I am planning on building my new system and I started with the  
 
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Processor BX80569Q9450 - 2.66GHz, 12MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Yorkfield, Quad-Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan
 
 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] ntent_1184  
 
What is a good and compatible motherboard for this CPU - what do I need to consider in choosing one?

Depends on your budget, use & how long the mobo is kept:
 
budget - GA-P35-DS3L or P5K-E
 
premium - GA-X38-DQ6 or P5E
 
Either is good overclocker.

I would like to keep it for a while before I have to upgrade again - I also plan to overclock it.  It's supposed to be mostly for games such as Age of Conan, Warhammer Online etc. I may play multiple instances of the game on one machine.
 
The GA-X38-DQ6 seems to be tough to find - I may have to dig a little further - let me know if you know of any places selling them.
 
As the P5E - do you mean this one?
 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131219
 
What are some of the advantages of these compared to the budget boards?
 
Should I worry about SLI?
 
What do you think about this one?
ASUS P5E-VM HDMI  
 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -VM%2bHDMI
 
Is there a downside to the GA-P35-DS3L ?

I think any board not supporting dual graphics solutions is getting a little bit dated at this current time.

It's not like a single slot board would offer any disadvantages though.  If you aren't looking for dual GPU's, i would say a p35 board would be fine, not to mention much cheaper.

Yep, that's it. I thought I pointed out X38.
 
Do NOT change the suggested mobos to anything else unless you know what they are. We suggest the boards that we know are good boards. -VM means onboard video. Crap for gaming. Crap for o/cing.
 
DS3L doesn't have RAID if you call that a downside. DS3R has RAID. Both of them are easy to o/c.
 
I have nothing against SLI/CF if they're used right off the bat. Not next week. Not next year. Not later. That's just an excuse. If you want SLI/CF, look at EVGA 780i or X38 (see above).

Ok - thanks for the advice...I like the small Gigabyte board because I heard that Gigabyte boards are easy to overclock and it is inexpensive...I dont need RAID and I dont think I'll use SLI so why pay for the extras I wont use...
 
Here is what I got so far - let me know if something is not compatible, if there is something better or cheaper I could get, or if I am missing something...or if I have too much!
 
1. Is the RAM the ones I need?
 
2. What about the OS? I always assumed that I would use some Vista version but since I use this machine for gaming...is it best to stick with Windows XP? (if I should use XP...can I use the one from my old computer which I put together as well? - I should be bale to, right?)
 
3. Do I need more cooling?
 
CPU:  
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Processor BX80569Q9450 - 2.66GHz, 12MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB, Yorkfield, Quad-Core, Retail, Socket 775, Processor with Fan
 
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] ntent_1184
Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059
 
MEMORY:
CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM D
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820145176
 
CASE:
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
 
Video Card:
EVGA 512-P3-N845-AR GeForce 8800GTS (G92) KO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail EVGA "Knock Out" Edition, overclocked at 678MHz
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130337
 
PSU
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CE, CB, TUV, FCC, CCC
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] MPSU-650TX
 
CPU Cooler
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003
 
Hard Drive
 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822148298
 
CD/DVD Burner
 SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151153
 
Monitor
Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support 400 cd/m2 3000:1 ACM - Retail
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824009125
 
Cost 1590 +shipping but minus $110 in Mail in rebates (gosh I hate those)

Now that's what I call a perfect build. They're top choices.

You tell new builders "I dont think I'll use SLI so why pay for the extras I wont use" and it will still fall on deaf ears. That's pretty much what I mean. There are dual-gpu cards if more power is needed. Like the HD3870X2 & 9800GX2.

1. RAM is determined by the target overclock or speed of the cpu. For stock pcs, any 800mhz is ok. For o/cing the Q9450, if you get the 800mhz ram:

400 x 8 = 3200 or 3.2ghz

It's pretty much all you can get out of the Yorkie on air cooling. So unless you have exotic cooling, don't bother with faster ram which you will never make use of. You'll be limited by heat.

2. It's up to you what os you want. IIRC, MS announced they discontinue XP as of June. SP3 would be the last update. XP would be insecure. Vista will be around for a little while until Windows 7 out in 2009/10. You can't get W7 right now even if you want. Yes, you can use your old copy of XP on another pc. You'll need to activate it.

3. Depends on your budget & how extreme your overclocks are. If you have $150-200 to throw around, you can pick up a water cooling kit or better. That will help you overclock further than air cooling.

 
On an X48 Rampage Formula I'm getting 425x8 = 3.4Ghz on a Yorkie, and on Monday, 5/19 I'll likely be getting higher when the OCZ RAM arrives.  1700 FSB is quick, easy for the X48's so they should be just as easy for the X38's.

Looks like a very good and Smart Build. Some people will pay more for a motherboard and wont use the extra's that they bring for the money. Go with Vista Home Premium x64. you can get it on Newegg OEM for $100. I've seen Benchmarks that have shown that there isnt a difference with gaming at all between XP and Vista. You'll get the same performance in your games in Vista as you would in XP so dont worry bout that.

I've had good luck with Vista64 so far, I'll keep my fingers crossed.

It used to have driver problems a while ago. But by now, all reputable hardware manufacturers already have stable drivers out. Those things get better as time goes on, not worse. No reason to keep fingers crossed.