First let me say TY for helping me through this. I have spent several more hours comparing prices via newegg, and, as you all have said, I now know I can save a SIGNIFICANT amount of money building it myself.
So, here is my new build. I have made several changes. Some of them because of your suggestions, some of them based on price, and some based on the fact Newegg didn't carry the exact component. The most notable changes are:
MOBO: People have suggested the following mobo changes: P5E, X48, and X45. I decided to go with the P45. I made this choice primarly based on price. I did notice that all of the boards you guys recommended are “crossfire†ready. I plan to go with a single card for I heard that was better for gamming. So, do I need to get a crossfire ready card? Knowing this, does that change your guys recommendations.
CPU: I decided to stick with the Q9650 (non extreme). However, I was told that the Q9550 can be OCd just as good if not better then the Q9650 (non extreme). One guy said he has his OCd at over 4Mhz. Is this true? This will be a saving of about $200.
VIDEO CARD: I originaly had a GTX 280 1 GB card. I know the video card can be eaily upgraded in the future. I decided to go with the a 9800 GX2 1 GB card. This card will save me about $200 and from what I can tell the 9800 GX2 is comparable to the GTX 280 – I believe its at the very high resolutions (ie 2560 x 1600) that the GTX 280 outperforms the 9800 Gx2. What are your thoughts about this?
RAM: I upgraded from the DDR2/800 ones to the DDR2/1066 version (Corsair Dominator). This was an increase of about $150
CASE: Found a much cheaper model that got great reviews
OPTICAL DRIVE: Decided to go with two burners
So, here is my newest build (which now includes a monitor). With the money I will save going through Newegg I can probably upgrade but ONLY if you see it as absolutely necessary.
PRICE: $1,895
CASE: APEVIA X-JUPITER-JR S-Type X-JPJST-BK Black SECC Steel Chassis ATX Mid Tower $80
]Newegg.com - Suggested Products
XTRA CASE FANS (x3): $15 – What size should I get – need recommendations please
MOBO: MSI P45 Neo3-FR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX $110
Newegg.com - MSI P45 Neo3-FR LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W $550
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz 12MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
CPU FAN: Thermaltake CL-P0075 80mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink $25
Newegg.com - Thermaltake CL-P0075 80mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
VIDEO CARD: EVGA 01G-P3-N891-AR GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB (512MB per GPU) 512-bit (256-bit per GPU) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported $270
Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-N891-AR GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB (512MB per GPU) 512-bit (256-bit per GPU) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
HARD DRIVE: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s OEM $130
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
RAM: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit $135
Newegg.com - CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
POWER SUPPLY: RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-730SS 730W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Modular LED $90
Newegg.com - RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-730SS 730W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Modular LED Power Supply - Power Supplies
OPTICAL DRIVES (x2): LITE-ON Black 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM ATAPI/E-IDE CD Burner – OEM $35
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM ATAPI/E-IDE CD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
KEYBOARD: Saitek PK02 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys USB Standard Eclipse II Keyboard $50
Newegg.com - Saitek PK02 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys USB Standard Eclipse II Keyboard - Keyboards
MOUSE: Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming-Grade $40
Newegg.com - Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming-Grade Mouse - Mouse
FLASH MEDIA: SUPER TALENT INTAIN1MCR All-in-one Card Reader $10
Newegg.com - SUPER TALENT INTAIN1MCR All-in-one Card Reader - Card Readers
SPEAKERS: Genius SW-5.1 1000 25 watts 5.1 Speaker System $40
Newegg.com - 5.1, Speakers, Speakers & Headphones, Computer Hardware
PCI WIRELESS CARD: EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card Up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA, AES $25
Newegg.com - EDIMAX EW-7128G IEEE 802.11b/g PCI Wireless Card Up to 54Mbps Data Rates 64/128-Bit WEP, 802.1x, WPA, AES - Wireless Adapters
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM $100
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - Operating Systems
TERMAL GREASE: $10
MONITOR: Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 $180
Newegg.com - Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 - LCD Monitors
Am I leaving anything out?
As always, Im looking forward to any/all feedback