New gaming rig prospective

[oldman_gamer]

My son wants me to build him a rig like mine.I told him,after seeing my 3Dmark06 scores,we need to pump up the jam a little more.Here is what I have so far in the egg wish list for him.Any and all comments/suggestions are always welcomed.His major use for the rig will be online gaming,and general use.
This is just a preliminary scope of the rig and not chiseled in granite.

Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Memory

BFG Tech BFGE88512GTSE GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB Video Card

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

FSP Group SAGA+ 450R ATX12V 450W Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda ES.2 ST3250310NS 250GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Hanns·G HW-191DPB Black 19" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 700:1 Built in Speakers

LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Mid Tower Computer Case

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate

Also to be added is a floppy drive that will be purchased locally.Im not sure he will want Vista x64 or XP x64 . I chose a 250Gb HDD rather than the 500 that I have that was overboard.Im leaning toward the x64 for the future.
There is no board listed but will more than likely be a Blood Iron P-35 T2RL 775 (note that there are none to be found at this time and hopefully DFI will be releasing/shipping the upgrade/updated board very soon)

[screwballl]

why a floppy drive? most of the newer boards support booting directly from USB thumb drive for BIOS updates and so on.

otherwise looks like a good strong system

[polobunny]

Interesting build. May I suggest a few little things? I guess that's the point of making a thread, obviously. :P

First and foremost, the CPU. The E6750, while a very good CPU, is a bit "outdated" in terms of technology. Going for a new, smaller process will not only make power consumption tumble down but will also yield higher clock speeds thus better performance overall. Unless you are very strict on money spent, I think it would be a good idea to spend a little more an get an Intel E8200, which runs at 2.66Ghz, has 6Mb of L2 cache instead of 4Mb and is built on a 45nm process instead of 65nm. Front side bus is the same (1333mhz). Can be purchased for around $215 instead of $189.99. However, newegg doesn't seem to carry it at the moment.
Edit: The E8200 should overclock very well too, may you want to give it that extra boost. 3Ghz will likely be very easy to reach, making this a E8400, which is normally worth $239.99. The E8400 is out of stock at the newegg at the moment, but I suggest one or the other very strongly.

Second suggestion would be a different power supply. FSP Group makes awesome power supplies, however this one isn't exactly what you would need to power a rig like that. Let's say it would be a bit short in terms of amperage.
Corsair makes an awesome power supply, the CMPSU-550VX, a 550W little bugger that packs a punch, and a very good price. Can be obtained for $79.99 at new, after $20 dollar mail in rebate.
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX ATX12V V2.2 550W Power Supply 90 - 264 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail

Third, the video card. Bang for the buck, the 8800GT has the crown. I don't think the performance difference between the G92 8800GTS and the 8800GT justify the $60 US difference, seeing the 8800GT can be obtained for around $240 (and even less if you look around, sometimes down to $215), while the 8800GTS 512Mb for around $300 or a bit less after mail-in rebate. That's up to you though, both are very interesting choices and are very close in terms of "bang for the buck".

Fourth point, memory. The kit you linked to is very interesting, however there's cheaper available. Have a look at this 2Gb Mushkin kit, same specs as the Crucial one, but for $42.99 after $15 mail-in rebate.
Newegg.com - mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Last but not least, the monitor. Simply put, there's better brands, with likely better service and better products out there. For example, this Acer AL2016WCBD monitor, a 20 inch instead of 19, 300cd/m² brightness, 800:1 contrast available for $189.99. A bit more expensive, but worth it in my opinion. You're jumping from 1440x900 resolution to 1680x1050 too. The built-in speakers in monitors are most often of poor quality, I doubt the ones in the product you linked are any different. Get other speakers if possible.
Newegg.com - Acer AL2016WCbd Black 20" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 800:1 - Retail

Also, go Vista x64 instead of XP x64. Windows XP x64 Edition is a terrible edition, drivers are hard to find, things are buggy. Games don't like it very much, and only Vista supports DirectX 10 making it the new standard for quality gaming. It's not as fast as XP was, however with Service Pack 1 just around the curb, there's no point in using XP for a sparkling new gaming computer.

[Hitman]

I would suggest spending a little bit more and going with at least a 320gb HD. If you can afford it I would suggest a 500gb HD. Programs, and files are getting bigger and bigger these days.

[azianai]

And also consider the EVGA or XFX Vid Cards if you're planning on OCing yourself. Can also wait another few weeks the new 9000 series if you plan it

[One4yu2c]

Case/PSU
For a decent one-two combo, Antec's Sonata III chassis comes with an acceptable 500W Earthwatts power supply. If wanting to stick with your own case selection, Centurion or otherwise, I'd still recommend beefing up that PSU. In addition to the Corsair pointed out earlier (excellent PSU), a good balance of price/performance lies with the OCZ StealXStream, either 500W or 600W models.

