Looking to buy/build a computer

Re: Looking to buy/build a computer

I would check this guide over at The Tech Report. They compile good computer builds for certain price ranges every couple months. You'll probably be looking in between "The Utility Player" and "the Sweeter Spot," since the former is $800 and the latter is $1200.

As for the parts you've listed, it looks good based on a cursory glance. The E8500 is fantastic for gaming, and the 4850 video card is also pretty nice for your price range. 4 gig RAM, standard. I didn't check the specifics of your mobo or anything so I don't know about the specific features, so I'll just give you a few questions that you need to be able to answer to your own satisfaction:

1) Are all the parts compatible with each other? (e.g., don't try to install an AMD processor in an Intel mobo)
2) Do all the parts have the features I want? (E.g., are there enough USB/Firewire ports on the mobo, does it have front-panel audio and USB, etc)
3) Am I paying for anything I don't really want?
4) Will my chosen power supply be able to handle everything I want to put in?
5) Will the case fit everything I want to put in?
6) Do I have the necessary things outside the tower? (Mouse, keyboard, OS, monitor, speakers, etc.)
7) Am I going to be able to install everything myself, or do I have a way of getting everything installed?

Basically ask these and other common sense questions and you should be fine. If you're a first-time computer builder, there are some good guides out on the Internet about how to generally put everything together. But if you know anyone who has built a computer before, enlist their help, since you don't want to spend $800 on a machine that doesn't do anything because you discharged static into the processor or didn't put the RAM in correctly.