OK guys, this is my first experience building a completely new pc completely from scratch.
I've done drive replacements, card replacements, processor removals, but putting it all together seems quite daunting.
Don't worry though, I'll be using Google as my main guide to build it, but I wanted some quality TFP input as to the guts of this franken-machine.
OK, first things first. A case. I have no space issues, so I think an ATX mid tower should do fine, right? Basically I need it to fit stuff and let air through with no problems, correct?
How about this?
My friend might give me his old case.
OK, now the important stuff. We need a motherboard and a compatible processor. Are there ever any decent deals on combos of these together? I want to use my computer for games, so is the LGA 775 a good socket to go with?
Are there any other issues I should be aware of? Maybe some processors are better, harder to cool, more likely to fail, etc??? I think this is the part I'm most intimidated with. Dual core? Quad core?
Or is AMD better? What's a good deal?
-OK, also important is the video card. I was thinking this:
EVGA GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
Will the motherboard allow me to get another later and run them in SLI?
What are some of the things I need to know about SLI, compatibilty issues, can I only use it with the same type of card?
Do I need a special type of motherboard for it? Is an ATX mid big enough for two of these??
I was thinking of spending the money on a second GPU later, maybe when prices are even lower and I can afford spending money again.
Power supply? I need to power a video card, with the possibility of needing to power two in SLI later on. Do I need 650W? more? Does the brand matter at all?
Ram, I figure, is the easiest. I'll probably start out with 4 gigs, because it's dirt cheap now. Hard drive is also probably something I can figure out on my own.
I have an old sound card lying around, should still work. And a monitor, a 17in Dell which will be fine for now.
Am I forgetting anything important? Any advice? Any good deal you're aware of? As this is a learning experience for me, I must add that I'm quite excited to build my own war machine. And also, I will try and take detailed pictures of the building process, with steps written as I go through them.
Before I forget, I'm looking to spend about $500-600, is this feasible, if I decide I only need one GPU for now?