Here is something I spec-ed up tonight, after many hours of research. Should I pull the trigger? I stuck with the lower q6600 processor because I plan to overclock it - and got the appropriate cooling materials.

1
COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail Item #: N82E16811119161Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant

$49.99$29.99 1
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM Item #: N82E16822148261Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
$49.99 1
SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail Item #: N82E16814102810Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$219.99$199.99 1
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM Item #: N82E16835100007Return Policy: Consumable Items Return Policy

$5.99 1
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK - Retail Item #: N82E16820227267Return Policy: Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return Policy -$20.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate
$86.99$66.99 1
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail Item #: N82E16813128359Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$119.99 1
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail Item #: N82E16819115017Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy

$189.99 1
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM Item #: N82E16832116488Return Policy: Software Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant

$109.99$99.99 1
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail Item #: N82E16835186134Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$7.99 Saving

$36.99$29.00

total price - $760 shipped

 

Vista?

I'm surprised you're not going for XP!

I think that's also how much my friend paid for his freshly built computer (minus his new HD screen).

 

yeah, i think i'm going to make the move to vista. I've been using XP since its debut, and I think i'm ready for a refresher! Plus, only the 64 bit vista can actually use more than 3 gigs of ram.

i'm just excited for the video card. on a scale of the top cards as of today, the HD4870 is number 5 amazing for a sub 1000 desktop!!!

 

I love new egg, good setup for a good price. I have the same processor and even at the lower speed it has run absolutely everything I've thrown at it with out any lag or problems. All settings are on highest and running 1920x1200 resolution. That includes games like assassins creed, crysis, fallout 3 ect... I'm running a 9800gtx and an asus p5n-d board with 4gb of ram and nothing slows this down yet.

 

Don't buy Vista....you can get it "elsewhere" PM me for details.

I am sure many people know I am a computer enthusiast/gamer. I would go with the Zalman Cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118019

**************************
For 5$ more dollars you can get some more space
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152052

**************************
As for the video card..if you plan on gaming at HIGHER resolutions I would suggest something with a bigger bit.

GTX 260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127361

Other than that it's a pretty beefy box.

-SPiel/Paul

 

alright, i switched to the graphics card you suggested, because it was more performance for the same price... why not??? :]

based on recommendations on another forum, I chose this CPU cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835207004

people are saying i should use G.Skill ram because it has better clock speeds. worth it?

 

You're going reg HD not SSD?

A friend just swapped out one on his laptop - gets like 6hrs of usage (up from 4) and is almost 50% faster.

It's only 64 GB - but still worth it for the speed.

Been thinking about doing that with my current system - and use my 600 GB as media storage slave drive.

 

Id go for a 1tb drive... 250gb is nothing. Also I would spend some money into a better motherboard. I really like the Asus motherboards.

 

well i'm kinda pleasing you a little more.

i switched to this motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299

and this hdd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152052

500 combined with a 350 drive i have already and a 1tb external is enough storage for me

 

very nice setup. i got the same cpu and cooler. works very well. i'm using the gigabyte p35 board though. works well but i can't seem to overclock correctly lol. i'm using vista business. i get it for free from my school : ). i get next day shipping because i'm rly close to newegg. newegg ftmftw!!!! i'm running a 8800gts. works well with even GRID which is more radeon biased. crysis runs rly well too. i run medium settings and it lags when lots of things blow up but is good otherwise. my old 17" isn't rly top notch so i'm going to wait for a cheap 24" widescreen b4 i overclock this thing. the vid card DJ recommended is top notch. if you're getting a huge screen like a 30" or something, you won't rly need more than 256bit. my friend is running a 8800gt OC version and he's got a 22" widescreen and everything is perfect. we even watch HD discovery channel shows on it, you can def say wow that it.