Need help picking out some parts......

Seems good, but go for another graphics card. Take a ATI FireGL with AVIVO technology for better visual quality. Take the dual-core. Go for MSI motherboards (mobo). Make sure that the mobo can take dualcore. Also remember that dual-core machines takes more power than a normal single core. Aim for a 500W PSU.

Good luck building it  

Faster RAM. Possibly 3GB. Oodles of hard drive space (10k if within budget) Good pick on the CPU. The Gigabyte P965 DS3 is a good motherboard. Yeah, pick a FireGL or Quadro card.

~Ibrahim~

after reading your post and looking at toms reports on the 975 motherboards i have made a few chages


APEVIA X-Cruiser Metal Case w/ Side Window (green)
Intel BLKD975XBXLKR Core 2 Duo/ 975X/ A&GbE/ ATX
Intel e6600:Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6600 2.4GHz 1066MHz 4MB

I use:
975XBX
Intel 940D
3GB Kingston DDR2 667 PC2 5300
Fire GL v3400
4 WD SE16 250 GB-SATA Raid
Antec P180B case
Antec Neohe 550 PS

Built it in July before C2duo and am thinking about the 6600 right now as it's about the only upgrade I could possibly make.

The system rocks and is completely stable even when playing around at 4.1ghz OC using a Zalman CNPS9500 and two Antec 120mm tri speed fans. All cooling controled by the motherboard and IDCC by Intel giving me quiet when no load and variable speed as load increases.

off topic:

t5, you're a video editor? What parts need to be fast for those kind of PCs? A few people have been looking for those computers and I just say fast CPU, a FireGL/Quadro card and loads of HDD space...Really vague.

~Ibrahim~

ikjadoon-
Of course you have picked the necassary items. For Video, Graphic design, and CAD

Fatest CPU you can afford. The 940D was the best price/performance according to this site at the time and the 6600 is real close now, just a couple hundred more bucks and not much gain, but I'm getting it when it drops below $300 at newegg. $300 is just my majic number.

I picked FIREgl because I like ATI. 3 year unlimited support, application specific drivers, even though the generic works fine.

HDD big and fast. Can't justify the cost of Raptor, not much gain. $77 each for the WD drives. But I use two sata 250's in raid 0 for OS and applications. Two sata in Raid 1 for real files. I lose 250 of storage on Raid 1, but gain redundancy. And of course Back UP, Back UP, and Back up again to DVD.

3GB of ram is plenty, and almost necassary. Don't get enough of a performance gain to get anyting other than 667 value ram. Especially with the 940D 4-5 ratio. May change when I get the C2d, but not the overpriced glamor ram , just match the speed 1-1

And the motherboard. Intel 975XBX. Rock solid. Suppport for 8GB ram. 4 SATAII 3GB ports, 4 SATA I 1.5GB ports, 8 USB 2 ports, 10/100/1000 lan, 7.1 audio, (all onboard) supports all current LGA 775 CPU's. Did not want to waste the money on extra add on cards hogging PCIe and PCI slots. More crap in the way to limit airflow and burden the PS.

And the case. Antec is big and quiet. Lots of room for airflow, Never hear any fans unless I'm pushing it.

Bottom line. You get what you pay for. Buy the best even if you have to be patient to afford it. It took me two months of careful planning. Reading all the posts the "mostly" wonderful people on this site had to offer. Reading the sticky's. Visiting the OEM site's. taking my time to read every manual. Exercising extreme patience when assembling everything. In the end I could not be happier, and that is the joy of building it myself and seeing the end result.

I want to add a grateful thank you to all who post to these forums, even if you want to be a smart ass like me sometimes. Got to have a little fun

Awesome. Thanks for all the tips!

~Ibrahim~