Hello wise computer folks.  I recently decided to get a new desktop and decided I would like to take a stab at building my own.  I have done some research and put together a preliminary component list.  I was hoping i could gain some insight from your experience in this department.  Any advice as to how to upgrade/downgrade components as well as whether or not my components are compatible would be greatly appreciated.
 
 
My list:
 
Motherboard:  ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX
 
CPU:  Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core
Video Card:  ASUS EN9600GT TOP/HTDI/512M GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI
 
PSU:  CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2
 
RAM:  2x Patriot Viper 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Dual Channel Kit
 
Hard Drive:  Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
 
Optical Drive:  ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
 
Case:  LOGISYS Computer CS888UVBL Blue Clear Acrylic ATX Mid Tower
 
 
All together this runs about $1000 on newegg.  I'd like to stay in that range.  Thanks for your advice!

#1 the board you getting is made for crossfire
 - so +1point for an ati card
#2 the 4850 can be found on newegg for $150 which is WAY faster than the 9600
 - +2points for 4850
#3 the 4850 can be crossfired later and be UBER if nad when you want
 
+3 POINTS for 4850 get one!
 
also look at the OCZ reaper 2x2g sticks after rebate there only $60.
 
 
I GIVE YOU A   7/10
 
Im getting
DFI x38 - $180
ocz reaper 2x2g - $60
2- 4850's - $300
q6600 - $185
seagate 500g 32mb cache - $85
samsung 22x dvdburner - $25
xigmatek 1283 w/bracket - $35
mx-2 - $7

Here's my $1000 build: https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] ID=8291612
I know it goes over, but there are rebates.

go and check old post

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/ [...] er=8291612 sorry heres the public one

licid24,
 
thanks for the advice.  i looked into the video card thing and you caught a big mistake.  my question is that if i can use a different type of memory such as ddr2 1333 or ddr2 800 even though my motherboard suggests a memory standard of ddr2 1200.  just curious about that compatability.
 
thanks
pat

Get the WD640 roughly the same price range, and faster than the seagate 500.

The 4850 is definitely a better card than the 9600GT if you don't mind going ATI (I only say this cause some people are brand loyal).
 
If you're going to go Vista I'd suggest 4GB of RAM if you can do it. I ran Vista 64 for a couple weeks on 2GB and noticed some slow down compared to XP 64. Vista likes having more resources. 4GB freed things up a bit and it runs beautifully.

Hello again all.  I thank you for your advice thus far.  I have taken it into account and tweaked my component list.  Please let me know what you think about the new set!
 
Board:  ASUS P5E LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX
CPU:  Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775
Video:  MSI R4850-T2D512 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire
Memory:  Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel
HDD:  2x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
PSU:  CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2
Case:  LOGISYS Computer CS888UVBL Blue Clear Acrylic ATX Mid Tower
Optical:  ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
Monitor:  Acer V223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen
 
Thanks again for your help!  
 
 
 
 

Here the updated list if anyone is following.  Please let me know what you think.
 
MOBO: ASUS P5E Deluxe LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX
 
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775
 
Graphics: MSI R4850-T2D512 Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire
 
RAM: OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
 
HDD: 2x Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
 
PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2
 
Case: LOGISYS Computer CS888CL Transparent Clear Acrylic ATX Mid Tower
 
Optical: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA
 
Monitor: Acer V223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen
 
Thanks for your help if you're kind enough to respond.

Unless you really want Raid, you should stick to one 640GB HD.  I think you've made some great choices. What are you doing about cooling? I suggest you use the Xigmatek S1283 and buy the retention bracket so you don't have to worry about push pins. I don't know if that fits in your case, but look at the Cooler Master RC-690. It's a great case, and I know for sure it fits in there.

thanks much donuts.  good to tell that some of my research paid off!  i will look into cooling.  i was under the impression that the stock cooking that came with the system would suffice but i trust your judgment.

Well you can do some research. Look for cooler roundups. You don't have to trust my judgment. You should always do research, if only to better understand the system you're building.

sounds good.  i have been advised that if i use my current choice of motherboard and cpu that i will be unable to crossfire two 4850 video cards.  i was not planning on buying two cards immediately but rather leaving this as an option for later expansion.  i was told however that to do this i would need an AMD motherboard and processor.  is this true?

No, you can buy an X48 motherboard that supports intel processors and has support for crossfire. It's $225, a great price. I think with that deluxe you can crossfire, but it's not actually two pciex16 slots when you crossfire, it turns into 2 picex8.

thanks much.  a member of another forum said i would have to buy AMD processor and mobo to be able to crossfire two 4850's.  i was confused because i checked ASUS's website and they specify this board as crossfire ready.