i need some help with a new build

[hitman24]

heres my budget $2000 to $2500 is that enough for a great gaming rig?
main usages in order
1) games
2) school work
3)internet
4) i would i think by christmas like to watch blu ray or hd movies but as for now i can wait on the burners etc.


parts list (i know kinda what i want but not too sure whats the best bang for my buck.
mobo- asus striker
cpu either the q6600 or the 3ghz dual core intel for $266
ram 2gb
hard-drive 500gb or more (i saw a 750gb for 200 good deal?)
case either antec 900 or Thermaltake Armor
keyboard- g15
monitor- i want a lcd 24 or bigger (dell ultrasharp)
os-i saw the vista oem HP for like 100 not bad.
video card- 8800gtx
op drive-dvd/cd burner combo
and can i get a mem reader as well
i have a mouse and i dont need speakers. and is getting a a zalman heatsink better then stock. thanks again i will be ordering when the price drops happen. so let me know pros cons and let me know whats the best thanks again guys. also i think there are better mobos out there right?

 

[hitman24]

bump

 

[Onus]

If games are your priority, get Windows XP at least until Vista is out of beta; Microsquishy seems content to let consumers test it for them. It isn't ready yet. Wait at least for the first service pack. In the meantime, XP is a known quantity that works.
Many heatsinks are better than stock, Zalman (7700? 9500? 9700?) among them. The C2Q runs hotter than the C2D. The PSU should probably be at least 500W, maybe more. Don't get a cheap one.
How much drive space do you really need? For $160 plus shipping, you could get a pair of 320GB drives, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148140
...and run them in RAID-1 for data security.

 

[emp]

LCD with 24" usually come in 1920x1200 or maybe even 2560x1600, so you're going to need SLI for that. So I think you'll need to get a 680i mobo to run SLI.

 

[hitman24]

budget $2000 to $2500 rate this out of 10 and pros cons and changes. also whats the better case the antec 900 vs the armor case. and cpu wise the E6850 or q6600. heres what im looking at the rest of the rig wise. thanks

EVGA 122-CK-NF68-T1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188012

Pioneer Black 18X DVD
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827129007

OCZ GameXStream
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341001
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002
G.SKILL 2GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231087

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

Logi tech G15 Gaming Keyboard

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136131


lcd wise im either going to get a del 24 ultra sharp or dual 22 or one 30 lcd whats the best one to get there? thanks

 

[hitman24]

BUMP

 

[hitman24]

anyone input?

 

[Onus]

You don't "need" SLI for those monitors, but SLI is said to make a visible difference at high resolutions (like 1920x1200).
If you do put two 8800GTX cards in SLI, I think you'll want at least 700W, maybe 800W to allow for some margin.

 

[jsc]

About Zalman HSF's: There are others that work as well for less or work better for the same price.

But they sure are pretty. I bought a used 9500 (about $20 - eBay) for my knick-knack shelf. Noone can resist looking at it or picking it up.

 

[hella-d]

I Doubt That On A 24" LCD SLI-Ing 8800GTXs Would Make A Notable Differance Even With An 8800GTS For That Matter In My Thread (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/243724-31-system-build-revision) Im Going With A 26" And A Single 8800GTS (Overclocked To The Gills) But Then Again Its A Much Lower Resolution
But Then I Dont Know How A Dx10 Game Would Tax A Dx10 Card