I am trying to build a new machine for this new semester - plan for AutoCAd, Maple, graphics, multimedia, and a little bit of gaming.

This is gonna be my first even build and would appreciate any helps!! (Probably not gonna OC right after I build it - since I'm only a beginner, but there's a chance of "may-be" in the future.)

My budget is about 1500-1600.

CPU: Intel Q9550

CPU Cooler: No idea what to pick (Do I also need to buy a high speed fan?)

Thermal Grease: Arctic Silver 5

MB: Asus P5Q Deluxe [P45]

RAM: Corsair Dominator 4GB [2x2GB] DDR2-1066

Display: HD4870
(I was looking at the ASUS one, however, it disappear in Newegg. What brand is also good with the P5Q MB??)

HD: Seagate 500GB

DVD: Haven't pick one yet. Probably will just get a SATA DVD burner

PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0172RU 850W
(The only part that I ordered - b/c of Newegg discount and its good review...
BTW, the fan is on top of the PSU. Is that fan sucking air out of the case or blow air into the case)

Case: Antec 900
(I am not sure if this is good with my PSU. I don't know if the ATX cable is long enough and if the PSU is blowing or sucking... Anyone know?)

Is there anything else that I need to purchase???

Thanks for all your help!!!!

Do or not do, there's no try. If it ain't broken, overclock it.

I suggest you do it right now cuz if you decide to swap the cpu cooler out, it'll be a hassle - remove the mobo & install a new cpu cooler. Look into Xigmatek HDT-S1283 & backplate kit.

Swap AS5 out for MX-2 if available.

Don't settle for less than a 2-platter harddisk: WD6400AAKS which is faster than most non-Raptors. Don't get bottlenecked by the hdd with a fast cpu, gpu, ram, etc.

Consider DRW-2014L1T, LH-20A1S or LH-20A1S as a dvd burner.

Toughpower is a solid model.

Antec 900 lets you flip the psu over if you want. It's a pretty well made case with very good cooling.

No, you don't need anything else other than a few hardware tools. The mobo comes with cables & the case comes with screws.

Do you have a LCD screen, if so, what?

Get CAS4 DDR2-800, cheaper and will perform just the same.

Will look into MX-2 and the DVD burner.

A noob question on the HD. How can you tell if it is a 2-platter design or not??

If the fan is on top and flip it up-side-down. Wouldn't there be a problem....

Thanks for your input.

LCD:
Don't have a LCD yet.
I am still think would the Height, Pivot, Swivel, Tilt stand worth my extra money.
If so, I am thinking about Samsung 2243BWX or Acer B223Wbdmr.
Otherwise, I probably will go with either ASUS VW223T or a 22" Samsung.

RAM:
I am thinking of this one originally. It comes with the fan and its about $110 AR.
CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5DF

Is OCZ Reaper a good alternative as CAS4 DDR2-800?? The price difference is about $45. But, do I need an extra fan for this pair??
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) OCZ2RPR800C44GK is about $65 AR.

Thanks for your input.

How many plate does Seagate 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB have??

I got the OCZ Reaper and am very happy with it. Unless you do very intense OC with your RAM, the fan is unnecessary. Don't forget that DDR2-800 can support up to FSB1600 (400 MHz) without even being overclock and I some people are able to OC it up to 960 MHz (480 MHz FSB).

As for the LCD, should it be part of the budget?

I see. So, I probably will go with that then - save some money...

Kinda... My parents gonna give me $1500 for my machine (if it works...). I can probably add about $200-$300 into that. So, total budget w/ LCD and w/out OS should be $1700-$1800. You have a better suggestion on the monitor??

That is a very Good system you have there. Good Job on your choices.

For the Cooler check this one out. I've heard some good things about it.
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm

I have a Samsung 226BW (22" ) and I'm happy with it. There are better ones, but they also cost more. I was just wondering how over/under budget you were, because I'm sure we could squeeze something in without compromising performance too much (like getting a Q6600).

Last year, I ordered and tried the Samsung 226BW at work. I have to agree that it is a good monitor - pretty good even doing a side-by-side with the Dell UltraSharp 22". (My eyes aren't that good though... )

Can you comment on this updated list?? Thanks.

How would I know if the Cooler can fit in the Case (Antec 900) and the board (P5Q Deluxe P45)

CPU: Inter Core 2 Quad Q9550
CPU Cooler: ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm
Thermal: Arctic Cooling MX-2
MB: Asus P5Q Deluxe
RAM: OCZ Reaper HPC 2x2GB (CAS 4)
Display: HD 4870
HD: WD6400AAKS
DVD: DRW-2014L1T
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0172RU 850W
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel
Monitor: Samsung 2253BW

About $1492.88 (after rebate)
About $1672.87 w/ Vista 64-bit (after rebate)

I'm not aware of non-2-platter 640GB from WD. Each platter is 320GB.

The final specs look good.