Nub trying to build her first computer :)

[Evolv]

She'll be fine with the Q6600, it's not like she'll be doing hardcore overclocking.

 

[GoddessVirage]

I wanted my tower to glow just a little bit, all those LED lights on some of the towers are so neat, haha! But I should go for efficiency/price before shiny things I guess.

For my operating system I was just going to see if I could install my Windows XP CDs from my old PC, I really haven't looked to see if I can put them on another computer. I work on Vista at work and I have to say that I'm not a huge fan. My boyfriend tells me there is always the option of torrenting my OS but I don't know if that's the route I would take. It seems the prices for XP and Vista home editions are them same:

XP:
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 for System Builders - Operating Systems

Vista (64 bit):
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems

 

[Boma]

u have a boyfriend so we're not gonna help anymore.

I would reuse the old XP since 7 is only a year away.

 

[hikaricloud]

Go with Vista, and don't listen to this Boma fellow.

You'll need the 64-bit to recognize all your RAM, so Vista hands down.

EDIT: Oh, and pick up Vista Home Premium. I think it's 10 bucks more, but it's worth it.

 

[NightSurge]

I'm glad you are choosing the PC over an expensive Mac! If all you are using on the Mac was Creative Suite, you'll be much better off with a PC. The components will be much more powerful for a much cheaper price this way. +1 to the PC's are better side I kid, I kid.

OT: I would say if you are absolutely against Vista, you can use your old XP but you will not fully utilize all 4GB of RAM until you upgrade to a 64bit OS, be it Vista or Windows 7. If you can spare the $100, get Vista Home Premium 64bit through Newegg.

 

[hikaricloud]

Nowadays with SP1, Vista is just fine. They fixed a lot of stuff, and it beats out XP in most aspects now. Even a die-hard "early Vista" hater like me realizes that SP1 made it a good OS. You should be fine getting it.

 

[GoddessVirage]

Oh no! It figures- I just went to place my order for a few of these parts and the graphics card is listed as a 'Deactivated Item'. It was fine last night

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GV-R467D3-512I Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

 

[Evolv]

This is a good one too:
Newegg.com - ASUS EAH4670/DI/512M/A Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

It's basically the same as the Gigabyte.

 

[GoddessVirage]

Newegg.com - EVGA 01G-P3-N959-TR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

I was also looking at that one as it has gotten a really good review on newegg- as far as power how does it compare with the other one you suggested (Newegg.com - ASUS EAH4670/DI/512M/A Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards)

 

[Evolv]

Thats a 9500gt, it will be a lot slower compared to the 4670.
As seen here:
http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/graphics-card-rankings-139202/
The HD4670 is ranked a lot higher than the 9500gt.

Don't base your purchasing decisions on newegg reviews. Most of them people don't know what they're talking about. But overall the 4670 will be the best bang for your buck.