Hello. I've been out of the world of PC building for a few years and boy, have things changed.

So lately I've been wanting a new computer. The lappy is over 3 years old and I know I can't depend on it for much longer. Therefore I started reading Tom's thoroughly and was pleased to build a parts list that totaled <$1000. I'll be re-using a monitor and I only use cheap keyboards/mice so those aren't part of the total.

Parts as follows:

1 COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$44.99

1 MSI P35 Neo2-FR LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$119.99

1 PNY VCG7900SXPB GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$119.99

1 OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: OCZ600SXS
$89.99

1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
Model #: BX80562Q6600
$279.99

1 GeIL Esoteria 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GX22GB8500ESPDC - Retail
Model #: GX22GB8500ESPDC
$124.99

1 Seagate Barracuda ES ST3320620NS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620NS
$94.99

1 ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #: CNPS9700 LED
$64.99

Subtotal: $939.92

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I went with Quad Core after reading the Dual vs. Quad comparison article. At something like ~$70 more than dual core, the prospect of being Quad-core-ready for 2008 seemed pretty enticing. Bragging rights too.

The choice of a DX9 card is a bit disappointing to me, but there are two reasons. Firstly the budget constraint. The next best card would exceed $200. Secondly, I'm resisting the vista upgrade and the less reasons to upgrade (DX10-capable card would be one of them) the better for me.

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What I'd like to hear about are any compatibility issues with the components as well as any suggestions for better value. I don't plan on actually buying things until after the holidays so I may get a price drop or two by then anyways.

Thank you very much.

You have a good start there. I have a somewhat similar setup with a different card. Q6600 at 3.0 ghz, MSI p35 board. With your setup and cooler you can o/c to 3.0 ghz with a couple of setting adjustments.
You are already at $939. With the release of new ATI card and the hype wearing off you will be able to snag a 8800gt for a $100 bucks more. Trust me, just break down and spend the extra bucks, that way you will be content with your system and be able to play the newest releases at a very good clip with some eye candy turned up. Youv'e spend this much, dont skimp on your graphics card now.

Looks very good, but instead of that MSI board, get ASUS P5K-E or GIGABYTE P35 DS3R or ABIT IP35 PRO, also for RAM, get DDR2 800 and save some $ , because the diffrence between DDR2 1066 and DDR2 800 isnt much and also DDR2 800 will OC very well, so get a DDR2 800 RAM with 4-4-4-x or lower timings

Can I have a second opinion on a motherboard and memory change, please? I'm doing some research on:
Asus P5K-E (Was my pick for motherboard before the current MSI listed)
Gigabyte P35 DS3R
ABIT IP35 PRO
DDR2 800
at the moment on possibilities, but haven't come to any conclusions here.

Crucial Ballistix DDR2 800 is very nice memory and on newegg its $50 afer rebate!!!!

Thanks. I did switch in the Ballistix DDR2 800 for the GEIL sticks.
I also went with the Abit motherboard, since I realized that my MSI choice doesn't support Quad core, or doesn't say so in its specs, oops.

Unfortunately, the price tag is now over $1000. Here's the current build:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
$44.99

ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
$184.99

XFX PVT88PYDF4 GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
$269.99

OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS ATX12V / EPS12V 600W Power Supply - Retail
$89.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail
$279.99

Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT12864AA804 - Retail
$89.99

ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
$64.99

Subtotal: $1,024.93

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My question now is: Will this work out? Are there better values to be found? Or should I sit on it for the holidays, as planned, and hope for price drops?

Depending on what you need you can get the Gigabyte P35-DS3R mobo.....

or DS3L if you dont need RAID and Firewire

But the Abit Pro is a very good choice if its in your budget

I've got the Abit IP35 PRO and it's excellent. Very easy to get up and running. I overclocked my Q6600 to 3GHz without a hitch (its not breaking a sweat). There are some great deals on memory right now. A bunch of sites have some DDR2 800 memory very cheap. I've seen some stuff at Zipzoomfly for like $50 or $60 (CORSAIR TWIN2X2048-6400 800MHz at the low latencies of 5-5-5-12-T1for like $38 after rebates. 2 Gigs of the C4 version of the Corsair XMS2 memory with 4-4-4-12 timings is $52 after rebates (that's the stuff I have and I haven't had any problems. I'm gonna buy another 2 gigs.

I'd definitely recommend saving cash on the memory and go for the DX10 vid card...you won't be sorry ...8800GTS...I've seen some good deals on the 8800 GTS...get the 640mb version if you go with the GTS. I got my BFG8800GTS OC2 640mb for like $330 about 4 months ago. They must be cheaper now. Good luck

Don't get a 8800GTS

For much cheaper you can get a 8800GT which performs better......

Just don't take mine

What about video card overclocking? Worthwhile?

With something like the GT its not necessary......maybe if you need a couple fps.

Otherwise its just for bragging rights

ppl say the GT can overclock decently well and possibly beat a stock GTX!!

I think I'll have plenty to brag about. Open up Task manager and say "See that? That's eight, count 'em, eight CPU activity monitor graphs." Or does that not happen?

It'll be four anyways.

Thanks for all your help, guys. For the time being I'll sit on this configuration and read TH to keep up on the latest developments, reviews, and recommendations.

That 8800GT makes or breaks the computers ability to play games, it almost has the power of the 8800GTX.

Yes 8800GT is a great performer, however it runs hotter than 8800GTX, also in very high resolutions like 2048x1536, the difference becomes noticeable in some games