First Build, First time overclocking - advice please

[jr2408]

This is going to be a first time build for me. I plan to do heavy multitasking and some games - esp flight sims.

I will be overclocking for the first time, hopefully to around 3ghz (e.g. beyond the level of the E6700).

I plan to upgrade to a more powerful graphics card when the DX10 cards are released - this choice is just a stop gap measure.

Can anyone give me some help in understanding:-

- Is E6600 the right choice? I originally planned to go for the E6700 but I am reading that it is not good value.
- Is this motherboard a good choice?
- Have I got my memory choice right?
- As a newbie to build & overclock (but pretty savvy with PC's and tech stuff in general) how difficult is it going to be for me to build & overclock and end up with a stable system?
- Will this cooler & case be good choices in terms of cooling and also keeping noise down?
- Will I notice the difference the Raptor makes, or should I substitute it for a Seagate?
- Is it worth getting a sound card to reduce CPU cycles?

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail (CP-128-IN)

Gigabyte GA_965P_DQ6 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-058-GI)

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) (MY-108-CS)

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CPU Cooler (Socket 775) (HS-017-AR)

EVGA GeForce 7600 GT KO 256MB GDDR3 HDTV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-005-EA)

Western Digital Raptor 150GB WD1500ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-069-WD)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-078-SE)

Coolermaster Wave Master - Black (No PSU) (CA-047-CM)

Antec NeoHE 550W Modular ATX2.0 PSU (CA-046-AN)

Mitsumi FA 404M 7in1 USB 2.0 Floppy & Media Drive - Black (HD-002-MI)

NEC ND4571 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer LabelFlash ReWriter (Silver) - OEM (CD-032-NE)

Your help appreciated!

 

[Anoobis]

- Is E6600 the right choice? I originally planned to go for the E6700 but I am reading that it is not good value.

The E6600 is a good choice. It's the first in line to get the larger 4MB cache and will easily OC to the higher 6700s speeds.

- Is this motherboard a good choice?

Yes

- Have I got my memory choice right?

Yes, but you could go with a brand like G.Skill or Patriot with the same speed, timings, etc and possibly save some money. Just something to consider .

- As a newbie to build & overclock (but pretty savvy with PC's and tech stuff in general) how difficult is it going to be for me to build & overclock and end up with a stable system?

As difficult as you make it. There's an excellent C2D OC Sticky with very good info. Read it.

- Will this cooler & case be good choices in terms of cooling and also keeping noise down?

I cannot speak for the case, but I have the A64 equivalent of the same cooler. It is very quiet.

I'm not qualified to answer the rest of your questions.