[MooN*FiRE]

Final --------------------------

[comp_ali]

Looks good but wait for other members to recommend you good stuff.

[scurvy]

What about VGA? Go for a GTX 295 or two
Get triple channel memory

[OmegaRED]

For what purpose are you building this PC, I don't see a new video card in there. Even if you don't plan on gaming you should upgrade to at least a 9800GTX just for the HD acceleration. If you're a gamer throw in a single GTX 285 or spring for a GTX 295.

Personally, I think it is a bad idea to go for Core i7 at this point. It's all first gen and many people have said there isn't a lot being invested into the platform at this point due to the price of DDR3. I would instead put the money into high end cooling and get the best Quad Core 775 for your budget and overclock the hell out of it. Since you are transferring so many of your components it would be wise to keep the price of this build down and then upgrade in a year or two that way you have a bad ass PC now and it won't break the bank.

The Case is great, I would throw in all Noctua fans and an Ultra Extreme Black 120 with 2 Noctuas or Scythe silent fans for the cooling of the CPU (if you don't want water cooling). Are you concerned about sound quality? Go for a MB with X-fi onboard sound or grab a Auzentech Prelude.

[kman225]

blue ray is a safebet, get a solid video card and stay true to your needs. make sure to invest heavily on parts that you will need. if gaming, go for video/sound cards and memory.

Just my 2 cents

[nicnik]

all depends on your budget and purpose. I wouldn't recommend a gtx 295 unless you got $$$ to blow or your gaming at 1920+ resolution.

[MooN*FiRE]

I was thinking of doing water cooling but it cost alot for a good kit and getting a good HSF would save money. I probably didn't order the best but it will be good enough for my needs.
When I first saw the 45nm CPU out of the box, I was amazed at how times have changed. The 478 CPU's are huge compared to a 775. I still somewhat prefer pins on the cpu sometimes.

[OmegaRED]

You still didn't mention your total budget so I'll just throw out a common build I've seen which is quite popular lately:


Asus P5Q Pro 775
Intel E8400 or Q6600
AMD 4870 1gig
4gig ram

Give it some good air cooling and you can get past 3ghz easily on either chip this will hold you out for at least a year (maybe 2 if you go Quad) as long as your GPU is powerful.

[nicnik]

if you're sticking with 775 then $2k is plenty. you have too many options it all depends on how much of the 1000-2000 budget you're willing to blow.

[OldBuzzard]

Originally Posted by MooN*FiRE

... I am tired of all the hooplah over Corsair and want something different. ...

There's a reason for that...it works, and works well.

I'm assuming that you will also be using either Vista of Windows 7 64 bit for your OS, so IF it fits within your budget, I'd recommend that you go to 8GB RAM. Vista and Win 7 will USE it with SuperFetch, and not let it just sit there looking pretty. That's not to say that either of those OSs under-perform with 4GB, it's just that with 8GB they really show how good they can be.

[MooN*FiRE]

I have been reading up on Intel's plans for the 32nm line of CPU's, it doesn't seem that interesting as I once thought it might've been. I am looking forward to keeping my new build humming along for many many years.

[OmegaRED]

Memory: Mushkin 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual-Channel Memory Kit (Recommend Faster? Better?)

I highly recommend the Mushkin Redlines at PC2 8000, they overclock easily to 1066 and are cheap! I've got 4 gig right now and will add another 4 for about $66CDN (53USD on Amazon).

As for the motherboard, don't lock one in until you decide on either AMD or Nvidia because you want to leave the option for SLI/Crossfire down the road. It ain't like the old days when dual gpu's were for hardcore gamers, now it's actually affordable and delivers great scaling at high resolutions.

The arctic freezer isn't a bad cooler but you should get a better one if you are getting that Quad Core and might overclock. At the very least you'll at least get something quieter. As far as I know, the top 3 coolers are the Noctua, Thermalright Ultra 120 and the OCZ Vendetta 2. I'd go with the ultra...was planning to get one myself but they're pretty expensive.

[MooN*FiRE]

The only thing now for me to get is some USB 3.0 PCI addon cards, or if they make them some external USB3.0 connector box. I could have waited to build my PC til usb 3.0 was fully supported in mobo's but thinking about it now I am glad I did it. I think I need to take classes or read a book on cable management :P.

[MooN*FiRE]

*Off Topic* Yesterday I solved my videocard problem.. I was having a tough battle with my videocard turning off, after the last time I removed it a couple months ago trying to figure out why it kept turning off and having my games and movies freeze at random times and shutdown. I will admit I thought it was because I was a little stupid at the location I put the card, at the edge of the bed on a anti-static bag, I was fumbling around in my wave master case and turn around and stare in horror as my videocard is facedown on the ground.. I almost dropped a brick in my shorts. Before all of this, there seems to be a conflict with this ABiT board and creative along with videocards (turns all video input into 8-16bit windows 95 like flashback). Instead of 128 AGP memory you have to crank it up to 256, which happens to be what the cards ddr memory is. Anyways after the monitor light flickering and the system speaker keeps giving be beeps for a videocard problem after reboot I finally went to the bios was checking out the voltages, and then it hit me like lightning on a golf course.. what if the card needs more power?

At this point the AGP was receiving a total of 1.55v.. so their I was staring at the voltage for the AGP.. wondering if I should raise it. I was also thinking that if I did, I might fry the motherboard or the AGP slot along with my Videocard. I took a chance and raised it to 1.6v. The light is stable and so is the card.

*Side note* I have the BiOS on Fail-Safe which is kind of funny when you think about the problem I had.

[MooN*FiRE]

I am glad I didn't switch to core I7, thinking about all the money people wasted on that crappy chip makes me warm inside. Don't get me wrong I had my heart set on wasting a boatload of cash on it. I am glad people on these forums talked me out of it. I would just like to say thank you for your help and information that I lacked during my hunt for the best system for the right amount of mollah. It was a tough decision but in the end I am proud to say was the right one.