Building a budget PC need help

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I am a complete noob to building PCs. I want to build a PC that could handle starcraft 2, blueray dvds, hdtv, windows 7,slight multitasking no more than 2 apps at once and quiet. I really don't want to spend more than $400. I have a friend that works at intel and could get me any chip half off.

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223C $29.99

MSI N9600GT-MD1G GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 $64.99 after rebate
PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Case and hd combo $99.99
Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200
RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $39.99
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864AA800 - Retail

GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $52.99

APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply $19.99

Intel(r) Core(tm)2 Duo Processor E7400 for $58.50?
or
CPU Intel(r) Core(tm)2 Quad Processor Q9400S for $93.50?

Windows 7 32 bit home edition $30


total with the E7400 $396.44

A couple of questions: would that setup be compatible the graphics card, motherboard, memory, and cpu? Do you think i should go with the quad over the duo giving what i would be using it for? The motherboard is cheap i know but should i go with a better one? I had no idea on what power supply to get 500W is prob more than enough? I really appreciate any input thanks!! !

Your motherboard, cpu, memory and graphics card should all work. I dont know about how much power that's all going to draw, though, so I cant help with your power supply question.

One thing I see that could be a problem, though, is that you said you wanted to be able to watch blue ray disks. You cant do that with a drive that doesn't support them, and the one you have selected doesn't. They are usually quite expensive(around $100 USD for one that only reads, not burns), so you'll probably not be able to meet your budget if you wanted to include one.

For all your other needs, it'll definitely work.

Go lower on the case and CPU, that should get you enough left in the budget. Try an AMD CPU and Motherboard Combination, the athlon 64 x2 is pretty cheap now. Also the RAM is overpriced, DDR2 should cost $10 a gigabyte right now because DDR3 is out.

A midi-tower case and full ATX board are always a good investment. Maybe you could get a smaller hard drive.
With that set up, I think that comes to around 400w. But getting a 550w+ would be better

I also find the mix of a mid-tower case with a micro ATX board a bit strange but it's kinda hard to find a board cheaper than that G31. With your budget I think an AMD system will have better performance / price ratio though.

A 4670 will also beat a 9600GT quite handily. But I'm not sure if there's any rebate in offer right now.

The price of ATI graphics cards are incredibly good just now. I saw the prices start falling so I bought mine fearing the prices would rise again... Instead, they just kept falling. I'd spend a bit more to get a good ATI graphics cards, it'll be the best bargin from your purchases. Save money on the case to do so.

If you have an SLI/Crossfire certified board you can use two graphics cards together. I know with nVidia, there are options on how to do this with variation. Crossfire, I don't know. As you are going for budget, it might be worth investing in a graphics card you can buy another of later in the future with the same specifications and manufacturer (important)

Make sure the power supply is sli compliant for use with that graphics card. Also, find your wattage needs and then go 10% or more over that. This will cause the fans to run slower(because the PSU isnt working as hard) and your computer will run more quietly. The better power supply units have a sticker indicating 80%+ efficiency. Those are cooler and quieter as well. Look for one.

one simple thing to do; look on the box; web site, etc., and see what the minimum requirements for the games you want are.You'll need at least that much...Actually, games tend to be some of the most resource-hungry programs out there, so getting that for $400 may be a challenge...but give it a shot.

I think i can do it for under 400 i was looking at the ati 4670 its 40 bucks after mail in rebate. I also think im going to go with a cheaper board and cpu intel celeron dual core. I also found a dfferent case for 20. Ill wont cheap out on the power supply opting with a more effecient one of 500W. 4670 reguires min of 450. Thanks for all the help!!

If you don't use a lot of PCI devices go with a very small microATx with at least a PCI Express Slot. I would also go for SATA hard drives from last years fleet. You can save some money that way.

A case that's too small can be crowded easily, restricting airflow and raising internal air temperatures higher than desired, which is not a good thing

I finally ordered everything. Got a
i5 750 processor
GTS 250 card
640 gb HD
4gb DDR3
Windows7 64 bit Pro
700 Watt power
BIOSTAR T5 XE LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
asus 23" 1080p lcd

Thanks for all the help a little more than I wanted to spend around 700 total including monitor but it should last 4-5 years. Hopefully i can get 250 for my laptop

By the weekend i should have everything