Squeezing the most out of my Christmas loot.

[Danly]

I know this forum doesn't need another rate my build thread.. but I'm pretty new to custom builds, and could use a few pointers. I've got around 850$ to spend before I go back to school on the 9th, and I'll be needing a new processor, mobo, ram, video card, and harddrive. I've been scouring the reviews here, which are very helpful.
So far, I've come up with:

ASUS A8N-E Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard $109.99

eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 $299.00

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3200BPBOX $165.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) $75.50
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822145088">
HITACHI Deskstar T7K250 HDT722516DLA380 (0A31637) 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s $80.00</a>

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN ATX12V 450W Power Supply $49.99

$779.00 total

I'm pretty set on the processor, I was hoping to OC it a bit. Definitely want the 7800GT, but i'm not too sure about the mobo ram or harddrive. I've already got 2 120GB storage drives lying around, so I dont really need the space, but I'd like a harddrive that performs decent. I've also got a 350w Antec psu lying around, but I'm thinking that may not be enough for the 7800GT. Let me know what you guys think.

In case you're wondering, my last system was a 2500+, ABIT NF7-S and a 9700 pro.

Edit: changed the motherboard, don't think I'll be buying another 7800GT in the future. Also, I was looking at the Mid-Range buyers guide and they recommended the DFI nForce4 Ultra Infinity (939). It looks pretty much the same as the Foxconn I'm thinking about but I've never had a mobo by either of these companies.

 

[wpshooter]

If you purchase all of that and don't get a new higher capacity power supply, I predict problems in your future !!!

 

[Heligrin]

Originally posted by: wpshooter
If you purchase all of that and don't get a new higher capacity power supply, I predict problems in your future !!!

 

[GamerExpress]

Originally posted by: wpshooter
If you purchase all of that and don't get a new higher capacity power supply, I predict problems in your future !!!

QFT

 

[halw]

For a bit more you can get an ASUS A8N-e mobo. And you most assuridly need a better PSU.

 

[Danly]

Thanks for the suggestions, after a day of head scratching I decided to get the FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN ATX12V 450W Power Supply, from what I've read it seems like a good deal of power for what I'm planning and its damn cheap! Also after reading some comments at the egg about the Foxconn NF4UK8AA-8EKRS, I decided to go with the ASUS A8N-E. The A8N-E seems to have a bit better room to OC the Venice 3200+. I also changed the harddrive to the HITACHI Deskstar T7K250 160GB just because it seems a bit faster in gaming than the WD2500KS 250GB, and I really don't need any more storage. Are the new Deskstar's still going by "Deathstar" or have they lived down that rep? Changed the ram to CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) just because it was a little cheaper, and from what I read it OC's decently. I'm definitely open to any more suggestions as far as harddrives and ram.

 

[alimoalem]

i'd go back to western digital and get the 16mb cache version. even if the hitachi does beat it, it will be by very little and lose by far everywhere else

 

[Spike]

I have the T7k250 250gb SATA II and I love it. VERY quiet and it preforms among the best SATA drives out there. Not as fast as the 16mb WD but definitly alot cheaper.

-spike