What do you think of my new rig before I buy

[Airsofter]

Hi, I have $500 to build a gaming desktop rig. I have a 17" LCD and a copy of Xp Pro, but $500 and Gaming still don't usually go together in the same sentence. I researched for awhile and I think I've found pretty much the best deal you can get. I really appreciate any feedback on my build. Here is a copy of my cart:


Samsung DVD Burner $33
Seagate Hard Drive $43
Biostar Tforce Mobo $73
Sapphire X850XT $117
430W Power Supply $30
1gb DDR2 667 $70
A64 3500 AM2 $90

Total: $456 before shipping

 

[PurdueRy]

I don't like the PSU or the choice to get 512 memory

 

[Airsofter]

I was gonna buy 2 sticks of the G-Skill so 1gb. I wasn't sure on the power supply. Glowing reviews and a popular item, but is 18A on the 12v rail enough.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Airsofter
I was gonna buy 2 sticks of the G-Skill so 1gb. I wasn't sure on the power supply. Glowing reviews and a popular item, but is 18A on the 12v rail enough.

I know you were going to buy 2, but I am saying you should get 1 stick of 1 gig of ram.

As for the PSU look for a 350-400 watt Fortran

 

[Airsofter]

Don't I need 2 sticks for dual channel though. That's how it was on my s939 system. How much more are we talkin for the power supply.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Airsofter
Don't I need 2 sticks for dual channel though. That's how it was on my s939 system. How much more are we talkin for the power supply.

Yes, but the increase in performance is tiny and the benefit you will get with being able to expand to 2 gig just by adding another 1 gig stick one day will far outweigh the cost

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953

This will probably be overkill but I wanted to give you room to expand

 

[Airsofter]

Thanks, I'll go with that power supply. Is the OEM version worth it to save a few bucks? I'm on the fence with the ram. As a Vista Beta tester, it seems 2gb of ram might be recommended in the near future.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Airsofter
Thanks, I'll go with that power supply. Is the OEM version worth it to save a few bucks? I'm on the fence with the ram. As a Vista Beta tester, it seems 2gb of ram might be recommended in the near future.

Exactly why I think you should use one 1 gig stick at this point in time.

Yes the OEM will be fine

 

[SpeedZealot369]

Get a 7600gt instead

 

[Trizik]

I also suggest going with 1GB sticks of memory and getting two. But since you're on a budget, one 1GB stick is fine for now...

The power supply is the heart of all your hardware. Never cheap out on the power supply.