planning to build a desktop system soon. need serious help

[DeusEx]

well i have a typical problem. I only have 1100$ and i want to build the best gaming system possible. i need some serious help on this since so far i have been unable to configure a system that would be at that price range. I will start by listing the components from most important to least important:
1. video card ! its pissing me off to always run games on lowest settings. i was looking at ATI Radeon X1950XTX but the cheapest one ive been able to find is for 300$ which means the remaining budget for the rest of the computer then turns out to be 800$.
2. Ram. I need at least 2 gb 667mhz ram.
3. Cpu. i was thinking of a dual core. not sure what to choose for this component as i want something affordable but not slow. Maybe something that can be overclocked?
4.Monitor: I have no space so i desperately need an LCD monitor. Its hard to find something with a decent resolution though. Maybe you guys can reccomend something?
4.5 I need a wireless card in the desktop so no cables would be needed to connect it to the internet. i have all the other stuff such as the modem and the router but i still need a wireless card.
5. PSU: i understand nothing about PSU's. whatever can provide enough power with the cheapest price will do.
5.5. Motherboard: once again my understanding of motherboards is rather limited. Something that can support a duo core cpu and could be overclocked. you guys know way more than i do on this matter.
6. HDD: dont care much for space on the HDD but anything slower than 7200 rpm isnt good.
7. Speakers and Sound Card: dont understand anything about sound cards or speakers. Something mediocre will do.
8. cd/dvd burner: i need a burner that can burn both cds and dvds. Thats about it.
9. Computer Case: dont care about the case at all. i dont need flashy lights or a fancy display. I could care less if my computer was in a cardboard box. a simple mid tower case with a couple of fans is fine.

Keyboard, mouse and headphones i will buy separately so dont worry about that.

Is it possible to build a system such as this or am i dreaming? i wouldnt care if its AMD or intel, whatever is better for the money. Id appreciate any input on this. this is my first desktop computer that i will attempt to build.

[Gamble]

Hmm...

CPU: 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo......................................................300
Monitor: 17 inch widescreen...............................................100-150
Wireless Card:.....................................................................50
Mobo: Not sure..................................................................~150
Video Card: ATI x1600xtx....................................................150
Case: Anything cheap........................................................20-50
PSU: 550 or 600w............................................................100-150
Memory: Corsair ValueRam....................................200 for 2gb (I think?)
Drives: Seagate Barracuda 150, 200, 300gb........................50-100
CD/DVD Combo (sony, plextor, lite-on all good).......50 max
Floppy.......................................................................15
Total...........................................................................1185-1350 or so

May need another paycheck or something but if you spend the extra 200 bucks you can have a system that'll run any game you throw at it right now pretty decently.

[Gamble]

Oh and one more thing. Most mobos today will grant you the pleasure of some overclockability, and a 600w PSU will take care of any worries you may have in that department, I would recommend the SeaSonic M12 600w. The Core 2 Duos are known for their overclockability, and I've heard that Corsair's ValueRam can handle 10-15% overclocks pretty easily... I'm sure you can find a monitor with built-in speakers that will have good enough sound to satisfy you, and in the future you will have the money to buy a sound system I'm sure. I'm saying that your dream can come true for about 85 more than your @$1100. For 1300 bucks you can dream even more wildly and if youre willing to go 600 over your budget to about $1700 and SLI or Crossfire your video cards, you can run games at max settings at 50+ FPS even in FEAR. Just buy a board that supports Core 2 Duo and SLI (5xx chipset) or Crossfire (Intel 9xx chipset). Hope this was helpful.

[DeusEx]

couldnt i just get the e6300 at 1.83 ghz and oc it to 2.5 ? saving over 100 $ and then getting the x1950 xtx instead of the 1600?

[DeusEx]

heres what i campe up with. can you guys check if all of those parts are compatible? i dont know anything about motherboards and psus like i mentioned so i dont know if their any good. anyway here it is:


P $

PSU] MSI TurboStream 600W $78
gpu] ATI Radeon X1950XTX 512MB GDDR4 $310
cpu] Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 Conroe 2.13GHz $222
optical] LG 18X DVD±R Super-Multi DVD Burner $35
HDD] Western Digital Caviar SE 160GB 7200 RPM $59
case] Sunbeam Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $ 58
RAM] VIKING 2 x 1 GB 240-Pin DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) $191
monitor] SCEPTRE X9WG-NagaV Black 19" 8ms DVI $193
Speakers] CHAINTECH AV-710 7.1 $ 28
MB] BIOSTAR 945G Micro 775 SE Socket T $ 78
KB] Sunbeam EL-KB-07-BK Black & White 104 Normal Keys 32 Function Keys PS/2 Standard Illuminated Keyboard $ 21

the total came out to 1273 shipped. i still lack a wireless card for my desktop i searched everywhere and couldnt find it. how does this system look? and can someone help me choose a wireless card? i dont have any cables running in my room =/. im looking for something cheap (im way over my budget anyway, which apparently happens every time i buy a computer. go figure). tell me what you guys think.

[holden_m]

Mobo - Asus P5N-E SLI 650i $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813131142

CPU - Core 2 Duo E6300 (Free game) $187
http://www.newegg.com/product/Product.a ... 6819115005

RAM - (2) A-Data 1GB DDR2 800 (6400) $85 each
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820211063

OS - Windows XP Media Center 2005 w/ Vista Upgrade $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6832116171

Video Card - Leadtek 8800 GTS 640MB $390 - $35 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814122018

Monitor - 19" BenQ 5MS Widescreen Monitor $180.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6824014129

Hard Drive - 200GB SATA3.0 Seagate 7200.10 (PMR) $71
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148146

Case - Powmax case with 450 Watt PSU $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811145073

DVD Drive - Lite-On 18X DVD RW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6827106042

Linksys PCI wireless Card $16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833117205

Video card can be downgraded to a 7900GTX for about $80 less but at the cost of DX10 compatibility loss. Will OC very nicely if reviews of chipset are right.

Before Shipping - $1322

[LordEder]

I would also take a Core2Duo, E6400 ~200€
Mobo: Gigabyte DS4 ~150€
Graphic: GeForce 8800GTS ~350€
and of course 2GB of memory.

This setup rocks!