I'm building my first PC. I want it for HTPC and Gaming. I want to play WoW and Crysis. I will be hooking it up to my 46" 1080p hdtv. So I want to be able to get the most out of my hd files to play on the tv and get the most out of WoW and be able to play Crysis.

I have gone back and forth several times on several motherboards and am at a total loss at this point so that is the thing I need the most advice on. Though I'd like advice on anything else.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz
Motherboard: Please help!
Video Card: EVGA GeForce 9800 GX2 basic version non ssc
RAM: OCZ Gold Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (4gb total)
Case: NZXT LEXA Blackline Series ATX Mid Tower Computer Case (will the components fit it)
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI 700W ATX12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V

I don't plan to overclock anything until I need to(which would probably be for future games). So I will overclock it in the future. At present I don't plan on getting a second video card but may in the future. I also like the idea of the two gigabit lan ports doubling the bandwidth with the 790i board, but don't know if its worth it to spend all that money.

Any advice is appreciated.

Also, would a sound card be necessary, or do modern boards cover that well?

Ditch the 9800 GX2. That card is a very bad value. It is two underclocked 8800GTs that cost more than a 8800GT SLI setup does.

790i is VASTLY overpriced and loaded with problems. Avoid.

Ditch DDR3, overpriced and does not offer performance to justify the cost.

The best video cards for HDTV is actually ATI because of their native HDPC and HDMI support.

I would look at the following setup:

Q9450
Asus P5E x38 Motherboard
Video Card: ATI 4850 x2 in Crossfire
RAM: 4GB G.Skill 4-4-4-12
Case: Ok
Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling Quad 750W.
Sound Card: Not required.

I just built my first PC, and I went with the EVGA 780i mobo. I had absolutely no issues, and their tech support is really helpful. DO NOT go for the 790i, they are still having tons of problems, and the price of ddr3 is totally no worth it, as far as performance. Go with a ddr2 mobo, and my advice is the 780i from evga, but I am sure others on here will say they recommend something else that's better. Again only my opinion, and my good experience with it. Not too sure I would go with that video card though, I am running 2 evga 8800gt's in sli, and am very satisfied with the performance, plus they are getting cheaper by the day. Or, nvidia just came out with the new gtx 200 series card, check them out, but they are also very expensive. Good luck, we'll be here. Oh and take your time, and read your manuals, I did and had no issues.

Also what type of pc input does your tv have? hopefully at least dvi, or better yet an hdmi input.

Thanks for your quick response!

What about the ATI card for playing Crysis, will it work? I'm not a crazy gamer that has to have it all perfect but I want it to look good and play smoothly.

The other thing, is it very noisy with two video cards? I'd like to have a fairly quiet pc.

Yes 4850 handles Crysis BETTER than 8800GT.

What is noisy to you is relative to your sensitivity. I cannot hear my video card (3870) over softly playing music. When everything is off, its a hum that is not distracting to me in anyway.

my tv has hdmi inputs which was one of the reason s I liked the 9800gx2

The noise will depend on your case. I have 4 120mm scythe fans going, and mine is pretty quiet. Yes I see no reason that the ati cards would not work, they should work just fine.

Whats the difference between the 3870 and 4850?

Not sure go to newegg.com and compare the 2. From what I just saw, the price, and the fact that the 4850 has alot more stream processing units.

3870 is the older generation ATI card. It the one I have and it is a fine performer.

The 4850 just came out based on a completely new core. This video card beats the 3870 easily, and holds its own. In some tests it even torches 9800GTX.

In Bioshock for example, 4850 beats every other video card tested except 9800GX2. This INCLUDES 260.

Quote: "AMD's new 4850 just destroys its competition and just about everything else in this test. Not even the new GTX 260 which costs twice as much can touch this card in Bioshock. Performance here is simply incredible."

great, thanks. And do you think I should get the pair of the 4850's to doe the best for my expressed needs?

Since you are running 1920x1200 resolution- yes you are a candidate to Crossfire them. Get 2.

Can anyone tell me if Tiger Direct is safe to buy from these days. They have a combo deal of the Intel xt38 and 2gb of ram for the same price that New Egg offers the board by itself. It seems too good to pass up, but i've read some things that Tiger Direct isn't that good to buy from.

Even if you aren't going to overclock plan on getting an aftermarket HS of some sort...or at least check the clearance around your CPU bracket. I got my stuff in last night and the stock Q9450 HS wouldn't fit on my board as the bracket legs weren't tall enough to clear the transistors sitting next to the CPU...there is very little clearance on the stock HS.

You may not have that issue on your board but wanted to throw that out.

not entirely sure about Tiger Direct, but newegg.com is always spot on with service, and even prices for the most part.