First system build in roughly 10 years. Need cost/performance suggestions.
My goal is to run at 1920x1024 with out lagging badly. I would like to run dual monitors at some point but its not required. I play GuildWars and EQ2 but will be trying age of Conan.
 
I am looking for a case that I can work in easily with my big hands and a good monitor that will run the games I play . This is what I am thinking about at this point. Thank you in advance.
 
Geared towards upgrades every 6-12 months. Will be adding another drive for more storage later.
    $169.99 Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Ultimate for System - OEM
    $26.99  SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black PATA Model SH-S202N - OEM  
    $74.99  Transcend 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model JM4GDDR2-8K
    $240.00 Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model HH80562PH0568M - OEM  
    $39.99  Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler
    $6.99   ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound
    $169.99 Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
    $179.99 EVGA Superclocked GeForce 9600GT 512-P3-N862-AR Video Card
     
    $549.99 Gateway FHD2400 Black-Silver 24" 3ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ 4-port USB Hub and Height & Pivot Adjustments 400 cd/m2 1000:1 - Retail
    $134.99 OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply
    $249.99 Asus Maximus Formula MB
    $279.99 LIAN LI PC-A71B Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

get an 8800GTS at the least

Well a few points to consider.
* DVD burner - get at least the "Retail" version, because it comes with the software to view/burn the DVD's for like $3-5 more.
 
* CPU HSF - go with:
Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835109125
and
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail  
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185004
for maximum air cooling. It'll cost about $80 or so with this combo, but will be the best and coolest setup right now.
 
* Case - I wouldn't spend $280 on a case, but that is me. I'd go with at least a Antec 900 or Cooler Master 690 case, which would save you $160 or more with one of those 2 cases. They are very good at cooling and are fairly roomy. They aren't full towers, so that might make a difference to you.
 
* PSU - I'd pick this PSU over the OCZ one you picked, for a couple of reasons. First, it has 52A on the 12V rail and has plenty of connectors. Secondly, it comes with a 5 yr. warranty and is cheaper than the one you selected, but will be able to SLI/Xfire easily if you need it to.
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC - Retail  
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005
 
* GPU - I'd go with a 8800gts or 3870x2 for maximum gaming power. They are more $ right now, but are worth it, IMHO.
 
* Mobo - I wouldn't spend $250 for a mobo. You can do pretty much everything with a p35 based mobo and save about $100 or more with them. I'd look at the Gigabyte DS3R, Abit IP35, or the Asus P5k series of mobo's. They are priced around $130 or so.
 
The savings in the case and mobo will allow you to spend about $290 or more on the GPU, if you decide to do that. So if you combine the price of the 9600gt and the $290 you could easily afford a 3870x2 or probably even the 9800gtx that should be out soon. You can decide, but that is where I'd spend my $ at.
 

Just my Opinion, I like your: Burner, Q6600, Tuniq, Monitor, PSU, MB and case.
 
Consider: Vista 64 bit Ultimate, Better Brand of Ram for similar price and maybe 4 x 2 Gigs, the newer 500 GB WD or Seagate HD (almost as fast as Raptor while quieter and larger), better video card like 8800 GT or GTS. In that price range I'd get the PC Power & Cooling 610 or 750 Silencer PSU as well.  
The Vista 32 Vista 64 and XP debate rages here. I love my Vista 64 Ultimate with 2 x 2 Gigs others have different opinions.  
Guild Wars is a cool game. Do you have good speakers? Something like these makes gaming much more fun. http://www.klipsch.com/products/de [...] a-2-1.aspx
Lunyone beat me...I like all his suggestions as well.

24" 3ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor ....1920x1024 with out lagging badly.........hmmmnnn ur 9600 isn't going to let you achieve that.

Another vote for "You Need a Better Viedo Card", and real lunyone's post over again - Good stuff.

I think you mean 1920x1080 or 1920x1200. You may want to get this display 24" display for $319 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824211009
I would go Vista 64 with 4G of memory 8 would be better if your going to spend that kind of money on a motherboard
you should get an EVGA 780I http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813188024 and for a case  
go for one with plenty of room and air flow like the Thermaltake Armor or Armor+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133055, I would go with the 8800GTX because the prices are falling and they give you room for more power in the future http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130072 the Q6600 is a good processor but you may want to look at the E6850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 819115028.

Yes, sorry I meant 1920x1200.
 
Thank you everyone for your feedback. I use a headset when I am playing so speakers don't add much but I do have good speakers already.
 
I tried to take into account the feedback. I knew the case was a bit over the top and really needed to be talked down from it. Here is my second pass. Do you think this is likely to run better over all? Would the power supply be enough? or might a single GPU be better?  Do people think a Dual core might be better for my use?  
 
Thank you again for all the help.
 
Second pass:
    $189.99     Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
    $36.99       ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T - Retail
    $240.00     Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model HH80562PH0568M - OEM  
    $6.99        ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound
    $59.99      Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail
    $14.99      Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail  
    $169.99     Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
    $549.99     Gateway FHD2400 Black-Silver 24" 3ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ 4-port USB Hub and Height & Pivot Adjustments 400 cd/m2 1000:1 - Retail
    $79.99      Patriot Viper 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 - Retail
    $99.99      Antec P182 Gun Metal Black Computer Case - Retail
    $109.99    CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC  
    $259.99     EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
    $179.99x2  EVGA Superclocked GeForce 9600GT 512-P3-N862-AR Video Card
Total: $2179ish after rebates  
 

One correction. I have dropped the raptor for this:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
 
Just forgot to update that list. Thank you again for the suggestion.

In your price range, I think your better off with one big card versus an SLI set up. Maybe Luny or Scotteq will chime in?

i second the suggestion for a single card setup.  a 8800GTS will do nicely at 1920x1200 by itself. Also, SLI performance benefits vary from game to game, so you wouldn't really be getting a performance increase across the board.  also, a single 8800GTS would cost less than 2 9600GTs.

Agreed: How does this look?
 
Third pass:
    $549.99     Gateway FHD2400 Black-Silver 24" 3ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
    $189.99     Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM
     
    $6.99        ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound
    $59.99      Thermalright Ultra-120 CPU Cooling Heatsink - Retail
    $14.99      Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan - Retail  
     
    $240.00    Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775  
    $79.99      Patriot Viper 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 - Retail
    $27.99      SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black PATA Model SH-S202N - Retail
    $119.99    Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
     
    $99.99      Antec P182 Gun Metal Black Computer Case - Retail
    $109.99    CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply 100
    $121.99    GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard - Retail
    $299.99     EVGA 512-P3-N841-A3 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16  
    $85.99   X-fi Gamer Edition
 
Feedback most welcome. I am guessing at the GPU/MO/RAM.

The last two hardwares: case and M/B.I think it is better to change them to value products.then buy a 3870 X2 $450 instead of 9600.

 
Looks good to me.    

me too... you could, if funds are tight, hold off on the X-Fi card...

^Agree - Hold on the sound card and if on board isn't adequate, then try one. Build now looks solid, enjoy

I like the last build, it makes more sense and won't break the bank. The onboard sound these days are pretty good, so I'd hold off on buying it. If you feel the onboard sound isn't what you wan than go and get the audio card. This way you can save $85 initially and then see if you like the onboard sound. I use onboard sound and am quite happy with it. To each their own.