Building with spare parts

I'm currently on my way to building my first computer. I have a CPU, motherboard, and RAM, and a case picked out

-AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor
-GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS-939" NVIDIA nForce3 ULTRA Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 939 CPU
-Kingmax SuperRAM Series Dual Channel Kit 184-Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200, Model MPXD42D-2

Now what I was thinking of doing, was using the computer i currently have, and simply taking its harddrive, cd/dvd-rom drives, and video card and using them in my new build instead of purchasing new parts.
Does this shortcut seem like a good idea? i dont have that big of a budget for this build. i dont want to have to distribute my money on many low quality parts, but just on a few so i can really maximize the quality of the parts i can afford. mixing a bit older technology with new, my main concern is the harddrive. Should I have it reformatted and erase everything currently on it before putting it in the new computer? being this my first build, the most daunting thing about it is that i've never done it before, and i'm not sure exactly how everything will play out when i put it all together.

so, is this hybrid of used computer parts with new parts a viable option, or should i just buy everything new?

 

by the way, in case you need, the parts currently in the computer i have -

Maxtor 4D080H4 80GB Harddrive
Compaq DVD-ROM DVD-117
HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8240B

pretty generic, but they serve the purpous i need them for, so i figure theyd be good for what i need with my new computer.

 

the old parts will have no trouble working in the new system. It's very commonly done as not everyone can afford a brand new computer all at once, so you're definetly not alone

for the hard drive, you will need to backup any data you want saved, and when you get the new system running, you'll need to do a clean reformat and fresh install of your OS. Windows doesnt take kindly to new motherboards as they differ greatly in their components and drivers-- a reformat and new install are the only way to go.

which video card will you be using?

good luck! and I hope you enjoy your new parts

 

What kind of video card do you currently have? This component may not be transferable depending on what type of slot it uses. What kind of slot does it use?

 

thanks a lot for the help

current graphics card - nVIDIA GeForce FX5200, 128MB
it's currently in my motherboards 4x AGP slot.

so yea, im sure itll be fine as the motherboard im getting supports 4x/8x AGP.

plus, if i can, i'd like to get a new video graphics card anyway. i got a birthday coming up real soon
maybe the Rosewill ATI RADEON 9600XT Video Card, 256MB DDR which is also AGP.

 

hmm, unless you are buying RIGHT now, you may want to ditch the AGP motherboard and go to PCI-Express. Of course, this would reguire a new CPU/Motherboard/Video card combo, but if this is already what you are planning to do, it would make more sense in the long run. (you could still use the 3000+ if you are on a budget, but you would need to choose an nForce 4 motherboard with PCI-Express)


in either case, AGP or PCI-E, I recommend going for a Geforce 6600GT, as it is the best price/performance available right now. the 9600XT is a decent little card, but it cant nearly keep up with the 6600GT.