My First Build

Looks good. The only problem you might find is that the OEM version of XP has no Microsoft support. You're kind'a on your own. But we might be able to help with XP problems.

Good luck,

Telephony facts, analog/digital explained.

See the CNet faces behind the posts.
If you're reading this, thank a teacher. If you're reading this in English, thank a U.S. soldier.

You should skip the Pentium 4, and build a system using an Athlon 64 instead. The Athlon 64 provides great performance running 32 bit software. Many who buy a 32 bit processor in '04 or early '05 will regret that decision in the second half of '05 as plenty of great 64 bit software starts appearing.

Congratulations and have fun. First, I have had good luck with your vendor choice. I don't see major problems with your components but you did not mention what the PCs primary use will be for. This will affect respondents opinions. You have chosen a mix of relatively higher end and "value" components. You did not go with a dedicated sound card and chose a large capacity case so I must presume you are considering possible expansion needs.
Now, might I offer some construction tips. You will likely find that getting everything to fit in a precision fashion is not easy. Placement of the motherboard in the case can be tricky and is key to getting everything just right so add in cards, connections and such aren't strained to fit just right. You will find the board has screw holds which are to secure the board on standoffs in the case. You should have a metal or plastic standoff at each hole but none where no hole exits. Extra standoffs are potential short circuit spots. Check this carefully. Put the MB in and some screws but do not tighten right away. Note that you can move it around just a bit. Put add in cards in place and align the rear ports noting the plate may have some springy projections that want to bend and get in the way. Critical is getting the VGA card in just right. It should not need to be forced to fit and tightening its screw should not want to lift one end out. Newer boards have a lock on the AGP slot that fits in a cutout tab on the VGA card. Take note of this and lock it properly. Once everything is in place, tighten the MB screws just snuggly. Do not over tighten. Once you get the MB, processor, RAM, floppy drive and video card in place and wiring connected, try to boot the system from a bootable disk just to see if all is ok at this point. If not, you need to fix what does not work. Then, you can add your drives. I suggest starting with one HD if you are going to be slaving one that already has data on it. This way, when you load XP, it will designate the system drive as C. Otherwise, a valid partition seen will take the drive letter. Install the OS and get it working. Add other devices one at a time and get them recognized. Take some time to update drivers as necessary. Do not activate XP until you get the system fully built up and are happy with its operation because XP starts to count up your hardware changes from this point. Sorry to be so long winded. You should have some fun and post back your progress. Good luck.