First Build, advice on parts on when to buy

I'm going to be building a new system, the first by myself, in the next few weeks. I have $400 to spend right now but will have about $500 more next month for more parts. It's for home use and I do quite a bit of photo editing, some video editing and I'd like to be able to watch HD content. The only issue for me is how much power it uses.

The E8400/E8500 would use less but is short 2 cores which I might use. I'd like to game a little as well, FSX and maybe a few other games. I've read literally thousands of threads about the Q6600 vs. the E8400 so I won't go there but do you think the dual would be enough for me? My current system barely loads up web pages so anything would be a step up! The AMD 1800+ was nice in 2002/2003 but is quite dated now!

I was thinking about buying the processor now along with maybe the case and the motherboard. Or should I wait on the motherboard and buy something else like the PSU?

I was thinking about getting the Gigabyte DS3L since I would like to try overclocking and some G.Skill memory, most likely 2x2GB since I'll be getting Vista. I also thought about getting the ASUS P5E-VM HDMI for the integrated video but I realize how awful that is and the extra $30 or so would be better spent on a graphics card. The only question is what is the best card I can get for around $100? What about the Gigabyte P35C DS3R for the DDR3 memory support?

So here my list:

Intel Q6600 or E8400

Gigabyte DS3L or ASUS P5E-VM HDMI or the Gigabyte P35C DS3R

G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 800

Seagate 250GB 7200.10 Hard Drive

500W PSU by FSP or Thermaltake

Lite-On DVD Burner SATA Drive

22" Acer LCD Widescreen Monitor




Is there anything else that I might need? What do you think of my selections?

First & foremost, FSX is more cpu-intensive than gpu-intensive. It's not to say onboard graphics makes no difference. If you want to see all the glory of FSX, you'll need a capable DX10 card. The Q6600 is the perfect budget candidate for FSX. The 8600GT is a good starting point. If you have a large resolution like 1200/1600, you might want to consider the 8800 GTS 512 or HD3870 X2.

Q6600
GA-P35-DS3L
XFX 8600GT
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2 800
Seagate 250GB 7200.10 Hard Drive
500W PSU FSP/Earthwatts/Corsair VX
Lite-On DVD Burner SATA Drive
22" Acer LCD Widescreen Monitor

I suggest you either get the barebone of a mobo, cpu & ram right now or nothing til you have the 900 bucks. June is when the GPU war begins & the P45 debuts.