I have just recently delved into building a desktop, and this is what I am thinking so far. I was just wodnering if anyone sees compatability issues, or just bad choices period. I don't need a hardcore gaming pc, but I want to play relatively recent games.

Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB SATA...maybe just 250
MOBO: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe
Processor: AMD athlon 64x2 5000+ AM2
ASUS EN8800GT GeForce (either 512 or 1GB...more than likely just the 512)...possibly 2 for dual video cards
Optical Drive: Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7190S 20x DVD+/- | RW
Case: NZXT Apollo (Black)..came with free 550W power supply
OS: Vista Ultimate (32-bit)

as far as sound, I want something 5.1...any suggestions?

I know I need RAM, a monitor, etc. I only really care what people think of the 'real' components. Comments are appreciated...as long as it's kept nice.

Thanks!

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All seems ok to me, although I would stay clear of Western Digital Hard Drives as they tend to be unreliable.

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know any good HD companies that are in a similar price range as western digital?

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WD's fine for me [touch wood], but also consider Seagate. Don't touch Hitachi or Maxtor.

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normally, i would just do premium, but my friend has a legit copy of ultimate and said he would give it to me since I'm actually learning to do this stuff (he does it, too, and wants someone to talk to about it). Thanks for the comments so far, guys

Another question...how does the whole dual video cards thing work...does it benefit you on just one single compy, or is it more for having dual monitors or more? Also, do they have to be identical?

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Here's my specs for about or around $600.00. (OS $185) And you don't need Ultimate!

AMD 4800+, Biostar TF7050, 2 gigs mem, 8600gt 256mb,2x WD 120gigs
Lite-On DVDRW LH-20A 1L SATA, Vista Ultimate, Bitdefender IE Security.

I can play Oblivion Maxed out at 1024x768 (monitor only goes that high) Not bad for a cheap system. Also,
I've used WD hard drive for 3 years, and never had any problems. You can get a 160Gig for around $50.I recomend 2 drives. Make sure you get at least 2 sticks (1gig each) of mem that are the same, so you can use Duel channel. They have to be the same.
As for your GPU, maybe a 8800gt 768mb. It has a lot more power and speed than mine if you need it. And since
your going for X2, i would recomend the top processor 6400. Or, you can get a motherboard that supports both
X2 and Phenom chips. Make sure to check that MB supports max HT for the phenom. I haven't checked out the MB
you have chosen but should be AM2+. I use Newegg.com all the time. You should be able to find some good deals there!
Remember, if you use 2 8800GTs, you will also need alot of power. And to be honest, most games do not
need all that much power unless your a fanatic for details. Frame rates in the range of 30-60 are fine. My Oblivion
AVG is 48fps( low-34, high 68 outside). You don't need 100+fps to play any game!

Thanks, Sammy. Do you think the 550 that'll come with it will be enough power should I choose to do dual video cards?

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The two cards are not needed, unless your trying to impress someone. First off, are you building this machine mostly for games? Anyways, yes 550watts should be enough for SLI. Nvidia recomends 400 watts Min., 22a, 12volts for one card. I think at least 600w power supply would be better under a heavy load.
Now, Those power supply specs are for the entire system, not just the video card. If you did not have that duel core I would say you would be fine as you have about 30A of +12 available (I did not look up you power supply but typcially due to the Total Power Output ratings you would not get all of the 18A + 18A = 36A of 12V power.

we can worst case it, the new PCI-E 2.0 spec allows 300Watt per device installed in a slot. Thats 300/12 = 25A.

However up to 75W is supplied by the power going to the slot itself, leaving 225W max through the PCI-e power connector from the power supply. The slot power comes from the motherboard power connector and/or the aux 12V so 225/12 = 18.75A absolute max current draw for a PCI-e connector going to a single video card. (This assumes the video card bothers to conform to the spec)

I seem to remember one of the 8800GT reviews saying the card draws about 130W which is about 10A.

So the bottem line is do you really need two cards? For now I'd just use one and see how things run. Save some
$$$$. Next year, you may want two cards with the newer games and the prices will drop on those cards.

The dual video cards are not of a lot of importance for me..I'd just like to be ready for when i DO choose to use them.

The compy will not be solely for games, but I do want to play ones that are pretty recent.

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