This is my first build. With the prices of gaming machines reaching astronomical levels I would rather sink my teeth into building my own rig. Would you be so kind to overlook the build and give some suggests to whether the parts are compatible or issues you might see from your experience?
My current setup (Alienware)
Processor : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.40GHz, 2.41GHz
Memory : Kingston 1 gig (2x512)
Video : ATI ALL-IN-WONDER
Sound Card : Creative SB Audigy
Motherboard : ASUS P4PE ACPI
Hard Drive : 80.1GB, ST380023A
Speakers/Headphones : Logitech 5.1 / Plantronics DSP400
Monitor: Viewsonic VA720
OS: Windows XP Home SP2
What I am looking to build…
Motherboard
Asus P5B Intel Socket 775 ATX Motherboard
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2366120&CatId=0
Price: $129.00
Processor
Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 2.66GHz
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2341564&Tab=0&NoMapp=0
$579.99
Memory
Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz E.P.P. Memory (2 x 1024)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2206874&CatId=2261
Price: $246.99
Hard Drive
Western Digital 500GB SATA-300 Hard Drive (3.5â€)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2795126&Tab=2&NoMapp=0
Price: $149.99
Optical Drive
LiteOn Super-Multi Internal 20x DVD±R Lightscribe Drive
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2665639&Sku=L12-1124
Price: $49.99
Video Card
EVGA GeForce® 8800 GTX 768MB PCI Express
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2597917&Sku=E145-8000
Price: $569.99
Case
NZXT Apollo
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2477938&CatId=1842
$69.99
Power Supply
OCZ GameXStream 700-Watt Power Supply
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2235424&Tab=0&NoMapp=0
Price: $134.99
OS
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2765089&Sku=M17-2512Price:
$399.99
Questions
#1 How do you correctly figure out the right Power Supply you need? I want enough power but I don’t want to overkill. Do I have the appropriate amount or do I need to increase/decrease my wattage?
#2 Am I missing an additional cables/connectors that might not be included? Something you have ran into before that prevents any unnecessary downtime.
#3 Is my cooling adequate for the hardware being installed? Do I need to look at increasing my cooling capabilities?