My first build... This is what I have so far. I am using it for gaming and my budget is at or around what I've listed. Rather do it right than fuss over a couple hundred bucks.

CASE $120
XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103010

POWER SUPPLY $130
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

PROCESSOR $190
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037

DRIVE $100
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218

DVD DRIVE $30
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151154

OP SYSTEM Is what it is $100
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116488

NEED RECOMMENDATION ON MOBO, VIDEO CARD AND MEMORY.
I like NVIDIA and looking for 4GB of memory
Like to keep video card under $150...
Like to keep MOBO under $150... but quality and expandability is important
Like to get best 4GB deal with reliability...

Am I missing anything?

Also, can anyone point me in a good direction for directions on exact steps to follow to build it....
Thanks in advance

G-Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 memory kit is around $80
8800GT GPU is around $150 AR
Gigabyte P35-DS3L is a solid mobo for $90

Looks solid thus far:

For a single graphics card solution you want to look at intel chipsets. Probably the new P45 chipset, opens up PCIe 2.0 to you. Gigabyte make good boards or there is an ASUS P5Q board around at the moment people seem happy with. For expandibility make sure you have plenty of SATA slots. If you are not choosing to SLI now then you aren't going to bother in the long run and can decide that this isn't a priority.

For RAM try OCZ, Corsiar, Mushkin or Geil. 4Gb of 800MHz will serve you better than 2Gb of 1066MHz. Find something in your price range.

If you aren't overclocking then you don't need an aftermarket heatsink for the processor. If you want to overclock then use a Xigmatek (can't remember model - have a look at some of the posts) and some thermal paste.

As for graphics cards wait until next week. New ATi cards are due on the 25th. The 4850 (lowest) is priced at $200. These should be quick, powerful cards and will force prices down across the sector. NVidia have just released but their cards seem over priced and underpowered. Wait for THG benchmarks.

Hope that is a good start
Jeremy

The new P43/P45 motherboards are out, new, but seem to be stable for an alternate to the P35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299 review of the mobo http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3309
8800GTS 512 $160 after rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814134037

agree with jpdykes about waiting and looking at the ATI 4850

Go P45 over P43.
Note that also gigabyte DS3x board are very solid.

Don't buy a graphics card until the new ATi cards are out. There has to be a price war for superiority this summer so there is no point buying just yet. You can get a better deal later.

I agree with the above posters on GPU, Motherboard (check out the P35-DS3L OCing guide), and RAM .
The 8800GT is a very good choice for a single GPU solution. Also go with 2*2GB DDR2 800, DDR2 1066 has some compatibility issues. The Corsair 750 is a good PSU, but you could get a PP&C 610 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005 $90 after MIR) and save some money. You don't need 750W of power for a 8800GT. Also if you plan to overclock, get a XIGMATEK S1283. Imo, you should wait a while for:
1. The P45 chipset to mature a bit (ie. bug fixes )
2. New new ATI 4000 series GPUs should drive the prices down for the 8800 cards.

Thanks for the input.
I am still a little confused on the MOBO, memory, vid card combo and have more questions...

If I stick with DDR2-800 it seems that my choice of MOBOs is limited.
If I look for PCIe 2.0 then the memory standard seems to only be DDR2-1200.
I am buying the OEM version of Vista so, if I understand correctly, I won't be able to upgrade my MOBO without buying a new Vista.
Are there a lot of bugs in the P45 boards that make them a bad choice vs. will I be left behind with the P35 boards?

So, I believe the MOBO/memory/video card all have to integrate nicely. What do you recommend I do for tomorrow's computer and not todays?

It seems to me the most important item will be my MOBO. What is best way to go with it and I can choose the video card and memory based on that...

BTW, The comp I am replacing is a Sony Vaio, 4 years old, Pentium 4, 2GB RAM, 512 AGP Nvidia card, SLOOOOWWW, etc..... anything will be a huge upgrade but I want that upgrade to take me a couple years if possible.

Ok, sorry maybe we haven't been that clear:

A motherboard will accept a range of different memory speeds. In the case of P45 this appears to be up to DDR2-1200. This means you can put a range of memory with speeds up to DDR2-1200 into the board.
Almost every new board, with the exception of those that solely support expensive DDR3, will accept slower DDR2-800 memory (as well as DDR2-1066 etc). You can check this on the manufactures website. There should be a memory compatibility list which tells you which manufactures memory is supported and at what speeds. Generally you are going to be safe with OCZ, Mushkin, Geil or Corsair RAM.

