criticize my hardware choices

[chopficaro]

i am on an extremely tight budget and need a new 32bit xp gaming machine bad, so i figured id use the hard disks, dvd drive, psu, case and peripherals from my old computer, and get a new motherboard, cpu, ram, and grafix card.

heres what i have:

hard disks:
hds728080plat20
wdc wd1200jb-00dua3

120gb+80gb

psu:
350W antec

dvd drive:
atapi dvd dd 2x16x4x16

heres what im thinking about getting:

8800gt 512mb for $230
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0279319
1 1gb ddr2 card $25
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0266815
and a 2gb card $50
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0279998
e3110 processor + dp35dpm mother board bundle for $320
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0281869

questions:

did i pick the right 8800? nvidia has like 57349 different video cards named 8800 and some have vastly different specs than the others.

if i have the wrong psu, could i damage my hardware? not worried about loss of data. will probably test the computer to see if my current psu will suffice.

will all my parts work well with one another?

am i making any big mistakes?

[4th&3wood]

Look at the power requirements for you graphics card. If the PSU has the 20/4 pin connector and the CPU connector you can always try it. It won't hurt anything to try it.

About taking the hdd from your old computer and using it in your new build, if you don't reinstall the OS in the new build you are looking for trouble. If you wish to read an article about this go here.I would back up all of the files, pictures, etc. that you wish to keep to a removable media like CDs or DVDs and then reformat the hdd and do a fresh installation of the OS.

[chopficaro]

link bookmarked
good advice

[chopficaro]

i just read the link, makes sense. but will i have to format the drives or can i just install another oparating systme?

[jermaghs07]

The only problem i see is your power supply. I know for a fact that on the 8800 the suggested wattage is 500w.

If you want my opinion. Don't waste your money on an 8800. I have a 8600 that was half the price of the 8800 and it will run Crysis on full resolution. Just a suggestion but if your on a budget i would really recomend it.

[coolraj003]

I would also recommend go for a 500w psu, 350w sounds a bit unsufficient for this spec that u want to have. ALso later on if you want to upgrade your system you will have to dish out on a bigger psu anyways so might as well do it right now. then again just a suggestion. Backing data up is definitely a suggestion worth acting upon as you will need to reinstall the os on HDD and you really wouldnt want to loose the data on it, i presume.

Raj

[jermaghs07]

i just read the link, makes sense. but will i have to format the drives or can i just install another oparating systme?

You should just have to reload the OS. but it is still a real good idea to do a full back up before hand.

[chopficaro]

i know the 8800 just fell from $400 to $200 recently. what can i find a 8600 for? $200 or $100?

[jermaghs07]

i know the 8800 just fell from $400 to $200 recently. what can i find a 8600 for? $200 or $100?

you can get a 512mb GDDR3 8600 for $150 or a 256mb for $95

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130291

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229

[chopficaro]

i just heard elsewhare that the 8800 gets most of its power "from the wall" and u actually dont need a powerful psu. what do u guys think of that?

[jermaghs07]

i dont know who told you that but they should be slapped! all computer components use DC power. the power coming from the wall is AC. so it cant draw power from the wall. it would have to run through a power converter like your power supply. even if it did draw power straight from the wall you would have two power cables running to your computer.

I think what they meant was it doesn't draw power from the mother board. it connects to the power supply. so either way your gonna have to get a bigger psu.

and don't worry. every graphics card bigger than (i think) a 6800 draws power from the PSU.