Config Help

When it comes to computers, I really don't know that much.  So I'm going to look for help here, and critiques on what I've got so far.  My current PC is terrible and old, and I'm sick of it.  It takes decades to open programs, the start menu lags, it's frozen when I minimize things...and it does this even when nothing's running on it, and it's been freshly wiped. 

I'm not really a huge gamer, because I'm cheap.  I play a few games, but they're primarily ROMs, with only a couple thrown in.  Things like Soldat, Mount & Blade, a friend of mine is urging me to try Neverwinter Nights 2 - nothing too big, really.  I'll also be using this PC for college, which I'm starting next week.  I'd like for once to have something fast, where I can watch movies, play games, surf the web, etc., etc., without crawling at a snail's pace.  I'm working on a tight budget here, and the end result can't go over $1,300.  Here's what I have so far:

Specifications:
Chassis: Antec 900
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Power Supply: 650W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Processor: AMD Phenom 9550 (2.2GHz) (Quad Core) (4 MB Cache) AM2+
Motherboard: Asus M3A (AMD 770 Chipset)
System Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 667MHz
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Wireless Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: CLEARANCE PRICED: ATI Radeon HD 3870 512MB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 1 (Certified Digital Storm Heat-sink)
Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Modifications: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: - No Thanks, Please test my memory, I will be responsible for software based support
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

Will this give me what I'm looking for?  Are there any improvements that won't take too much cash?  Do I have something I don't need that I could drop/downgrade to save more money?  Thanks in advance!

You have a sound configuration for NWN2, but if you could squeeze in a better vid card (HD4850), you'll be much happier at the results you'll see with movies and videos. If you're running XP, then 2GB of ram will do you. If you can, go with the 800MHz ram for a little speed boost. I love my HD4850! It's much better than anything in it's price range. A great improvement over the 3870 as well.

no It won't, more ram will allow you to do more things at the same time, the speed is not that much of a difference but 2GB of ram and what ever speed, can't do what 4GB can.

If I had 2GB of ram on my XP, instead of the 4GB I have, I would not be able to do alot of things.

Edited by DST4ME - 19 Aug 2008 at 6:37am

Originally posted by DST4ME If you want to do one thing at a time and don't mind hangups then go with 2GB, if you want to multi task go with 4GB. Personally I would never go with 2GB

Don't forget that with XP home, you will only see 3GB of that 4GB ram. So, 2GB vs 3GB is really the difference you would be looking at. If you play games like NWN2, 2GB ram is plenty. The only game I play right now that really wants 3GB ram atm is Assassin's Creed and while it's the most demanding game I play, NWN2 isn't any more demanding than EQ and Diablo2. If you think you're going into RTS games in the future, or console ports, more ram is a good deal. If you think you want to add more ram, however, I would recommend switching to a 64-bit OS. Personally, since I play the newer games, I eventually will have to bite the bullet and go with more ram myself, even though some of it will go to waste. I hate waste tho.
Vista 64 OS is also eventually in my future though.