I dont want to have to order new things So I figured I'd ask away and make sure that this new set-up will all operate. I've done what I can to find out if they will work together, and it seems okay, but just...concerned. Any extra time spent to figure this out is GREATLY appreciated. Thank you.

Case: JUST PC JPC787-BLACK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 550W Power Supply Linky.
With 2x VANTEC SF12025L 120mm 2 Ball Case Cooling Fans Linky.

-Mother Board: Albatron K8NF4X-754 ATX AMD Motherboard Linky.

--CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3400+ 1600MHz HT Socket 754 Processor Linky

--HDD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series HD160JJ 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive Linky.

--Video Card: ASUS Geforce 7600GT EN7600GT SILENT/2DHT/256M Video Card Linky.

--RAM: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Dual Channel Kit System Memory Linky.

Monitor: Tyris T701DB Black 17" 8ms DVI LCD Monitor Linky.




Any help would be AMAZING, and any additional things I would need, please tell me.
I know that I need: CD/DVD drive of some sort, Keyboard, Mouse, and Speakers, but those are easy ones.

I think my main concern is that in one of the reviews for the case, they said the power supply didn't have an SATA cable. Does that mean I cannot use that HDD?
Again, thank you for any help, and if you notice anything wrong with this please tell me.

It looks to me like everything fits!

You will need a power adapter for your SATA hard drive. Newegg has them for sale HERE.

You also need a CD drive, an Operating System, keyboard, mouse, speakers.

Your monitor needs an adaptor, but the video card comes with two. The mobo has the proper slot for the video card. The mobo has the proper socket for the CPU. Your mobo can handle 2 GB of RAM, but then it will be maxed out (not neccessarily a bad thing). The mobo will fit inside the case. It looks good!

Have fun!

Just a note: Socket 754 does not support dual channel. Everything will still work but you'll take a big hit to your memory bandwidth.

So does that mean the 2gb is the way to go? or should I go with a 1gb.

There is a good article that explains dual channel ram HERE. Here is a significant quote:

It is estimated that a dual-channel memory architecture is capable of increasing bandwidth by as much as 10%.

So, although dual channel works faster and more effeciently, I would say you would be hard pressed to see the difference in performance in your machine.

If you do decide to go with 1 GB of ram, get 1 GB on one stick. Two reasons for this: 1) you don't have dual channel, so you won't gain anything by going with 2 x 512MB, and 2) the mobo you have chosen only has two slots. By using one stick now you will be able to add another later.

The article is good, its performance estimates are old. With a modern AMD memory controller and DDR you can see much bigger performance increase from dual channel. Doing some quick benchmarks I'm getting a memory bandwidth of 5518MB/s read and 5367MB/s write, which is way above non-dual-channel-DDR400's max theoretical bandwidth of 3200MB/s.

How big an issue and how big an actual performance loss this will be depends on what the computer will be used for.

Yeah everything works...

What is this machine being used for?

gaming, mostly.

As a guestimate you will loose 4%-6% in performance to the loss of dual channel. That processor shouldn't be all that starved for bandwidth, and the graphics card is slow enough that most of your games won't be CPU limited. The Sims 2 and Oblivion will be exceptions.

Would you not suggest that video card?

Suggestion is to move up to a dual channel mb and to switch to a Seagate Hdd because Seagates come with a five year warranty and the Samsung comes with a three year warranty.

If you use software that is written for dual channel or hyperthreading technology (which more and more is everyday), the difference can be dramatic, especially if you use several programs at a time.

My problem is I already have the Mobo, videocard, and CPU, and can't return the CPU.(sorry thought I said that up there..)

Stupid mistake Should have asked here first.

But, since I AM here, and since I already have those things, I would like your opinions on my CPU business. Do you think I'm doomed for a slow computer, or do you think I'll be okay?

The card is nice, at that price you want a silent card. If you could live with a fan the x1800GTO would have given you better price/performance.

So I was just looking at card, and I saw THIS. and I think that looks pretttyyy niceee. Would you suggest I send the vid card back, and get that? cause it looks pretty nuts, and that price seems nice.

That is a nice card. Evga makes great cards, and a 7900GT at the price is a sweet deal. But remember, the faster card you have the bigger impact on performance the lack of dual-channel will have.

What's your opinion on it? Should I go with the EVGA or the ASUS?

also, with the EVGA, even though I'd be "losing" more performace with it, wouldn't I alsooo be making up for it, in a sense? I hope that makes sense haha.

and also, would I have a problem with keeping it cool? or do you think the 2 120mm fans would do the trick

Sure, in most cases you would get more performance with the evga. But you would not get all the performance you paid for. I won't tell you what to do. I'm a big believer in forcing people to make their own choices (and then watch them squirm).

Cooling wise you shouldn't have any problems.

Okay. thank you for all this help. Ireally appreciate it.