[Rapolyne]

Hello - I'm currently building my first computer.

I've picked out the parts, though I'm not entirely sure if I made the right choices.

Case

Motherboard

Video Card

Power

CPU

Memory (x2, 8gb total)

Hard Drive

Keyboard

Monitor

Mouse

CD/DVD

Sound Card

Speakers

The total price including shipping is $1,531.

--If you could give me your opinion of my choices, I'd appreciate any advice you can offer.
--Some specifics questions: a) will the the parts fit the in the case; b) is the power supply sufficient; c) will this video card allow my to play Crysis max settings?


Thanks so much for reading.

[Carbon]

My objections would be to the:

- 2.1 sound system (get 5.1 if you can fit the speakers in the room you'll be putting this in)
- the case (900 is horrible by comparison with modern cases, a high end case that's pretty good is the Coolermaster Cosmos 1010, if not that grab a Antec P182)
- the quad (why?)
- the crappy nVidia chipset motherboard (you won't need to SLI any time soon, grab a P45 for 100% less SATA data corruption and a northbridge that doesn't heat up to a temperature that could fuse hydrogen)
- the HDD (that 500GB is triple platter, this 640gb is dual platter, higher platter density = much faster speed, worth the extra money)
- the keyboard (do not underestimate this, a nice keyboard is a great investment. You don't have to spend a lot here, a Saitek Eclipse is good. If you like the Logitech, get that one, but it's something you don't want to skimp on as you'll be using it for a while.)
- and maybe the memory (if you end up getting a E8400 or higher, you'll hit the theoretical well at 4.7ghz, the E8600 can go 5.0ghz on a good motherboard and you might as well get two pairs of this for cheaper)

The rest looks great, except for the weird text alignment (is this only on my browser?) The GTX 260 variant with the extra cores is pretty damn good. The MX518 is an excellent mouse. PSU is solid, sound card is OK (though there's some better ones in the $150-$200 high-end range, mostly people don't care that much about their sound).

Nothing will run Crysis at max settings at an acceptable resolution and framerate. Thankfully, the reason Crysis runs like crap isn't because it's a reflection of future hardware needs, but because it's badly optimized. I suggest you use Far Cry 2 as a benchmark - it's quickly becoming one of the best ones because it scales so well to higher-end hardware, rather than Crysis running at 30fps on everything or Call of Duty 4 running at 60fps on everything. In that respect, you'll be able to max FC2 at 1920x1200 no problem.

[thingie2]

Firs of all, mainly at Dave: Is there meant to be a Google ads this in the middle of that post?

Back to the computer:

Case: A very good choice, you may decide oyu want the Antec 1200 (the 900's bigger brother) just so you have more space to work in, and for the better ventilation, but the 900 is a very good case.

Motherboard: Unless you are actually requiring SLI support, it's a bad decision, the 780i chipsets get very hot, and aren't anything spectacular, I would recommend a P45 or an X48 chipset.

GFX card: the GTX260 216 cores, is a good card, don't get me wrong, but you can have an even better card, for less, if you go for the ATI HD4870.

PSU: Very good choice, I wouldn't change that at all. It may be slightly more than you will probably need, but there is no harm in that, and the next modular down (the 520W) would be a little close to full load.

CPU: Depending on what you want to do with this computer, I'm assuming it's gaming, as you have a very good graphics card there, if this is the case, an E8500 would perform better in games, if however you are doing movie encoding etc, then the Quad would be better.

RAM: Good choice, just make sure you have a 64bit OS for all that RAM.

HDD: The Western Digital 640GB drives are among the best, and are only a little more, I advise to go with one of those.

Keyboard: From what I have found, there isn't rearly a right or wrong for a keyboard, it all depends on what you like, if you like firm, clicky keys, a soft one, won't do, and visa-versa, I personally love my Logitech G15, it has very nice keys, but it cost me equivalent of about $100, but that's because it has an LCD screen and other special features. Again, it just depends what you like.

Monitor: Looks like a good one, and the majority of reviews are at 5 stars, but monitors aren't my speciality, so I don't just know if there is a perfect monitor.

Mouse: I've seen very good reviews on that mouse, a very good choice.

Optical drive: I think I have seen a few slightly faster drives around, but it's up to you if you want the spend the extra cash for it. Also, that drive doesn't do lightscribe, it's not a downside for everyone, as most people probably won't use lightscribe much, and when they do it will only be because they can, not because they need to, again, it's up to you if you feel you need the ability for it.

Sound card: I would recommnd the X-Fi, but it has compatibility issues with 64bit OS, so it seems like that card should be a good choice.

Speakers: I would say you would want to invest more than that in some speakers if your getting a good sound card, however if you are going for those speakers, I would ditch the sound card, and just go with the onboard Audio, they aren't actually that bad.


Now for your questions:
a) Should be fine, yea, however, like I mentioned above, you might want to go with the bigger brother, just so you have a little more space.
b) Mentioned above, but I'll repeat, yes that PSu should be plenty.
c) Like I mentioned above, the 4870 will perform better. I'm not sure about the graphics options, but according to these review results, it can play them at very high quite well:

(source)


Also, something I would like to add, I would also recommend an aftermarket cooler, like this one, whichever CPU you end up going for, as it will keep it cooler, and quieter.