least the last time I checked).

Case: $159 (has 4 cooling fans)

Motherboard: $162 The ASUS P5GDC-V Deluxe supports both DDR (up to 4Gig) and DDR2 (up to 2Gig) (not used together though)

CPU: the 530 is $187 and the 540 is $215

RAM: The value select RAM is $145, and the XMS extreme is $206. The DDR 4000 XNS is $243. Want to OC so which is best, or shoud I check the DDR2 (Kingston DDR2-400 is $360.75 for 1Gig)

HDD: The Hitachi has a 3 year warranty and is $131.

DVD: Tried to find the NEC 3500 on newegg but it is unavailable. The LG is $78

Total for above is ~$1k (more than I wanted to spend, but what a computer that will last a couple years without upgrades.

 

[fbrdphreak]

The HDD looks like a solid choice w/that warranty. You might check out Seagate prices tho, as they are top of the line in performance and IIRC all models have that 5 year warranty
As far as the RAM goes, refer to my previous statement about OCing or not. Check with the Motherboards threads about whether the 915 or 925 chipset is better, and go from there. If you don't mind going with DDR2 now, I personally see no reason not to go there other than the increased cost.
The case also looks decent, just heed my warning on cooling. Those P4-E's run hoooottt...........
For the increased price to the 3.2, I would just stick with the 3.0. See the CPU's/OCing for typical OCing results with your parts and tips on it.
Again check on the PSU in the case. See if you can possibly order the same/comparable case w/out a PSU (unless they actually include a quality one, which is unlikely). If you can, then get a quality PSU. Do a search of the forums for quality PSU's and best recommendations for the new PCI-E boards. As I think about it, a better PSU might be a good choice either way because IIRC newer/better PSU's include PCI-E power connectors and the special power connector for the Intel PCI-E mobos.

From here, it looks like you've got a good basis. If you have more questions, I will try to answer them but I'm definitely not an Intel expert
I would post individual/specific questions in the specific forums from here, but again please write back w/more questions!