Hey everyone,
 
Before I start, I would appreciate any input you guys could provide on the following system that I’m trying to put together. I’ve always assembled my own computers, however, the last time I did was 6 years ago   . I had to read a lot of articles to catch up with the new hardware (at least to have an idea). The only reason I will use this computer is for gaming and surfing. I have a laptop for business and other productivity utilities. I have limited time for gaming but when I do I almost always play mmorpgs (dark age of Camelot, world of warcraft, waiting for age of conan and warhammer)  
 
The monitor that I’m going to be using with this system is:
L1960TR  http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/l1960tr.jhtml
Resolution: 1280x1024   Response time: 2ms  
 
 
Here is the system:
 
Graphics Card:  EVGA 8800 GTS (G92) 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130325
(I will upgrade to SLI setting if I need more horsepower. If I buy from newegg I still can enroll in step-up program right? (after registering the product)
 
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037
Unfortunately, quad cores still have relatively low clock speeds and not perfect for gaming (unless overclocked). I realize that newegg version is overpriced but I just wanted to use the link to specify the CPU.
 
Motherboard: EVGA 780i
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] vga%2b780i
Is this motherboard worth it? It seems a bit expensive to me. Could you guys recommend anything else? I am going to be running raid 0 and hopefully SLI. I believe this board supports both.  
 
Hard disk: Western Digital Raptor 150 x2 (Raid 0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136012
 
Ram: 2x2 4gig
PC2 8000 vs. PC2 6400?  From what I have read, if I buy the PC2 8000, I will have to reduce its clock speed to run a stable system. I’m a bit confused in memory selection.
 
PSU: ?
Any suggestions on PSU to run this system (including a potential SLI config)?
 
Case: ?  
I got lost in case selection.
 
Misc:?
Do I need additional cooling for this sytem? Liquid cooling? Extra cables? Thermal compound?
 
Parts that I am going to be using from my previous system:
DVDRW, sound card
 
Thank you in advance!!!!!    
 
 
 
 

You do realize that you're not going to get the E8400 until maybe sometime in April?

ok do you really need a 10,000 rpm HD? i strongly suggest  Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 32MB Cache instead. $110
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] t3500320as
 
For the PSU the Corsair 550VX is excellent. You will have a busload of cables with it. $79
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ir%2b550vx
 
As for misc, you could use some seriously high quality speakers. These Bose companion 2 series speakers will blow you away. $99
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6836166006

Same power supply, less money;
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-vx [...] 52646.html
 
What kind of budget do you have and how much do want to spend on a case?
You can get the Antec 900 for $80 after rebate at newegg;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
Or a P182 from Microcenter for $70;
http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0257446

need more horsepower? at that resolution, i'm pretty sure that card can max out crysis... you'd need a higher resolution monitor to really take advantage of the card...

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the responses. I really appreciate it.  
 
To: amd_fanboi
You are right. I shouldn't be needing a second card at this resolution. I just got excited i guess
 
To: chuckm
Very good price for that powersupply. If you guys think 550W will be enough for my system, I will add this one to my list.
Again very good price/value for that antec case. If everything is going to fit in it I can but that one (I thought I would need a full tower)
 
I found couple overpriced e8400s on google. I'm trying to finalize my system that way I can order it when it becomes available or just pay a bit premium to get sooner
 
To: mihirkula
This computer will only be for gaming (mmorpg). I do not need extra hard disk space ( have 2 500 gig external) and I will only install an optimized version of xp and the games I'm playing  (dark age of camelot and world of warcraft). Would raid 0 7200.11 500gig  beat raid 0 raptor x?  
 
What about the mainboard? Is 780i necessary? I checked couple articles and read that 780i is great for 45nm processors but again I don't know if it is a sales pitch or not
 
Here is the updated list:
Graphics Card:  EVGA 8800 GTS (G92) 512MB (finalized)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (finalized)
Hard disk: Western Digital Raptor 150 x2 (Raid 0) (need to research)
Motherboard: ?
PSU: Corsair 550VX (awaiting approval)
RAM: pc2 8000 vs 6400?  (will get 2x2 4 gig)
Case: Antec P182 (will everything fit?)
 
Thank you in advance!!!
 
 

If you are going to do SLI now or in the future, you may want this PSU;
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-62 [...] 70718.html
If you're not going to do SLI, consider a P35 board.

I finally purchased the parts and assembled my system! Thank you for all the suggestions and comments!!!!
Here is what I got:
 
E8400
Evga 780i
Evga 8800GTS G92
Corsair 620W SLI Certified
Zalman 9500 & Arctic silver thermal paste
Raptor 150 10K SATA
Antec 900
Gskill 2x2GB
 
Ot of the box, everything worked great. However, I have to admit that applying thermal paste and mounting zalman 9500 (wow it is huge) was a bit tricky. I used the "thin line" method with the thermalpaste. I hope I applied it correctly it was my first time hehe.
 
My system temperature under medium load is CPU = 32 C   GPU= 51 C  System = 32 C Are these reasonable values for this setup?
 
I directly ran 3dmark tests without doing any oc/optimization at default 3dmark settings ->  
 
3dmark 2006 - 12,690  (showed as average on the 3dmark website)
3dmark 2003 - 40,889  (showed as below average on the 3dmark website, not sure why)
 
Do you think I can oc this system without altering the voltage? (oc noob here)  
 
I also read something about NCQ for the raptor. I only use this machine for gaming, do I need to do anything with this?
 
Thank you in advance!!!!
 

Gratz . from what i've heard, most E84's can hit 3.6 on stock volts... you should be able to get that kind of speed from her... conservatively, 3.4... GL

Thank you amd_fanboi
 
I made a little bit more research on the NCQ question I had. Apparently, NCQ is important for server applications and not relevant for normal applications. I will turn it off to see if it gives me any performance improvement.
 
Does anyone have a guide for ocing an E8400 on a 780i mobo? I uderstand that I need to change the multipliers in the bios for the CPU but I get lost when people start talking about memory timings

if you know you not going to go with 2 cards use intel chipset
your have less issues and it will clock faster,  4ghz with intel

---------------

You should be able to OC well on stock voltage. Don't be afraid of overclocking though, hardware can take a lot more that you think...having said that, don't be silly.
 
There are plenty of guides, especially with that mobo and CPU, have a look, and give it a go. Good luck!