Building my first system

[Cloud7734]

I just got a well-paying job and have decided to put aside money each month to buy all the parts I want for a custom computer. I plan on building it myself. Since it's my first time, I would like to make sure I'm not going to be making any mistakes. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Below are the components I'll be purchasing within a year's time and the links to their page. I'm buying all the parts on TigerDirect.com because the majority of the parts I wanted were cheaper there, so I decided to just get all the parts from them.
Here are the components along with brief explanation on why I'm getting it:

Case: Xion Solaris Black/Green ATX Mid-Tower Case with Clear Side, Front USB and Audio Ports and 450-Watt Power Supply (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1786776&Sku=A406-1054): I don't need anything amazing with a case, but I also didn't want a plain black box, lol. The power supply should support all the components I will have. I am a little worried about it being only 450-Watt however.

Motherboard: Asus M3N78 Pro Motherboard - Socket AM2+ GeForce 8300, ATX, HDMI, SATA, Gbit Lan, Hybrid SLI (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4364483&Sku=A455-2866): I prefer AMD processors to Intel so I wanted a mobo that would support a great AMD.

Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition Quad Core, 3.00GHz, 6MB Cache, 1800MHz FSB, Socket AM2+, with fan (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4330959&Sku=CP1-AM2-940): Again, I like AMD and 3.00GHz is plenty fast for me :)

Memory: Corsair Dual Channel TWINX 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz (2 x 2048MB) (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3228139&Sku=C13-6082): I first made the mistake of selecting DDR3 memory because it's newer and, as far as I know, faster, but then I realized that the motherboard didn't support it.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB HD, 7200 RPM, 32MB, SATA-300 (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4131881&Sku=TSD-1000AS2): I honestly just wanted a 7200 RPM hard drive that was over 500GB and found this one for $90.

Graphics Card: Galaxy GeForce 9600 GT, 1GB DDR3, PCI Express 2.0, SLI Ready, DVI, HDTV, HDMI (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4114035&Sku=G458-9608): I realize that this is just a pretty version of an old model, but it's got plenty of video ram. The only thing I'm not sure on is if the DDR3 on the graphics card will or will not be compatible with the motherboard.

Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer PCI Sound Card (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2687632&Sku=C44-3350): I'm not big on sound cards and such, so I didn't want to spend too much money on one and find out later that it was a piece of crap, so I'm being cautious on this one.

Optical Media: LG Super Multi Blu-Ray/HD DVD-Rom Drive (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4304040&Sku=L49-1012%20OEM): I want this box to be able to read Blu-Rays, but I don't intend on burning any, so that saves me some money.

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2864285&Sku=M17-7416): I'm not even sure if my processor's capable of running 64-bit, but I'd rather just play it safe and stick to the 32-bit.

**Extras just for the completeness of the system**

Speakers: Logitech X-540 Surround Sound Speakers (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2507686&Sku=L23-7250): Again, not big on sound stuff, but want to be able to REALLY enjoy the sound.

Monitor: Acer X233H 23" Widescreen LCD, 5ms, 1920 x 1080, 40000:1, DVI, HDMI (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4401406&Sku=A179-2300): Nice monitor...never had a really nice one...and I want a really nice one, lol.

Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech EX110 Cordless Keyboard and Mouse (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1543169&Sku=L23-7050): Yeah, who cares right? Lol.

Well that's it. I'm looking at about $1400-$1500 total on this. That's why I'd like to make sure that everything's going to be compatible. I'd rather not run into any problems after I've already got the parts. I've checked everything so many times, but I know that I'm no expert. So any help that anyone can give me will be much appreciated. Thank you :)

[minus-sign]

First off; welcome to PCGuide and gratz on your job!

While I admire your enthusiasm, PC technology changes rapidly compared to, say, a car. The difference between an engine bought in 2007 is slight when comparing the same 2008 model.

Processors, memory, video cards and the motherboard that they all run on change regularly, however. The rule of thumb is that technology on sale now will be considered "obsolete" compared with what is on the market in 18 months.

My advice is to save up the money and keep your eyes on Tiger and Newegg and build sites like this. Once you have enough saved, come on back here with a budget or a list of preferred parts. its more than likely that, by that time, your choices will have changed considerably where the equipment is concerned...and things you really want (like DDR3) will have fallen into your pricerange. its also possible that some of the things you think you want now will be...outdated by then.

EX: your processor is nice enough, but the 3.2 Phenom II is already out for only $30 more at newegg than the price for your PC at Tiger. Solid AM3 socket boards (and don't bet that AMD is done with the new socket either;)) are already available with higher FSB than the AM2+ you link. Windows 7 will be due out before the end of this year (if there are no delays like with its predecessor) so Vista Ultimate may not be as good an OS choice then. And HDDs? they're always changing. The list goes on.

your 1400-1500 dollar goal will build you a very good computer once you have it saved up. but i'm willing to bet that the above computer won't be it once the dust settles.

With all that said, here's some things you should look for with your parts.

Case: this is a biggie for a performer PC. Avoid the bundled PSU/case stuff. You get jipped on 2 goes in 3. And you will want a bigger PSU than is offered in that bundle anyway. You'll probably want a 650 -750 when all is said and done.

processor. GHz is good to watch, but keep an eye on its cache too. Everything should have L3 cache of at least 6 MB now. In a year, who knows? Oh, and AVOID stock heatsinks. look at CPU cooling options for the socket type of your motherboard.

mobo? FSB, RAM and slots. The higher the FSB the better. The more RAM supported the better. Make sure you have enough(of the right type0 of PCI/PCIe slots to get everything you want in there with breathing room.

RAM: Cas latency and MHz are important when considering speed. Like the poorly endowed man with a supermodel for a wife once said, size isn't everything. the lower the Cas (or CL) the better. the higher the MHz, the better.

VCard: see RAM :p

Monitor: 2ms for your response time is a good LCD.

Hope this helps.

[Cloud7734]

That was actually a thought that was in the back of my mind when I decided to do this, but I just kinda really wanted to build my own pc, lol. I think I might take your advice though because I didn't know that Windows 7 was said to be out that soon. I also thought it'd be cool to buy one component per month and build it gradually. But you've got a very good point...So I think I will wait. I'll be checking back on this site frequently though to keep up on new technology. Hopefully my next build config will be better :)

Thanks for the tips!