So, my current PC which I got from the e-waste pile at work is on its last legs.  I say that because I can't play 4v4 games of starcraft 2 on the lowest settings without it slowing down and making me unable to give any units any orders.

So, I'm wanting to build a new PC for somewhat cheap as I don't PC game except for SC2 and Diablo 3 (when it comes out).  Nothing top of the line, but nothing that'll suck in 1 year.

I have a video card (though I may want to upgrade soon, but that's easy), 4 GB of RAM, 2 SATA HDDs (500 GB and 1 TB), monitor, access to windows 7 and speakers already.  I figured building my own PC would be the way to go since buying a brand new one would cost more and come bundled with stuff that I don't need.

So, should I build my own PC or buy a premade one?  I'm pretty tech savvy but I haven't made my own system in well over a decade.  Building my own would be cheaper (in general and I wouldn't have to rebuy windows 7) but how difficult is it now-a-days?  Is it a hassle?  Is it worth a few hundred dollars more to have a prebuilt one?

I was thinking of getting these items, are they compatible with each other?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133176

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153128

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Are you going to build a PC or freeze a freaking volcano? You don't need all these cooling devices. I own two GTX 470's resorting only to their standard coolers a simple lateral case cooler.

Plus you can resort to much cheaper parts if you want to play only SC2 and DIII and still have a nice machine. Build it yourself, of course - in my opinion, that's the way to go.

I should mention I'm a stickler for wanting things as quiet as can be and I read on the reviews for the CPU that the supplied heatsink and fan kind of suck (and are loud) so I was going for the after market heatsink/fan combo.  Do I not also need the artic 5 silver? (Serious question, do I?).

Can you give me examples of some parts that would be cheaper and suitable for SC2 and DIII (my GF also will use the machine for photoshop/illustrator/whatever graphic design people use)?

The items I listed aren't too expensive as they'll come up to around $700 total.  I wouldn't mind cheaper of course, so I'm all ears to any suggestion that people may have for some gear.  I honestly haven't paid any attention to PC hardware in a long while so I have no idea what's out there :(

Any help is greatly appreciated!

It is never worth buying a pre-built/OEM computer unless you are afraid to go underneath the hood of your PC or buying an E-machine for grandma.

Don't listen to haxxiy about the cooling, you always want your pc to be as cool as possible. Heat is the #1 cause of failure in PC's, whether it be due to dust build up, overclocking or just simply putting a hot PC in tiny enclosed space.

Build it yourself and make sure you have plenty of fans in the PC for good airflow. 120mm fans can be ultra quiet, you won't even notice them.

Thanks for the info.

Anyone have any feedback on the items I listed? Too old? Too expensive for my needs?  Any recommendations on what parts I should get?  As stated at most I'd be doing some Diablo 3, photoshop and bluray ripping (eventually).  I'm unsure if what I listed is sufficient for that or overkill.

The system you are building seems pretty decent.

For Power supply, I would suggest this one instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703029

It is cheaper then the one you chose and it's power rating is continous and not peak like the thermaltake is. This means that you can run continous 750watts with 825 peak. The Thermaltake is 775 continous and 875 peak. The extra 30$ is not worth the additional 50watts. The other difference being that the TT has a 72A 12V rail, and the PC power and cooling is 60A 12V rail. You don't need the 72A rail unless you are going to run two GTX470's in SLI.

To be honest, with your build you won't need anything more then this.

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Technology-PPCS2MK650-Silencer-650W/dp/B0036VNS8Q or even this,

http://www.amazon.com/OCZ-Technology-Cooling-Silencer-PPCMK2S500/dp/B003VWTZLY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1281986048&sr=1-2.

Both have ample amperage and wattage to suit all your needs.

Everything else is good imo.

lol...thats pretty funny as I have the exact same CPU and Heatsink.

Works great! That heatsink lowers your CPU temp by at least 10 degrees over stock heatsink.

Using that heatsink I have the CPU overclocked to 4 Ghz. And it runs 45-55 degrees during operation. Stock one was doing that when idling...

Thanks for that input.  With a current $40 rebate, the power supply I have listed is actually cheaper than the one you did, so I will probably go with what I have set up.

Will more amps on the rail (not really sure what that means) cause problems?

More amps on the 12V rail will not cause issues. You just need to make sure that everything your running does not exceed the 12V rail or your PS will die an early death.

Which in your system you are building, you will have ample room for upgrades. Up to 2 GTX470's with a motherboard that is has a 20 4pin additional 8pin for CPU.

BTW, the price for you power supply is 139.99, the 40 mail in rebate is only if you mail the form in on time, correctly filled out and with the UPC code cut off the original box and thus making it so that you can only return the new power supply to thermaltake for warranty replacement. The mail in rebates are never a sure thing and often take 2 months for the return.

At least these are the reasons I never consider the mail-in rebates when figuring out cost of purchase.

Cool beans.  Yeah, I know what you mean about the mail in rebates, I've been screwed before.

I might just pull the trigger on this stuff today.......decisions decisions :-/