That motherboard isn't SLI compatible, so running two Nvidia cards won't cut it. I wouldn't recommend AMD either, because I hear their Linux drivers have issues.

Normally, for that price point, I'd recommend the 5670, but the 430 is at least good enough.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-radeon-hd-6870-radeon-hd-6850,2782-7.html

The power supply is something I'd recommend switching out. That is NOT an area to cheap out on. I trust Corsair and Antec, but shop around for what you prefer.

I don't trust Seagate personally, because they're the only brand of hard drive that has ever failed on me. Level that shit up. $80 for two terabytes.

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/e547g/need_to_up_your_hard_drive_space_2tb_drive_on/

Also, a protip: You'll end up spending a lot of money on this. If you can stand to, try to get the bare bones of it down first, and upgrade later on.

>>2453
i've heard opposite when it comes to amd but i my info is a bit old, and i think focused more on their gfx cards or before the merger between amd and ati or something like that

as for the motherboard, i am aware its not sli compatible, some of the compatibility in the power supply was left from my last iteration though that power supply was one of the better ones i found then also do know anything about ASUS i have heard some good things but i have also heard some bad things

i was going for a 500 gig drive because that is the largest external drive i have at the moment (its a seagate and its done very nicely for me). also if i remember ubuntu section off 10% of the drive for a swap partition you can alter this if i remember but still

also do i need to get some kind of thermal compound to put on the cpu or does something come with it

overall upgrading it comes later, i need a nicely flexible and decently priced desktop after the death of my last one and my range is 600-700 without shipping

>>2454
I have that very same CPU, and the thermal compound is already on the heatsink/fan. They're built for overclocking, though, so I'd recommend buying a 3rd party CPU fan down the road. I'm still debating whether or not I should myself.

>>2455
it was one of the few recommendations a friend of mine made, and he said the same thing as well about overclocking

i'm just happy to be getting away from a ancient single core celeron

>>2453
>>Also, a protip: You'll end up spending a lot of money on this. If you can stand to, try to get the bare bones of it down first, and upgrade later on.

Agreed. That in mind, I'd personally say the most important of parts in a serviceable base for future upgrades would be the PSU, Motherboard, HDD, and RAM.

I'll elaborate later but question: ultimately (after upgrades) what do you want this PC to be? Like, a gaming rig or what? Overclocking or stock?

>>2457
game/media most likely, but like i said most of the games i play are source games or games that are a few years old, i don't really stay current with pc games

if i do get some windows going photoshop is going to get installed

>>2458
We're at an amazing time in which high-range cards from 3-4 years ago and mid-ranges from 1-2 years ago can run almost any game. Knowing the right card to buy can help you a lot in the long run. If you decide to be a Rockefeller, A 6850/460 can be a godsend right now. Don't buy high-range cards, though. They're a waste of money for most people.

>>2458

Oh okay, that helps to know. In that case, even after upgrades 520W should be plenty and Seasonic is a great brand. I'm using one of their PSUs myself and they make most of the OEM PSUs for other trusty brands like Antec too. The RAM should be perfectly good but I have had DOA with G.Skill (good service though). I'm personally partial to Mushkin as a company and they have a kit for a dollar cheaper. I replaced the hard drive with a Samsung which is faster and has higher platter density, same price and besides I've heard of Barracudas dying but not any F3s (yet).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151094
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226092
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181


CPU and Motherboard are good choices too but you'll get a much better deal with one of their combos. I'd really recommend this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.543297 which includes a mobo basically a step up from the one you listed with newer data transfer technologies and ATX form factor (I don't know if you noticed the one you had was micro ATX). Since you're planning to upgrade anyway, I think the x3 is the better choice being much cheaper and plenty for your needs at the moment. At the very least, a very large upgrade from a Celeron. On top of that, it's been known to unlock to a quad core and be a good overclocker (if you ever decide to). This also leaves you with more money for your gfx card~ That chip however comes OEM so it doesn't come with heatsink so you'll want to add a third party one (it's still much cheaper even factoring this in). This comes with thermal paste and is one of the cheapest good ones I could find. A few reviews give it good ratings on overclocked processors so it should be plenty for a stock CPU. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103075

At the price point that leaves us for the video card (up to ~$140) we'd be looking at GTS 450 and HD 5750; the GTS 450 is quicker and actually more of a competitor with bigger brother 5770. So our choice of series is pretty obvious. I chose the EVGA one because you get a lifetime warranty and support experience with the company has always been positive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130572

That should land you a little under $600 after shipping... I'm not sure whose zip code that is, must be saved from a build I helped with earlier :U

Jesus Christ I didn't even notice the $30 rebate on the GTS450 before. Uguu~

>>2462
i didnt notice it was a micro, also that card is a no go for now, my monitor is a 15 inch acer vga monitor

though i think adapters are easy to find

otherwise that is right on the price im looking for with shipping

>>2467
That card comes with a DVI to VGA adapter.

>>2468
there is always something i miss

>>2470

Yeah, it's a pretty easy detail to miss and sometimes they don't even bother listing it. But generally, all newer video cards come with dvi-vga adapter(s) and 6 pin-molex power adapter(s). You can look up a review of the card (make sure it's the same brand too) and they'll pretty much always have a page dedicated to packaging and accessories/contents.

now that i'm thinking about it, do i need to get the cables for the disc and hard drive, what about the internal cables for the power supply (the last one i'm pretty sure i do not but might as well ask)

does newegg restock things on a certain schedule or is it all restocked on a 'whenever we get it' schedule

i think its going t be about the middle of December or around the end with January at the latest when i can start ordering stuff

>>2518
never mind the stock question, figured that out myself

it seems to be one week or "whenever we get it," oh joy

>>2518

Motherboard will come with all drive cables needed, and PSU comes with all power cables.

if i went with all the same parts but used the phenom II x4 that i had first would i have to get a better power supply

the combo for the 3 core is gone and the processor it self has been out of stock too long for my comfort

>>2578

Nah, power draw for either CPU should be similar. Be sure to check for deals/combos though.

do you still have to jumper hard drives and cd drives

the bios recognizes my hdd but fr some reason my cd drive isn't on the list of bootable items

>>2618
i should add im about to make a usb to install from but i don't like that the cd drive isn't on the list of bootable drives

Is it a SATA CD drive? I think those are jumperless, but IDE drives can depend upon both the Jumper Configuration and the placement on the IDE cable. Normally sticking it at the end of the IDE cable with no jumpers is enough. but check to see if there's a "slave" jumper configuration on the CD drive.

>>2620
it didnt like the 6 gb sata cable but its working good with the 3 gb

i figured that out while the pos r50e was making a boot usb

>>2621
Ah, SATA 2 and 3 (3gb and 6gb respectively). Yeah you gotta make sure that the parts accept the cables. The 6gb ones only work on certain newer parts