[wolfdogrhit]

hey guys this is my first time building so i wanted to get some opinions/ make sure the parts i selected are compatible. i'm just looking to build a generally good computer and i want it to be able to play HD videos i have. Here's the list:

processor -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115037

motherboard -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128372

ram -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231166

video card -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130378

hard drive (i have externals, i'm thinking speed) -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136033

optical drive -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16827136133

case/power supply -
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811156062

thanks a lot guys, please take it easy on me i'm a noob!

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Hello and welcome!

I think everything looks about right. Nothing really stuck out at me when looking it all over.

What are you thinking for a sound card?

Depending on your budget you may want to consider looking at a quad core processor as well. Kind of depends what you want to do with the machine. For videos you will be fine with dual core --- but if you're into gaming, video editing, etc. you may want to consider a quad core. Not a necessity by any means but it's great if you're looking to move forward.

Are you thinking of XP or Vista for an operating system?

Please do keep in mind that while I may think this particular setup looks fine, there are plenty of other individuals who are more experienced than myself. They might find something I didn't. Just throwing it out there. It's always great to have more than one opinion.

Happy building!

[Facedown98]

Hello and welcome!

I think everything looks about right. Nothing really stuck out at me when looking it all over.

What are you thinking for a sound card?

Depending on your budget you may want to consider looking at a quad core processor as well. Kind of depends what you want to do with the machine. For videos you will be fine with dual core --- but if you're into gaming, video editing, etc. you may want to consider a quad core. Not a necessity by any means but it's great if you're looking to move forward.

Are you thinking of XP or Vista for an operating system?

Please do keep in mind that while I may think this particular setup looks fine, there are plenty of other individuals who are more experienced than myself. They might find something I didn't. Just throwing it out there. It's always great to have more than one opinion.

Happy building!

[stettybet0]

A few things did stick out at me.

First, the PSU that comes with that case is awful. You will want to get a separate PSU from a more reputable brand, or get a case/PSU combo from a more reputable brand (though not many reputable companies make case/PSU combos... Antec is the only one that comes to mind). Given a budget, we could help by giving some suggestions.

Second, don't get that Raptor hard drive. The 74GB version is very old technology (relatively speaking), and you can get a 1TB 7200rpm drive that will outperform it for the same price (Samsung F1). If you really want the most speed out of a hard drive, I'd recommend the 300GB VelociRaptor. However, it would make much more sense to put the money towards the rest of the system. For example, as Facedown98 said, if you are into video editing you'd see a nice benefit from upgrading to a quad core CPU, while the benefit of a VelociRaptor would be marginal at best.

[Facedown98]

Honestly, I wasn't crazy about the drive either. There are plenty of others which offer a more balanced solution but like I said --- it kind of depends. Man 74 GB... Could go through that in no time

[wolfdogrhit]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I wasn't sure about the hd really, a friend told me 10k hd's were much better but thanks for the advice. Also, I checked some reviews about the case and I'm now planning on buying a corsair psu, any thoughts on that? I don't really plan on doing much gaming, but is a quad core processor really much better? From what I've heard most applications can't take advantage of that many cores... As far as OS goes, I'm an engineering student and my college has a deal with M$ where we get software for free so I'll probably go with vista until Windows 7 comes out. Thanks for all the advice!

[Facedown98]

Do you have a link for the PSU?

The ones that comes with the cases aren't always brilliant as you can see. I've heard of that brand but do not have anything good/bad to say about them.

The processor was just a suggested upgrade. If you're going to be maxing out your PC due to all these applications running then maybe it's for you. You seem to be more into movie watching and general use --- you probably wouldn't benefit much from it.

[wolfdogrhit]

here the psu i was thinking of:

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139004

[Facedown98]

Sorry you haven't had a response yet... I unfortunately have not worked with Corsair so I can't say much about their brand. The good news is that NewEgg has reviews from others. You might also want to try using Google --- there is bound to be someone who has written a detailed review of the product.

[stettybet0]

Corsair is a terrific PSU manufacturer. Great choice.