PCIe 2.0 is entirely seperate to the memory. This refers to the connection for the graphics cards. Currently many boards use PCIe 1.0. New boards are moving to PCIe 2.0 which has a greater bandwidth and allows more data to be transfered from graphics to processor faster. And faster data transfer results in better quality and frame rates. Intel's P35 chipset does not have PCIe 2.0 support whereas P45 and X48, the chipset for running 2 ATi cards together, do.

Trying to work to build tomorrows computer is impossible. You can only do so much to "future proof" and even then intel are bringing out a new processor and chipset at the end of the year (likely to be expensive at first) and core 2 duo will be a second tier system much as pentium is - but to a greater extent. Buying a board with PCIe 2.0 support is probably a wise step to at least create some longevity. This system, even with a P35 board, will not get "left behind" for some time. Although that depends on what "left behind" means to you. This build probably is not going to be able to play the latest games or future games in max graphics settings but it will play them with good settings and give good frame rates. One could spend a bucket load of cash on the fastest system out there but it will still fall from the top within a month or two - such is the nature of computers.

With regards to Vista you may have to contact microsoft for an activation code, probably not if you are buying a new copy OEM or not. You will be able to install the OS onto the new system. At the time you come to rebuild the system you can either ring and ask for an activation code again (if required) or you may wish to upgrade to the latest OS.

Thank you jpdykes!
I said I was NOOB, reading as many posts as I can to educate myself also. Just confusing because it is new to me though your reply helps a great deal, I appreciate it.

I think this is it

CASE $120
XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103010

POWER SUPPLY $110
PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005

PROCESSOR $190
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037

HARD DRIVE $100
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218

DVD DRIVE $30
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151154

OP SYSTEM $100
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116488

MEMORY $100
OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227199

MOTHERBOARD $150
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150254

VIDEO CARD $190
XFX PVT88PYDD4 GeForce 8800GT XXX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150254

Total $1090 before mail in rebates

2 Questions
1. Is the video card the best for this MOBO or is mobo designed for ATI video card?
2. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Suggestions:

Good build. Don't buy until the new cards are out. They will push prices down across the GPU sector.

I don't know if shadow has any more input re motherboards; P45 vs X48. I'm not convinced I know enough to call it.

P45 will be a great choice. Considering the cost of X48 (~$200+ for a good board), the P45 would be a better choice. Unless planing to do some very heavy OCing you probably won't need X48.

You want a gaming rig correct? Well there ya go. This rig will run cool and overclock nicely. Now take the extra money you saved and put more down than $150 you had originally planned in the first place on a better video card. This way you can get more enjoyment out of your gaming experience.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137 $84.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341010 $84.99 ($59.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate)
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037 $189.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233001 $24.99 ($14.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate)
XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130180 $119.99
MSI P45 Neo3-FR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731 $89.99 ($74.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148136 $79.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106263 $23.99
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 0&Tpk=mx-2 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116204 $94.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM

Total
$890.00
$835.90 w/mail in rebates

Why_me has a good spec there.

I would probably go Corsair or PC Power and cooling for the power supply.

Also take a look at the case and see if you actually like it, because this is what you are going to see every day on your desk!

Jeremy

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005 $109.99 ($99.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate)
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail

+1 for


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137 $84.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037 $189.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233001 $24.99 ($14.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate)
XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130180 $119.99
MSI P45 Neo3-FR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731 $89.99 ($74.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148136 $79.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106263 $23.99
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 0&Tpk=mx-2 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6832116204 $94.99
Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005 $109.99 ($99.99 after $10.00 Mail-In Rebate)
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail

Ok, I appreciate all the help with my build. As stated in beginning, I am NOOB to building a computer and trying to educate myself in the process.

I have what I believe to be my final choices.
I don't know how to overclock-yet but think I left the capability with my choices.
I run a Gateway FPD2275W 22" Monitor LCD HD-ready, max rez 1680x1050, I plan on getting another later.
I also have an old CRT Gateway VX900 that I will scrap later.
I play BF2, WOW, Flight sim, C&C, Fear, RB6, etc...
I want to do some video processing.

CASE $120
XCLIO A380BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103010
I like the look. I think it will keep my rig cool.

POWER SUPPLY $110
PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, cUL, CE, CB, TUV - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005
I think it is a tier 2 and can handle all the components.
Does it have all the connections I need?

MOTHERBOARD $150
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128344
I want PCIE 2.0. Is that recommended?
I want the 16GB memory capacity just in case.
Does anyone recommend the MSI P45 Neo3 over this one?

PROCESSOR $190
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037
Good bang for buck in my overall budget

MEMORY $90
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731
As recommended by others......

HARD DRIVE $100
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218
Is the Seagate Barracuda a better or faster drive?

VIDEO CARD $230
XFX PVT88GYDD4 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Re