I'm building my first system, so any and all advice, or criticism is welcome! CoolerMaster CM-690 case, Real Power Pro 750, Asus Maximus Formula motherboard, Intel Q-9450 X38 cpu, 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 32mb cache SATA hard drive, G.Skill 2 x 2GB ddr2 1066 ram memory, 2 x Pioneer Black dvd burners, and I have yet to purchase a video card! I'll be cooling with air, and I'm not sure if the stock heatsink is good enough.

What games do you play? What is the monitor resolution?

Stock cooling is enough for a stock pc. The CM690 case has plenty of fan mounts for 12-14cm fans. It comes with 3 fans. You don't need any more unless you overclock.

Everything but the psu looks great. Decide on the gpu 1st. Then you can pick out a psu.

Thanks for commenting......Right now i'm into W.O.W., but i'm limited by my current system on what games I can play. I don't have a monitor for this system yet either, and I'd really appreciate some advice on size and screen res. What's wrong exactly with the psu? I already have it, and it was a combo deal with the CM-690, so I'd like to use it if possible. Also, should I go with Vista 64?

WOW don't need no stinking Quad Core... Really for most games a quad is a waste of electricity and money. Get a good high clocked dual core, it's cheaper and you will be happier. You can put that extra cash toward a good video card or bigger monitor.

@OP: YOu might want to consider getting a better PSU. I wouldn't trust CoolerMaster PSUs (imo, CM is a pice of cr@p.) see:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088
for PSU tire listing. I recommend Corsair 550/520/620 or PP&C 610+

Also what jay2tall said is true, unless you are doing video editing or the likes of that a dual core would be more than perfect for a gaming build, heck even a OCed (3Ghz) E2160 would be a good CPU for gaming. W.O.W is not very graphic intensive. A 9600 would be a good choice, even then the 9600 might be kind of an overkill. Also makesure you have a good internet connection.

Okay, I read about the Coolermaster Real Power psu's, and many have posted that since they came out with the Real Power Pro line of psu's, that quality problems have been corrected, but I guess I'll find out, hopefully not the hard way. I got the q9450 for the retail price, or I never would have bought it. I read alot about it, and knew that it was overkill for me, but it's supposed to be very efficient, and cool running. What do you guys think about the mobo I chose, and what should I do as far as a monitor? What size? and should I go 1680x1050 or 1920x1200? Thanks for the posts guys, I really do appreciate it!

We are NOT saying something is wrong with the psu. We suggest you get a quality psu that lasts. You can even pick up a $5 psu at a garage sale, but how long will it last? If you already got it, it's alright.

I think you should decide on the monitor res yourself. Go to a few electronic chain stores and look at the 19"-24" monitors. Fiddle with the controls. See what you like. Then you buy from an online store for less. 19" would be the minimal starting point. Samsang would be the choice. Acer & Hann-G would be the budget choice.

And yes, the king of gaming cpus is still dualie. Specifically, the 45nm E8400. If money is a constraint, you can pick up a Allendale for $100-ish or better yet a low-end Wolfdale E7200 for $150- & overclock it.

Hey I have a very similar setup to you. Just received mine today, except I'm waiting on a Q6600. The Q9450 is good but it wasn't worth $200 for me. I got a Noctua NH-U12P with an extra fan. Will post soon when I receive my CPU but I will be OC'ing.
As for the video card the AMD/ATI 4000 series should be coming out soon as well as NVIDIA following up soon behind. I went for an 8800GT 512 AKIMBO version, nothing too over the top and EVGA has the step up for 90 days.

Thanks for the post Coops......I'm still trying to decide what video card to go with, and I'll look into your suggestions!