[Underwood]

I know you guys see a lot of these threads, so I hope I'm not being really annoying here and that some of you actually like helping out guys like me. Your help is much appreciated. I mainly ask, because I'm not really sure on how to know whats compatible with what.

I'm planning my first build and here's what I'm looking for:

-I don't need the cheapest case you can find. Something that has plenty of vents, space, and convenience along with sharp looks is good.
-I need a machine that will run Photoshop or Illustrator + multitasking with no problem.
-I'm not a big gamer, but I like to play CounterStrike Source, WoW, the GTA series, and I'd like to give some new games a shot as well.
-I don't have a big preference as far as Intel vs. AMD, though I want 2 or 4 cores.
-I don't plan on buying everything at once, so there's no need to go bottom of the barrel price-wise, but I don't need the most extreme top-end (expensive) stuff around.
-I have an external HD for my music and video files, so I don't really need a TB of space. 250 to 300 is fine.
-I'm thinking about 4GB of memory.
-I have Windows XP already, plus a mouse, keyboard, and monitor(which I'll replace later).
-I don't want to ever buy another pre-built, so upgradeability is important.
-I'm not sure upgradeability is even a word.

A couple of questions:
-Should I upgrade to Vista or just wait for Windows 7? I like XP fine, but will staying with it hinder anything with new equipment?
-What should I do to protect myself against static electricity during the build?

[Fat.Clown]

is your XP 64 bit?
32 bit will only use ~3GB of memory

protect yourself by not working on carpet.
touch the unpainted metal part of the case to discharge yourself first.

I'd most def. go with 4 cores

since you aren't buying everything at once.
here is a general outline of what I'd suggest

case is personal choice
Q6600
P35 board
8800GS
4GBs of DDR2 800
450VX

XP will run just fine

[Underwood]

Thanks a bunch for the help, Fat.clown. I was already looking at that Q6600, so I'm glad you recommend it. I don't think I have the 64x version of XP, so I'll head on over to the software section of the board to figure that part out.

I've also done a little rethinking about buying everything bit by bit. I'll probably just price everything and then set aside cash to buy the parts all at once. I'd really rather not find out at the end that my processor or motherboard would have been cheaper had I not bought it earlier than everything else, you know?

Also, thanks for the tip on the static electricity. Alternatively, would you recommend buying a wrist strap for that?

[Underwood]

Okay, I think I'm going to go ahead and move up to Vista, since I can get it for 30 bucks at the college where I work. As far as the motherboard goes, I am looking at this one:

ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

My question about it is this: The memory standard on it says "DDR2 1066". Does that mean I have to have that kind of memory, or just that it handles that as well as the 800?

With Fat.clown's suggestions, this is the rest of the components I'm looking at:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Processors

EVGA 384-P3-N851-AR GeForce 8800 GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Newegg.com - EVGA 384-P3-N851-AR GeForce 8800 GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Power Supplies

Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

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 ----x 2
Newegg.com - 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 - CD / DVD Burners

Thoughts?

[macdawg]

I would just upgrade to Vista for $30.

DDR2 800 ram will work fine.

I would consider a 9600GT video card, I think they are quite a bit faster and about $20 more expensive

Newegg.com - PALiT NE/9600T+0152 GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

[Puddle Jumper]

I would get this motherboard instead.

Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TForce TP43D2A7 LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

The 8800gs is only slightly slower than the 9600gt so I don't think the 9600gt is worth the price increase.

[SapperX]

Looks really good, make sure you get a 64bit version of vista.

I would say look at a 8800GT for the video card. They are still great and can be found for under $130.

Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-N800-TR GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

[vernong1992]

Originally Posted by Fat.clown

is your XP 64 bit?
32 bit will only use ~3GB of memory

protect yourself by not working on carpet.
touch the unpainted metal part of the case to discharge yourself first.

I'd most def. go with 4 cores

since you aren't buying everything at once.
here is a general outline of what I'd suggest

case is personal choice
Q6600
P35 board
8800GS
4GBs of DDR2 800
450VX

XP will run just fine

Agreed, also holding on to the metal part of the case also protects from Static Electricity

[Underwood]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. This may be a topic for another section of the forum, but since we're talking about it here, I'll ask. I've been reading where a lot of hardware has trouble with Vista x64 because of an issue with their drivers. Is the problem really as bad as I've been led to believe? Would XP x64 be any better or is is strictly a 32 bit vs 64 bit problem?

[Fat.Clown]

I don't know about everyone else, but the only piece of hardware/driver trouble for vista is the creative x-fi sound card. creative = fail in vista.

all other vista drivers seem pretty well supported for my needs.

if a wrist band makes you feel safer, go for it. I've never used one though.

8800gs, 9600gt, 8800gt are all fine, just suggested the gs cause OP said he isn't a big gamer.
on a side note each one seem to cost ~25 more than the previous, I haven't had the chance to experience all 3 so can't justify if the price/performance increase is worth it