Hi guys,

I'm a long time reader, first time poster. I've been trying to piece this build together for about a year now and need your input. This will mainly be a gaming pc with some picture/video editing. SLI isnt a big concern atm but I would consider the posiblities later down the road. I plan to OC a little bit and want this to be somewhat future proof. Games Im looking to run are Crysis, COD4, and SC2 (whenever that comes out) at 1680 x 1050. I have a budget of $1400-$1600. I already have keyboard, mouse, speakers, and plan on buying a 20" widescreen in a couple of months along with another HD.

This is what I have so far.

Case - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6811119137

Mobo - ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813131196

CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6819115017

PSU - OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6817341002

RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6820145177

HD - Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6822148288

DVD Drive - SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6827151153

GPU - EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6814130072

Then i also need to get another copy of XP so it comes out to roughly $1407.92. My main concern is the mobo and power supply. I also don't know what kind of CPU cooler to get. Is there anything I could trim so I can add this monitor to fit within my budget? If not I'll just get it later.
SAMSUNG 206BW Black 20" 2 ms (GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824001095
Thanks in advance.

You could get this power supply and be fine;
http://www.buy.com/prod/Corsair-VX [...] 52646.html
You can get this ram for $34 after MIR;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145034
Or this for $32 after MIR;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146565
This cooler is going to give the TRUE all it wants at a better price;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003
I have nothing to say about the MB because that's what I'm going with.
You could get a 21XX cpu for now, then upgrade to the Quad when the funds allow. You can get a 2180 from tigerdiect for $50 after rebate

Ur going 8800gtx?..why not 9800gx2 they come out in like a week or two.

I just don't understand why everyone is recommending a product that is not released and may or may not be worth a crap. Go with proven parts, upgrade if needed, it's been that way for quite a while.

If they come out soon AND are available (*cough* E8400 *cough*) I would at least see how the 9800GX2 goes when it comes out. By going for an EVGA card, you are at least eligible for their step-up program within 90 days, so you got your back covered . If it wasn't for the step-up program, I would have suggested you go for the 3870x2 instead.

Thanks for the suggestions. I was wondering if the psu i chose was overkill or not. Ill swap that out and get the corsair ram suggested. Im gonna stick with the GTX because as Zenthar said the Step-up program. Thanks guys for the feedback. Ordering tonight.

Make sure you read the details about the Step-Up program, I never used it, but some details might have slipped by me.

In short, you pay the difference in price between what you paid for the old card and the retail price of the new card plus shipping of both cards (your old to them and the new to you) so this is not free. Moreover, they do not ship the new card until they have their hands on your old card, so unless you have a spare GFX card, no PC for a couple of days.