Choosing Computer Components when Building Your Own Computer

I Chose:

I chose to go with two XFX GeForce 9600 GT XXX Alpha Dog Eddition PVT96GYDSU Video Card. This should support all of my online gaming needs and give me a high quality picture on my monitor.

When Choosing Video Cards:

I Chose:

I chose 2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive because I will need to store a lot of programs and information. I chose two hard drives because it makes it easier for me to transfer information from one hard drive to another when programs and information are not needed at that time.  (Note: The average user will not need more than one hard drive depending on the space that is required.)

When Choosing Hard Drive(s):

I Chose:

I chose to go with one ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T OEM and one ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T. This will allow me the option of using two drives at once and make it possible for me to transfer information from one drive to another with ease.

When choosing CD/DVD Drives:

I Chose:

I chose to install a DIAMOND XtremeSound XS51 Sound Card and a ASUS PhysX Processing Unit PHYSX P1E Video Card . I will install the sound card for the purpose of this tutorial and then probably remove it later because the onboard sound will be good enough for me. I happened to have the physx card lying around out of another computer and figured there was no harm in installing it but this is probably overkill because I already have two video cards.

When Choosing Expansion Cards:

I Chose:

I chose a RAIDMAX QUANTUM RX-700 700W SLI Power Supply because it has enough power for everything that I am running in the computer and it is also SLI approved. This power supply will leave me with enough room for expansion in the future and suit my ncurrent needs.

When choosing a power supply:

I Chose:

I chose to go with a more cost efficient computer case because the case I wanted would put me over my personal budget,and my computer desk will only fit a mid atx case in it. I chose a diabolatek 802 computer case and I will be using 3 80 mm case fans that I have lying around. In the future I am hoping to expand to a full tower case (example: Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case) and probably go to a Thermaltake CL-W0121 2U Drive Bay Water Cooling System.

When Choosing a Computer Case:

I Chose:

I chose to use Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 English for System Builders 1 Pack CD because it has a lot of feature I can use over xp home. An average user will only need Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP3 English for System Builders 1 Pack CD .

When Choosing an Operating System: