First Build, Casual Gamer

[Senjo]

Hi there,

I'm trying to get parts together so I can build a nice computer for my casual gamer needs. I don't need anything too hardcore, just something good enough to play The Sims 3 and all of its future expansion packs. I would still need it to play my Sims and Sims 2 games as well (so my OS will be XP)

These are the things I had in mind to buy:

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

GPU: EVGA 512-P3-N973-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

PSU: XIGMATEK MC NRP-MC651 650W ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V Ver. 2.92 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

Ram: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ

Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

I'm a complete beginner so all my knowledge comes from looking up info 10+ hours a day for a month. Are all the components compatible and good enough for what I want to do? or is it too much? I want something good enough that will last me awhile, but if I can buy something cheaper that will fulfill my needs and save money that would be good too.

Thanks for the help.

 

[philbar71]

Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies

spend the extra $10 on this PSU.

that video card is overpriced for what you get,

Newegg.com - XFX HD-485X-YDFC Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

OR

Newegg.com - EVGA 512-P3-1150-TR GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

basically both of the cards i picked out perform about* the same. and will both wipe the floor with that 9800GT

 

[Senjo]

Would the Motherboard I picked support those two Video cards? and would I need a extra fan to cool them? Thanks!

 

[philbar71]

the mobo will and PSU will work with either of those cards i suggested. but you cant use both cards at once. and the stock cooling will suffice.

 

[Senjo]

Cool. So the rest of the stuff I picked (like the CPU, Ram, and Case) is okay?

Also, I was reading reviews saying how big the GTS 250 was. Will that really fit on the micro ATX MoBo?

Thanks a lot for all the help. I'm really excited.