This was my build before I decide to wait for actual benchmarks for Conroe:
CPU:
Athlon X2 4800+ - $632 + Free Shipping
CPU Heatsink:
Scythe Ninja - $43.99 + Free Shipping
This is considered the king of the hill interm of CPU heatsinks. A fan is not include, but it is very much capable of cooling an Athlon 64 X2 3800+ without one. A few people at SPCR.com even claim to silently cool an X2 4600+ with it, but that's a bit daring for me. A case with good airflow is required for passive cooling. This 5.9" (150mm) tall HS will be better and quieter than the stock HSF with the right 120mm fan.
Fan for CPU Heatsink:
Nexus 120mm Black & White - $15.49 + shipping ($4??)
Awesome quiet fan to pair up with the Scythe Ninja.
Motherboard:
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium ATX - $159.99 + $5.59 Shipping
The main reason I chose this motherboard is because the chipset is being cooled passively with heatsinks and heatpipes therefore no fan noise. No real interest in SLI.
GPU:
XFX GeForce 7900 GT - $299 + $4.89 shipping
A Geforce 7900GT is good enough for me. Consumes much less power than a Radeon which makes it easier to cool down. XFX offers Double Warranty. That means XFX will honor it's lifetime warranty when you own it and to the next person should you decide to sell it. It easier to sell something second hand if the next person knows he/she is getting a card that will be under warranty.
A 7900GTX 512MB card is $509 + 5.09 shipping
GPU Cooler
ZALMAN VF900 – CU - $46.99 + Free Shipping
Any stock GPU HSF will be loud. Too loud for my tastes especially when XFX sells overclocked GPUs. This all copper HSF will keep the noise down, and cool the GPU better than the stock HSF.
RAM
CORSAIR XMS 2GB (2 x 1GB) - $188 + Free Shipping - $50 Rebate
2 Hard Drives
SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series 250GB - $178 + 9.98 shipping = Total for 2 HDs
Samsung Hard Drives are known to be quieter the than nearest competition, 1dBA - 2 dBA quieter.
DVD Burner
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black - $37.99 + Free Shipping
Soundcard
Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS - $75 + $6 shipping - $6 Instant Rebate
Why Audigy 2 and not X-Fi? For gaming there is bearly any difference in audio sound quality. If you were using the sound card for audio recording then get the X-Fi. If you connect your PC to an audiophile system then go with X-Fi.
By audiophile system I am talking about $3,000+ speakers made by Paradigm, B&W, Totem Acoustics, Infinity, Talon Audio, etc. you will not hear the difference. Oh yeah, don't forget high end audio components as well like a $1,500 - $3,000 amplifier, etc.
Power Supply
Seasonic S12 500 - $124.99 + $8.99 shipping
A premium grade PSU that is very quiet, reliable, and efficient which is why I bought this. Tested to be above 80% efficient. That means less electricity is wasted as heat and dumped into the PC case. This is SLI certified and will definitely be more powerful than what you really need.
Wanna waste money on a more powerful SLI certified PSU? Then get the Seasonic S12 600 for $169.99 + 8.99 shipping.
Case
COOLER MASTER Centurion 532 - $74.99 + 15.99 shipping - $25 Rebate
I bought this case because the controls are on top of the case rather than on the side. Since it stands on the floor it allows me to easily reach the power button and the USB & Firewire ports. Tool-less design. Open mesh with washable dust filters to allow air to flow in so that internal components are kept cooler. Comes with a 120mm blue LED intake fan (tossed out for quieter fan).
2 Case Fans
Nexus 120mm Black & White - $30.98 + shipping ($7??) = Total for 2 Fans
Awesome quiet fan. One to replace the inlcuded case intake fan, and one for the exhaust fan.
3 Fan Mate II
ZALMAN FAN MATE 2 Fan Controller - $14.97 + 8.97 shipping = Total for all 3.
Ahhh, nothing like fan controllers to reduce fan noise.
Keyboard
Saitek Black Wired Eclipse - $46.95 + $6.99 shipping
Very nice keyboard with blue backlit keys. Yes, very nice. Glad I bought it.
Mouse
Razer Plasma Diamondback Black Mouse - $49.89 + $4.99 - $10 Rebate
Nice mouse, matches my Eclipse keyboard. Too bad I already have a nice Logitec mouse that I like.
Total Cost $2,011.17
What you get:
A powerful and very quiet PC that will last you a year or two.
Note: Budget does not allow for speaker system.
Oh well. In any case, this is what I would get if Conroe and Socket AM2 was not coming out this year.
Assuming 100% load on every single component: 262w Max.
Breakdown:
Athlon 64 X2 =============== 95w
GeForce 7900GT============= 57w
Additional Power for OCed GPU====12w
Hard Drives & DVD =========== 50w
Motherboard ===============20w
Fans =====================18w
Soundcard =================12w
RAM =====================10w
Total Power Consumption ===== 274w
Total Power Consumption from AC outlet using a 80% efficinent PSU = 343w
Sources:
GPU Power Consumption
Note: The 7900GT actually useless less power than the 7800GT because of the die shrink from 110nm down to 90nm. But it performs slighlty better than the 7800GTX.
CPU Power Consumption