Building My New Computer Help

[tommy_11]

Ok, so first off I am fairly knowledgable in the computer field (at least i think so).  Anyway I have decieded to build my own computer for the first time, my other ones crap in a box.  Ok so I have researched basically everything just so I can slightly sound like I know what I am talking about.  

First off I'll list what I am getting (I live in Australia)

• Thermaltake Kandalf case (only really for looks) If you can give me any advice on any other cases that would be great (I want one between 200-300, a lot of ventalation) - $309
• AMD 5200+ X2 cpu   - $610
• 2gb PLATINUM corsair memory 6400 DDR2 (any cheaper alternatives?) - $393
• 500gb hard drive along with my old ones a WD 320gb and something 80GB  - $350
• GeForce 7900gtx graphics card - $400
• tough power power supply - don't know yet
• Asus motherboard (not sure which one yet - any advice greatly appreciated) - hopely less than $400

By the way I am spending my life savings on this so if you can give me any alternatives or some advice, please give it to me.

Now if these questions are completely stupid then please tell me.  
Ok my idiot question is do I have to buy a sound card if I have already got the 7900gtx?  Also do I have to buy a tv tuner?

and I believe that is it, thanks in advance.

[homer]

- basically any case that has a fan on the front of the comp, on the side, and on the rear, will have good ventilation.
-processor looks good, it will be one of the things that you have to take into consideration before purchasing a mobo. some processors dont work with certain mobos.
-RAM looks good
-video card looks good. you might even think about getting 2 of them to run in SLI if your budget is large enough.
-hard drives sound a bit excessive, i really dont believe you will be needing 900gb of storage space. an added note on larger harddrives, they tend to have lesser life span then smaller ones. (small being around 120gb).
- you may want to get a large power supply that can support 2 vid cards, so even if you dont plan immediatly on getting 2 vid cards, the option is there.
- get a mobo that supports SLI and the processor that you chose. make sure it can also handle at least 4 gb's of RAM.

as for your other questions, the vid card is not a sound card and therefore cannot be used as one. depending on your mobo you may need to buy a sound card. (many mobos now come with onboard surround sound. it also depends again how much you wish to spend and your standards on audio quality.)

i will need some clarification on your second question. do you wish to watch tv on your monitor? or record tv to your comp? or both?

[tommy_11]

both

[homer]

then yes, you will need a tv tuner.

im not an expert on tv tuners so i will refer you to this site. http://dvr.about.com/od/capturetvwithacomputer/tp/toppick1.htm

their top pick is ATI TV Wonder.

i do know that USB tuners tend to produce lower quality recordings and can also cause "choppiness".

[tommy_11]

thanks a bunch

[homer]

no problem. Merry Christmas!!!!!

[tommy_11]

you too

[Neil]

Consider having two eg 450gb harddrives rather than one 900gb one? At least then if one fails, you'll have the other one.

[Track]

Ok, so first off I am fairly knowledgable in the computer field (at least i think so).  Anyway I have decieded to build my own computer for the first time, my other ones crap in a box.  Ok so I have researched basically everything just so I can slightly sound like I know what I am talking about.  

First off I'll list what I am getting (I live in Australia)

• Thermaltake Kandalf case (only really for looks) If you can give me any advice on any other cases that would be great (I want one between 200-300, a lot of ventalation) - $309
• AMD 5200+ X2 cpu   - $610
• 2gb PLATINUM corsair memory 6400 DDR2 (any cheaper alternatives?) - $393
• 500gb hard drive along with my old ones a WD 320gb and something 80GB  - $350
• GeForce 7900gtx graphics card - $400
• tough power power supply - don't know yet
• Asus motherboard (not sure which one yet - any advice greatly appreciated) - hopely less than $400

By the way I am spending my life savings on this so if you can give me any alternatives or some advice, please give it to me.

Now if these questions are completely stupid then please tell me.  
Ok my idiot question is do I have to buy a sound card if I have already got the 7900gtx?  Also do I have to buy a tv tuner?

and I believe that is it, thanks in advance.

Not very good at all if ur spending so much on it..

Case - Just get a cheap one, it dosent matter

CPU - A Core 2 Duo is the ONLY CPU worth buying now. The 5200+ isnt even as good as the E6300 wich costs less than 200$ in the US. I reccomand the E6400.

RAM - You dont need DDR2-800 RAM, DDR2-667 (pc2-5300) will do fine. And try to buy a cheaper brand than Corsair, such as Kingston.. same memory for less.

HDD - Best value by far is 250GB. I reccomend buying 2 of these.

Graphics Card - The ONLY thing that truly matters. The 7900 GTX is NOT a good card. It is costy and not worth even half of it's price. You should buy the X1950XT, as u can no longer find the 7900 GTO.
The X1950XT is the best card on earth other than the 8800 GTS/GTX and it only costs 250$. Its amazing.
Remmember, spend as much money as u possibly can on the GPU!

Motherboard - SLi/Crossfire motherboard. Depends on if u want to buy the X1950XT or the 8800 GTX.
Buy a single GPU now and another in a while and have them work together.

PSU - ToughPower is the way to go, great choice. 550w will sufice for the X1950XT. 600w will do for the 8800 GTX, and i would get the 650w for future SLi/Crossfire.