Hi Everyone

I'm getting a new computer and I don't have that much knowledge about systems. Basically what I did was get a rough idea of the parts I'd want and then I mailed them to my local computer guy who editted the list a little bit and will be putting the machine together for me.

First here are the specs:
CPU: E6850 3.0Ghz 4m 1333FSB LGA775
RAM: Kingston 1GB DDR(3) 1066 PC8500 (240 Pin)
HardDrive: Seagate 750G 7200rpm SATA II 16M
Video Card: Asus EN8800GTS/640 8800GTS 64 DDR DVI

The purpose of this computer would be to play some of the newer end games without having to worry about lag issues. I'm also interested in producing frag videos which explains the large hard drive space and the reason I wanted some extra ram instead of 2GB.

1. Vista was recommended instead of XP. I would rather use XP, but am worried my hardware may not be fully used if I choose XP, is this true? IE the ram, video card and processor.

2. Any other recommendations for parts or does this list appear fine?

Thank you in advance.

Xo The 8800gts is out performed by the 8800GT and it costs less.Its better than the 640mb version of the GTS too.What motherboard are you going to get?And Are you getting DDR3 or 3 sticks of DDR2?The Cpu is good.

The motherboard is a Gigabyte P35-DS4 which I suppose is this one:
GIGABYTE - Product - Motherboard - Overview - GA-P35-DS4 (rev. 1.1)

It's 3 gigs of that ram, which I believe is DDR2. The (3) in that sentence just represents 3x the amount.

I was unsure if XP makes use of that card (which I guess I should change to a regular GT correct?). If it can make use of 3GB of ram. And lastly the processor would be okay for it.

Yes.The 8800GT came out in November and you might need to wait a few weeks for the price to get down to 230-250.00.It Will Be worth it.The only bad thing about that motherboard is that in the future if you want to get a second 8800GT you cant SLI it.But overall its a nice Setup.Xp should make use of the GT aslong as the drivers are installed.Yes Xp(32 Bit) can support about 2.75-3.5 GB of RAM.

Alright. Thanks for all the help so far. I'll have to make sure to ask for a GT instead of a GTS.

Do you have a suggestion for a motherboard that would work and allow me to SLI in the future?

Also is XP(32 Bit) that will make use of my 3GB of ram, regular windows? I assume I will get XP Home addition then? Or would it be better to get professional? Why do you say it can support about 2.75-3.5 GB of RAM. Does that mean .25 ram won't be supported some of the time?

Go for XP pro if you have the choice it's much better on the security side of thing with the ram read this Memory Support and Windows Operating Systems it will tell you the system looks ok remember to get the GT model of that graphics card it's much better

I read that article although I'm not sure if I understand it. It says even if you do setup your computer with the /3GB switch only certain programs will make use of it? I just need to know if configured properly will the 3GB of ram be used for whatever, from movie editing to gaming.

I will get the GT model. I assume this would be the best one to get?
Newegg.com - PNY VCG86512GXPB-OC GeForce 8600GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

I could afford to get a GTX, but I assume the price difference is probably not worth the small performance boost compared to a GT correct? $150 compared to $500.