I am trying out building a computer for the first time. Here is what I have so far and I thought it would be a good idea to run it by some people who are obviously more knowledgeable than I am.. Basically, I'm looking for a fairly decent setup in the $1,000-$1,500 range (including monitor and potentially speakers, but I haven't found speakers yet), used mostly for multimedia stuff and gaming. The setup here is on the lower end of that spectrum, so any upgrades that would help it out a lot are certainly welcome.
One specific question I do have is the video card, I'd definitely be willing to splurge a bit on that. I was thinking of possibly doing two GeForce GTX 260s instead of this Radeon I have listed?
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Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128392
Video card - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814102801
Memory - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231223
HD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136284
DVD - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827136152
Case - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129042
Monitor - ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824236052
Power Supply - Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817153023
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819103674
Microsoft SideWinder X5 Black USB Mouse
Logitech G11 Silver & Black USB Standard Gaming Keyboard
____
1. Budget: $1000-1500
2. Brands: Any
3. Multitasking: Maybe have a game going with some internet and music going in the background, but not much more than that.
4. Gaming: A decent amount of gaming, mostly new games. A decent amount of online games as well
5. Calculations: Limited media encoding, but certainly possible
6. Overclocking: I doubt it
7. Storage: Storing a good bit of music and backups of old games. 1TB seems good for me.
8. Legacy Support: Nope
9. Operating System: I'd love some advice on this. Is it best to stay with XP? go to Vista? Go directly to 7 as of now?
10. Case: Up for any comments here
11. Accessories: I am getting a mouse and keyboard, but not as concerned with that
12. Recycled Components: Nope
13. Monitor: Want a decent monitor, but I don't need it to be absurdly large or wonderful
14. Stores: Open to suggestions, the components I list are all from newegg
15. Location: USA
One specific question I do have is the video card, I'd definitely be willing to splurge a bit on that. I was thinking of possibly doing two GeForce GTX 260s instead of this Radeon I have listed?
______
Mobo - GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813128392
Video card - SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814102801
Memory - G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820231223
HD - Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822136284
DVD - LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827136152
Case - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129042
Monitor - ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16824236052
Power Supply - Thermaltake TR2 W0070RUC 430W ATX12V Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16817153023
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGIBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819103674
Microsoft SideWinder X5 Black USB Mouse
Logitech G11 Silver & Black USB Standard Gaming Keyboard
____
1. Budget: $1000-1500
2. Brands: Any
3. Multitasking: Maybe have a game going with some internet and music going in the background, but not much more than that.
4. Gaming: A decent amount of gaming, mostly new games. A decent amount of online games as well
5. Calculations: Limited media encoding, but certainly possible
6. Overclocking: I doubt it
7. Storage: Storing a good bit of music and backups of old games. 1TB seems good for me.
8. Legacy Support: Nope
9. Operating System: I'd love some advice on this. Is it best to stay with XP? go to Vista? Go directly to 7 as of now?
10. Case: Up for any comments here
11. Accessories: I am getting a mouse and keyboard, but not as concerned with that
12. Recycled Components: Nope
13. Monitor: Want a decent monitor, but I don't need it to be absurdly large or wonderful
14. Stores: Open to suggestions, the components I list are all from newegg
15. Location: USA