new001

So, my family has been using Macs for a while, but now my brother and I would like to start playing some more PC games (EVE, The Old Republic, etc.). However, we were screwed by Apple when we bought our iMac G5 Christmas '05, and three days after the "Holiday Return Date," Apple released Intel Macs that could actually do something. So, before my parents go and buy another Mac, I want to present to them a custom Windows build. So: this is what I've come up with, and I was wondering if you guys would be so kind as to give advice or point out things I've missed/messed up:

AMD Phenom II 905e Deneb, 2.5GHz ($195)- We're not hardcore environmentalists, but the 65w version is a must.

ASUS Crossfire Motherboard ($200)- This or the M4A79T. I was planning on using that PCI slot for a Wireless Adapter, however.

Seagate Barracuda ES.2, 7200RPM 260GB SATA ($75)-We don't stuff our HD with too much stuff. Our current 250GB drive has only used 67 GB.

OCZ AMD Platinum 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM ($90)- I was wondering if this would work with the MoBo, as this is standard 1600 and the Crosshair has 1600 as an overclock speed...

ASUS ATI Radeon HD 4870, 1GB DDR5 with HDMI-out ($160)- GDDR5 sounds like the stuff! Dark Night cooler, too.

Antec P183 Black ($140)- More expensive case, but it looks schweet. Plus some nice cooling features.

Corsair 80 Plus Certified Power Supply ($80)- Changed, thank you.

Antec 120mm Case Fan x2 ($20)- To fill out the two fans that don't come with the case. This might be loud and/or too much cooling...

OCZ Freeze Thermal Compound ($6)- Changed for more effective product.

Samsung DVD/CD drive ($30)- I don't see Blu-Ray being a necessity anytime soon for software.

LG 23" 2ms 1080p monitor ($210)- Changed for cheaper and better product. Thanks!

JBL Duet 2.0 Speakers ($50)-My sister has these for her laptop, and I'm a fan. My only regret is that the black ones only sell in Europe in Euro prices and trans-continental shipping. Phooey.

Spectre Gaming Keyboard ($20)- Is everything on the Creative Website always out of stock? I found this one in my old Wired issue. Too bad the RAZER Tarantula is so darn expensive.

Creative Gamer Mouse ($50)- This or the Logitech G5, but I thought I'd make my mouse and keyboard the same brand anyway...

Windows 7 Home Premium ($200)- Why does one of the most expensive parts have to be a CD or two?

All of these components, an anti-static wrist strap, some games, and headphones. That's about $1650 total, not counting any sales or combo deals. That's about $100 or so more than we'd pay for a Mac with much worse specs. So... I don't think I'm missing anything for a scratch computer. Any help would be appreciated, and thanks in advance!

sccrfreak342

I, for one, would get a nice Samsung monitor over the one you've chosen. Why not go with this one, save some money, and get a bigger screen?

Sccrfreak342

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Juggalo23451

OCZ Freeze,IC Diamond, MX-2 thermal paste is better than AS5.

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sayu

no dedicated gpu? aww shucks

MisterAutomatic

I would suggest, IC Diamond 7 thermal paste. For the mouse I would either go with the Logitech G9, Razer Death Adder, or the Cyber Snipa: http://www.xoxide.com/flexiglow-cybe...ope-mouse.html

I think you can find a much better deal on a monitor. $300 for 1920x1080? I don't even think its a gloss screen.

What about this monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824005125

Free shipping, more money in your pocket 50000:1 contrast ratio, and its LG! Take the money you save, get an extra hdd and raid it up.

If you can go a little more on the GPU how about the Sapphire 4870 Toxic: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=toxic&x=0&y=0

I hope some of these can help. Everything else looks tip-top to me.

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Who the hell is disturbing my Kung Fu/??!!

[H]

i would definately look for better speakers, something with a sub maybe these
and i also think you could get a better deal on a samsung or lg monitor
edit: i personally have always had problems getting 64 bit drivers for pci wireless adapters, i eventually just got a linksys usb adapter after failing with a netgear and linksys pci adapter

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My friends call me H, but you can abbreviate it if you want.

mdogg

check out this monitor deal:
http://www.techdealdigger.com/pr/che...tor-deals/1477

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new001

Yeah, it's on there. ATI Radeon HD4870.

Things I should change: Wireless Adapter, Thermal Paste, Monitor (I'd like an IPS LED, but I don't want my monitor costing more than my computer. :P That new LG sounds promising, though, and this won't happen at least until Windows 7 release, so maybe...), and a 2.1 speaker set-up.

Thanks a lot! Also, which power supply would you guys recommend? 500w, 650w, or 750w. I wanna stay in the EarthWatts series, so keep it between those three, please. Thanks again!

[H]

the 500 watt is probably plenty, but if you might want to consider the others for sake of upgrade-ability

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My friends call me H, but you can abbreviate it if you want.

mdogg

you don't neccessarily have to stay with antec and the earthwatts line. Any 80 Plus power supply would do the trick. Plus, I feel that the earthwatts are a bit outdated (multiple 12V rails). I check out the 80 plus other options, notably corsair.

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Some stuff I made

Good Linux Users Don’t Talk About Microsoft

Really, I’m not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.– Linus Torvalds