Case -
Thermaltake Armor or Antec 900 or Your choice...
Motherboard -
Gigabyte P35-DS3R or ASUS P5K
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
or Intel Core 2 Duo E6750
RAM -
2 x 1GB Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 CAS4
Graphics -
EVGA 8800GTS 320MB
Power Supply -
SeaSonic S12 550W
Hard Drive -
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB 16MB Cache or Samsung Spinpoint 500GB 16MB Cache
Optical Drive -
Sony NEC Optiarc DVD Burner
Optional Aftermarket HSF -
Tuniq 120 or Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
The total would be around the $1200-1500 range, depending on which options you pick.
Notes:
1. Unfortunately the Antec 900 case isn't available at Fry's anymore for that low price of $69.99....but I just threw out the newegg link as an option, as well as the option of your choice.
2. I know you like ASUS boards, and I did suggest one...but in my opinion the board to get now, is the Gigabyte P35-DS3R, that I also suggested. It's just an excellent overclocker, and futureproof as well, for the upcoming Penryn CPUs. Ask Sora...he has personal experience with this board.
3. The choice between the CPUs is yours. If you like multitasking heavily, as well as gaming, the Q6600 would be a great choice. But if you're planning on upgrading to the Penryn CPUs, you can save money by going with the dual core e6750. It's a great overclocking CPU. It's been known to hit 3.5+GHz....
4. I threw out the Crucial, because it's my new fav to recommend. I'm getting tired of HZ. But I'll throw out the link as well, if you're interested.
G. Skill HZs
They're both great sets of RAM. It wouldn't matter which you choose. Just a preference for your favorite brand, I guess.
5. For the graphic card. I would suggest the 8800GTS 320, if you plan on gaming in resolutions, under 1680 x 1050. Anything over, you can go for the
8800GTS 640 or the
8800GTX 768, if you can afford it in your budget. But the new 9 series is coming out to. Maybe you should just go for the 8800GTS 320, to save you some money, for a possible upgrade.
6. About the aftermarket HSFs. The Tuniq is linked to petra's, as it is cheaper than newegg's and svc's price tag. I would suggest the Tuniq, if you're going with the Q6600, as it will do a better job than the AF7 Pro. The AF7 Pro will go perfectly, with the dual core e6750.
7. If you want more space, the Samsung Spinpoint 500GB hard drive, gets you 180GB more space, for about $30 more.
