New desktop PC
 

Here's the situation: I'm moving in a few days, which means I'll have to get myself a new desktop in a relatively short amount of time. Since a lot of my day-to-day activities revolve around it, I decided to invest in it a bit.

Now I've seen a decent pre-built pc in stores, but it's still far from ideal. I've looked into building a pc myself, but I'm rather inexperienced when it comes to this. It's hard navigating all those parts and getting a good idea of what's needed and what's decent.

So I could really use some help. I was hoping to get some opinions and suggestions here :)

As far as general information goes: I'm located in the Netherlands, and my budget is €1500. This is somewhat flexible, though. I'm not stuck to any specific brands. Suggestions for a good set of speakers, a good monitor or a good keyboard are also very welcome. I also need a trackball, but I've got a good idea about that. Finally, I need Windows XP, as my games span 25 years.

Do NOT purchase anything from DELL.

Do NOT purchase anything from Compaq and / or Hewlett Packard :cheesy:
Those three mentioned brands usually have computer parts that are a bit behind time, especially Compaq computers are always limping behind, while costing as much as computers which have much better hardware.

If you need to use Windows XP, stay clear of 64-bit. Heard there are compatibility problems.

What is the newest game you intend to play on this system?

Are you talking about the 64 bit windows version (for which there are compatibility problems for sure) or the 64 bit CPUs (that seem to have no problems and are the only new CPU type that they sell)?

However, I agree with what above mentioned. To assemble a PC by your own is simplier than how it could seem!
Also you can find many "how to" on internet!

The newest game? Assassins Creed. Mass Effect. Spore. Whatever else interesting comes out in the next few years. It's something to last :)

The problem isn't assembling the pc, it's choosing the parts. There's a lot to choose from, and what to go by?

I'd recommend: based on intel x38 or x48, core 2 quad @2.66 Ghz, 2x1Gb DDR3 (or 4x1Gb), 2xGeForce 8800 GT 512 Mb. that should allow you to play assasin's creed, mass effect (when released) and other next-gen stuff without major troubles. and in perspective you can always upgrade your videocard :)

Yups.
Ah, that slightly complicates things. Remember the game developers will move to DX10 completely at some point, though.
Not all games "like" SLI/Crossfire. Better to invest the same in a single more powerful graphics card.

The 32-bit version of Windows XP has a limitation of memory adressing space to 4GB. That is both RAM and pagefile combined, so if you get 4 GB of RAM the pagefile will have to go (and good riddance - it wears down your HDD faster).
It seems the OS won't detect full 4 GB of RAM anyway, so I suggest to draw the line at 3 GB (2x1 + 2x512).

Don't forget about power supply. Remember to pick one with maximum output about 25-30% over the maximum estimated power consumption of the rig, as PSUs regularly pushed to or over 80% of their max output have a tendency to break down quickly.
The PSU is one of the most overlooked components, yet if it breaks it can take most other components with it.

Should DX10 become a standard for new games within the next two-three years, I can get a Vista liscence relatively cheaply through uni and set up a dual boot system.

If it's after that, Vista may very well already have been replaced, so I'll lose little in the end :)

Fifth, how does one exactly calculate power consumption? I was planning on getting a quality 550W PSU 'just to be safe'. That is still safe, isn't it? :unsure:

Also, what graphical card would you recommend?
My first thoughts were to go with a single 8800GT, and perhaps upgrade when the next series matures.

You could do it using pen & paper (argh!), but there are online calculators that will do that for you if you input the parameters.
Take your pick:
http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html
http://www.schrockinnovations.com/powercalc.php
http://www.vbutils.com/power.asp
http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
Hard to say when you still haven't decided on the final configuration.

I'm still stuck with the Radeon 9600 that came with my rig in 2004, so can't give you any recommendations on the subject.