Building 2 Rigs...Have Tricky Questions

Hello. I am building two systems in the coming months and I would like to get some professional opinions.


FIRST:SATA DILEMA

I am going to use an Asus M2N-E. Anyone currently using this mobo with a SATA HD?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131022

If so, my question is do I need to go through the hassle of getting a floppy for the SATA HD installation or will the mobo automatically detect the drive?

I don't want to buy a floppy and I don't want to have to download the drivers from the net, (because my PC won't even exist to download to and the pc that I am on and its floppy doesn't work).

I ask because I am going to buy an OEM Western Digital 10,000 RPM SATA drive that will probably not come with any drivers. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136012 If not, should I just break down and buy the retail box so I will get a disk with the drivers just in case?

SECOND: XP or VISTA
This is very debatable I know. I have read alot of reviews and I am still undecided. I want the build to go smoothly and without headache. Some people swear by VISTA and others swear by XP. XP hasn't let me down in the past so maybe I should stick with what works? I have heard that there could be compatibility issues with NVIDIA 8800 series GFX cards. I wonder if this is true. I am a gamer and this rig will have a 8800 GTS http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130082

THIRD: RAM
I don't know too much about RAM but this looks good CORSAIR XMS2 2GB DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145590

FOURTH: QUIET PSU
I want a powerful and quiet and cool PSU. This OCZ gamerXstream 600w looks good? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341001

FIFTH: COOLING
I want to get this ZALMAN HS/FAN http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835118223
and I want to get a VGA fan for the 8800GTS GFX card, has anyone modded a 8800 series NVIDIA card before with heatsinks and a new fan? Is it worth it? Is it hard? As the look of the 8800GTS you would have to break through its outer plastic shell which scares me.

SIXTH: CASE
This case makes my mouth drool..Cool Master Stacker http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119103
Should I buy a couple 120mm fans for it? Considering this one... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811999344

SEVENTH: CPU
Finally, I am thinking of getting AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ http://www.newegg.com/product/Prod [...] 6819103773

I appreciate in advance any recommendations or answers to some of the burning questions in this post.

First off I'd like to know if you were planning on overclocking with this build, ever. What will you be using it for, Home theater PC, Game station, or your Masturbation Machine.

Motherboard
I have the M2N-E and it was my first motherboard for my first build and everything went smoothly you will only need a floppy if you are setting up raid which you aren't. Only restriction on this board is the memory it accepts. It won't take any memory higher than 1.95.

OS
I was lucky enough that when I bought my XP MCE it came with a free upgrade to vista. So I had the opportunity to try both. I would say to hold off on the Vista, it is annoying, and you've got a 50-50 chance that your game or program will work with it. I got annoyed so much that I uninstalled it after 3 days.
The Ram
The ram you have is fine, but if you look into overclocking than there are other options you should consider to get the most out of your chips.
The PSU
OCZ make good PSU's and thats a good choice, but look for future-proofing get something 700W+ and since you are getting a 8800GTS its another reason to get a 700W + PSU.
The COoling
Don't get that Zalman, get this sucker it fits both LGA775s and AM2s and is a great cooler and cheaper... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835154001
The Case
Get whatever case, it really doesn't matter. Worrying about cases are dumb, unless you go to lan parties like nerds and show off your gigahertz.

I have a AMD X2 3800 2.0ghz with Asus M2N-E and 2gigs of Mushkins. Now, that I've said that I'd rather of had a Intel C2D, only because I've played on a kids laptop while I was in class one day and it seemed faster, plus all the articles i've read on the matter.

You get a C2D if you overclock, You get an AMD if you don't.

If you choose to go the Intel route; I'll recommend a motherboard and some chips:

Comparable price to the 6000: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 1157+40000 343+1050722265+1050922263&name=Conroe
and motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188017

What ***I, ME, MYSELF*** would get for gaming if you can afford the extra 50$ or so:

I'd get the E6750
( http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspe [...] ia=BA24051 )
and Mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128047

Failed to mention that this will be strictly a gaming machine. I am a big MMO player and this rig doesn't have to have bleeding edge hardware. Just enough to handle the massive amount loading that can be involved in massive raids in these games. I will be playing Warhammer Online, and WoW. However I will dabble in other games such as some FPS games like, BF2, Crysis and Call of Duty 4 and finally, for RTS games; Supreme Commander and Starcraft 2. And like I said before I want to get Vista but I am still very weary of it.

Lastly, will the Antec case width of 8.1 inches be wide enough for the Torque Fan?

Physical Spec of the HSF
Fan Dimensions 120 x 120 x 25mm
Heatsink Dimensions 131 x 108 x 153mm

Phys Spec of the Case
21.3'' x 8.1%u201D x 19.9%u201D(HxWxD)

Update on current build

CASE: Antec P182 - 159.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129025

HD: Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10,000 RPM - 194.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136012

MON ITOR: SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - 319.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824001096

PSU : OCZ GameXStream 600W - 109.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341001

RAM : CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit - 104.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145590

MOB O: GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - 114.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128012

CPU : Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model - 309.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017

HSF : Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - 45.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835154001

GFX: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 - 280.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130082

TOT AL: 1659.00 with shipping.

Not too bad. My budget is 1500.00.

So according to what I just described the use for this system (Heavy MMO and RTS gaming) is it on the right track? Personally I think it will get the job done and then some.

So you didn't have any problems with Vista detecting and properly installing? And you used similar hardware that I have listed? How does it run? Fast?

Now that I see your budget, I think you might like this:

The Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129154
Same thing just different color; You save money overall by $5 dollars.
The PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341001
This psu has the exact same specifications and is the same brand saving 20$.
The Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146565
These sticks are faster and only 5$ more.