Hi everyone, well anyways im planning on building a new system and there are a few things im not quite sure about .
the first thing is the system i plan on building will cost around $2,000. i already have a case(=D Cooler master Cosmos) so space is not a problem, also i have a 700Watt PSU and a 3.0GB's HD so those bases are covered.
i only really have two concerns should i go ahead and build now or wait until the new year for new goodies and lower prices, and what specifics should i go for. a little over a year an a half ago i built a AMD X2 based system that ended up becoming rather lower end and the prices on all the componets dropped price in 6 months, so with this new build i would like it to be top end for at least 8 months lol
there are 2 builds im considering but both are around a Intel Q6600 quad core.
the first is a DDR2 based SLI machine with 2 8800GT's the second is a DDR3 based unit but seeing as there are no SLI DDR3 motherboards out yet i would have to go for a more Powerful single Video card build. so that raises a few questions. if i Go DDR2/SLI machine will it be powerful enough to stay on the higher end side of things for at least a year or so. or should i just spend a few extra buck to go DDR3 with a High End Single card.
Mainly im looking for a solid Build that will be stable and overclockable enough to gain some extra performance as it ages.
so far what ive come up with that looks most promising is this
Intel Q6600
ASUS Striker Mobo
4GB of XMS DDR2 1066
2EVGA 8800GT KO's
Creatif X-FI Platinum sound
and a Pioneer Blu Ray drive
all for just over $2,000 shipped
so should i just stick to this build or wait or go DDR3? im open to all suggestion's

good luck lol... tech industry is ruthless and youll always end up with a low end system after 6months i recon.

If you want it to last for longer... big word would be wait i think ( i dont usually suggest this but i think in this case its the way to go). Penryn and Phenom is around the corner, so a Q6600 now would be mid range in a month or 2. AMD with RV670 soon and NVIDIA to refresh the GTS and possibly the GTX would make the GT mid range (like its supposed to be in the first place lol). So waiting who knows what to get id wait for reviews and what not for deciding.

If you want it RIGHT NOW then yes Q6600. If you absolutely have to have SLI then get the 680i (780i is scheduled for release soon too apparently just a refresh of the 680i) is the way to go. What res are you running? SLI isnt to usful untill you get to 1600x1200+. If you get SLI now 8800GT is the way to go yes. DDR3 is a waste of money ATM little to no performance improvement and its expensive get 4gb of DDR2 instead. The striker is pricey look at the P5N32-E SLI if you like ASUS (i know i do) same thing with a few less features. Love the X-Fi i have awesome but VIsta has shown issues if you are going with it.

hah yeah i dont plan on going Vista until it gets its first service pack, that plus im always hearing driver issues with it so im waiting on that for a little until it is the way to go. as far as resolution im planning on going up around 1920X1440 on dual Screens maybe higher