Help Determine if this is a Good Build

[Spore]

My friend recently wanted to break into PC gaming (bless him) and he wanted me to help him put together a good, $1,500 rig with room for overclocking and the ability to be built upon in the future (he wanted to eventually go Crossfire or SLI in the future). So I went off to select what I thought were some good parts for him and here is what I got so far.

One of the things I want to know is whether all these fine parts are compatible with each other. Also, I want to know what you think about the monitor chosen. It is 24" which is what he wanted, but he said he would go to 22" if the budget didn't allow for the other one. Also, I'm not too sure about the specifics of the motherboard and if it is a good one for what he is trying to do. The only thing I was really looking at was whether it was Crossfire compatible (if you think he should go with Nvidia, tell me) and worked for the e8500 processor I chose. We were thinking about Quad-core but decided to go for a dual-core and overclock it.

So, am I missing any parts? Are there things like cables or screws that I would need to buy separately from the parts? Is this a good computer for overclocking? Also, is that power supply going to be sufficient if he tries to get another 4870 in the future?

What I've got in mind for him so far:

Power Supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817139006
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819115036
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814102801
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811146041
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231166
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813131297
Thermal Compound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6835100007
CD/DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6827151173
Hard Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148298
Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6824009125
CPU Cooling Fan: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6835186134

Help me, please (:

Edit: One more thing I need to finalize is which OS to purchase him. What is the best version of Vista for gamers? Is the expensive Ultimate version worth it? Thanks :3

[Blues]

Looks fine (and familiar ) except for that video card and case. The case is alright, but those look like the typical cheapo mounting brackets that come with a lot of the lower priced "toolless" midtowers. The fans are also cheap, I'm not familiar with that brand of cases' fans, but they have leds in them. Led fans are always shit, I can't think of any exceptions other than 80mm fans because they're generally so old that they're all on the same level anyways. Also, no firewire ports, and who doesn't love firewire. D: If you're going with midtower, as I always do, I suggest the Coolermaster Centurion 534. Also side panels are a bad choice, too easy to crack/damage them.

The video card is just overpriced. If you're planning on futureproofing/crossfire later on, you don't want a card like that. You want a mid priced card that plays everything currently and in the immediate future with no problems, like the 9800GT which is only about 120$. When it finally doesn't play everything, you grab another for 60-90$, which should be their price by that time, and you're back to playing everything in full. If you buy the 4870, you're paying almost 300$ now, and by the time you need another, they'll still be 150. Granted if he's got the money, by all means get the 4870, it's more powerful and will last him longer, and you'd have to find a new mobo anyways for SLI support.

Oh, and if it's for gaming, just download TinyXP Platinum, don't waste money on an OS. It's XP with SP3 and pre-tweaked to speed it up. If you insist on buying Vista, Home Premium is the best bang for buck at the moment.

[CaffeinePowered]

Ditch the ATI for a real card

[Spore]

Ditch the ATI for a real card

Feel free to reccomend something of similar power that won't blow a hole through his wallet.

Edit: So right now I'm looking at the newer version of the GTX260 with 216 stream processors. He wants very nice amount of power in his system right when he gets it so either this or the 4870 are the choices he wants to be looking at right now. Do youthink this is the way for him to go?

[copulatingduck]

4850 is a much sweeter deal. Much cheaper price for what amounts to only a few FPS less in most games compared to the 4870. You can compare GPU performance here, or get a good suggestion for the price bracket he's looking for here.

Of note: The 4850 is Tom's suggestion for best card at $160, and best card for ~$300 (2 4850's in Crossfire).

[rumsfald]

I won't snipe this build too much, a lot of popular choices even if they aren't all what I would purchase. I don't like the case, though, looks cheap. Go for a name case: Antec, Coolermaster, or Lian Li.

I've had no probs with vista home premium 64 thus far.

[Spore]

I won't snipe this build too much, a lot of popular choices even if they aren't all what I would purchase. I don't like the case, though, looks cheap. Go for a name case: Antec, Coolermaster, or Lian Li.

I've had no probs with vista home premium 64 thus far.

Can do. Also, I also think Vista Home Premium would be the best choice for him. Also, he said that he would be fine with scrapping SLI/Crossfire in favor of a single card. This would probably limit his selection to the aforementioned 4870 and GTX260. Lastly, if anybody has any ideas for the best motherboard for his money then knowing that would be swell too.

Edit: Also, some reccomendations on good fans that will withstand some overclocking would be very helpful. If there is one field I don't know a single thing about, it is fans.

[x]

Edit: Also, some reccomendations on good fans that will withstand some overclocking would be very helpful. If there is one field I don't know a single thing about, it is fans.

I always go with Scythe but I'm after more of a balance between noise and performance.

[Vandamguy]

Are there things like cables or screws that I would need to buy separately from the parts?

this made me lul
+1

[Spore]

Alright, after hours of help and learning, I think I have a solid final build.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811119106
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819115036
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6814130398
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817226002
Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6824009154
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128358
Storage: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148298
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231166
DVD/CD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6827151173
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6832116488
CPU Fan: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6835186134
Thermal Paste: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6835100007
Mouse: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6826104076

Total Cost: About $1300
He already has a keyboard and speaker system so he is good in those areas.
Thanks, Blues.

[Blues]

You best be buying more motherfucking blue leds.

[Spore]

You best be buying more motherfucking blue leds.

I'm mounting a fucking Lite-Brite on this side.

[Honest]

[quote author=Blues link=topic=1838.msg51810#msg51810 date=1227852616]
You best be buying more motherfucking blue leds.

I'm mounting a fucking Lite-Brite on this side.

[/quote]

This will be my final post on the forum, because this is so fucking awesome I am going to break my computer in shame.