Videocard
There are a few different directions to go with this. My recommendation falls with the ATI HD 3870, which performs well, and on the right motherboard, opens the door to a second videocard in CrossFire. Another option (as already pointed out) is the 8800GT, which offers the best bang/buck out of the gate.

Processor
In the absence of available E8xxx series, I like your choice.

Memory
Crucial's Ballistix line is some of the best out there, but you're overpaying for lights on the Tracers. What's more, you won't see them through the non-windowed Centurion chassis. Ditch the Tracers and chase after the regular Ballistix for $40 (after MIR). It's the same as the Tracers, sans LEDs.

Hard Drive
I hear what you're saying about 500GB being overkill, and you can always add another hard drive down the line. If it were me, I'd jump on the beefier model to start with, which gives your kid room to grow should he get into more than gaming and general use, but this isn't an area I feel the need to push.

Optical
For $4 more, you can get the same Light-On burner but with Lightscribe capabilities. After my first couple of discs, the novelty wore off and I'm back to labeling with permanent marker on less expensive media, but I do take advantage of the functionality every once in awhile when working on projects for family or friends. The minute price difference alone makes it worth consideration and keeps it from being a bust even if he never uses it.

Motherboard
I don't know when/if DFI's BloodIron will hit store shelves again, but you're on the right track with a P35 chipset foundation. In its place, consider the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R.

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by azianai

And also consider the EVGA or XFX Vid Cards if you're planning on OCing yourself. Can also wait another few weeks the new 9000 series if you plan it

The problem with waiting for the GeForce 9 series is that they will likely release high-end cards first, going for $700 pop. Then a month later they'll release decently priced cards. Chances are none will be as good as the 8800GT and 8800GTS 512 in terms of price/performance ratio, and you'll have waited 3 months to get your computer. :S

[oldman_gamer]

I dont know how to answer all quotes in one space so I will do it this way.

Screwball [ just old school man ] we have floppy media we still play with now and again.

Polobunny Money is some concerne.I am pushing the note already with what is there.I had some afterthoughts on the PSU myself,not being large enough etc.
A step up on the CPU is good,but will have to downgrade elseware.
A lower GPU is fine as long as it is better than mine.OR 2 smaller cards running in SLI with a different mobo would be fine.
As far as memory,we like the bling of the lights
Monitor, any low priced mid end 19' is fine.It don't need to be a wide screen even.
I kinda figured Vista Ultimate x64 but wasnt sure about the same in XP.

Hitman He dosnt do much of anything but play games online,and some dvd/cd games...surfing the net etc..

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by oldman_gamer

Hitman He dosnt do much of anything but play games online,and some dvd/cd games...surfing the net etc..

He doesn't yet. Newer games when installed are hitting around 7-10 Gigabytes per game. Right now games are filling up a DVD, it won't be long before they have to start shipping them on 2 DVDs, meaning 10-20 GB installed on your HD. IMHO 250GB is to small even for a casual user. You start adding media files like videos, photos, and music, and you will see that 250GB HD fill up quick. 320GB is the standard HDD size for low end computers, and it's quickly becoming 500gb.

[oldman_gamer]

Originally Posted by One4yu2c

Case/PSU
For a decent one-two combo, Antec's Sonata III chassis comes with an acceptable 500W Earthwatts power supply. If wanting to stick with your own case selection, Centurion or otherwise, I'd still recommend beefing up that PSU. In addition to the Corsair pointed out earlier (excellent PSU), a good balance of price/performance lies with the OCZ StealXStream, either 500W or 600W models.

Videocard
There are a few different directions to go with this. My recommendation falls with the ATI HD 3870, which performs well, and on the right motherboard, opens the door to a second videocard in CrossFire. Another option (as already pointed out) is the 8800GT, which offers the best bang/buck out of the gate.

Processor
In the absence of available E8xxx series, I like your choice.

Memory
Crucial's Ballistix line is some of the best out there, but you're overpaying for lights on the Tracers. What's more, you won't see them through the non-windowed Centurion chassis. Ditch the Tracers and chase after the regular Ballistix for $40 (after MIR). It's the same as the Tracers, sans LEDs.

Hard Drive
I hear what you're saying about 500GB being overkill, and you can always add another hard drive down the line. If it were me, I'd jump on the beefier model to start with, which gives your kid room to grow should he get into more than gaming and general use, but this isn't an area I feel the need to push.

Optical
For $4 more, you can get the same Light-On burner but with Lightscribe capabilities. After my first couple of discs, the novelty wore off and I'm back to labeling with permanent marker on less expensive media, but I do take advantage of the functionality every once in awhile when working on projects for family or friends. The minute price difference alone makes it worth consideration and keeps it from being a bust even if he never uses it.

Motherboard
I don't know when/if DFI's BloodIron will hit store shelves again, but you're on the right track with a P35 chipset foundation. In its place, consider the Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R.

I thought I chose the same case as mine,mine has a side window that you can see all the bling inside.
The cd/dvd choice sounds like a good choice.