First build, need help! thank you..

Hi!

Well, this is my first post but i read the web site for 2 months and it is very interresting.

I want to start to thanks everyone who are helping others, really. English is not my main language (French, Quebec, Canada), so sorry for bad spelling and synthax errors.

I currently have a laptop that i will use at university in computer science, so basically, i would like to use a new computer for gaming and working ( doing Java, c++, Csharp and web ).

I have a budget of +- 1,500$ CAN, I don't do video/pictures editing or rendering. I already have a screen. I don't need much space, my laptop is 120 G and i don't use 70G of this space, so something between 120-300 G would be perfect. I am a speed freak, i don't do benchmarks but i want a computer that load things hella fast.
I will have Vista 64 bit, don't know if i buy Home or ultimate (not included in the +- 1,500$ ). Plus, I want to take the most advantage of the technology I buy.

Well, I made a fast list of what kind of pieces that I want.

Note : Ncix products only please, that are IN stock, thanks!. I have NO experience in building computers, totally ignore the cooling, psu, etc rules.

Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 ATX 9 Drive Bay No PS Top USB2.0 1394 Audio
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 -98.98$
I think that is the case i want, seems to have space and a lot of fans!

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad 750W ATX V2.2 EPS12V 24PIN SLI Active PFC Power Supply Black
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 - 144.99

I prefer to have more power, I want to be able to upgrade my computer without needing to buy new psu every time!

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad Core Processor LGA775 Kentsfield 2.40GHZ 1066FSB 8MB Retail Box
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 - 205.99

I will overclock to 3.0 Ghz, good idea?? I know it has heatsink and fan but its cheaper that the OEM (rebate).

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 - 53.99


G.SKILL F2-6400CL4D-4GBPK PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 - 92.99$

4GB is a require, if you have a better idea for 100-150 $ CAN tell me!

Gigabyte X48-DS4 ATX LGA775 X48 DDR2 2PCI-E 2PCI SATA2 RAID Sound 2GLAN 1394 CrossFireX Motherboard ( thanx to Zipz0p )
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] e=Gigabyte
- 253.21

Will this motherboard be able to give me the full advantage of my hardware, and future upgrade? ( crossfirex 4870s )

Visiontek Radeon HD 4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI-E 2XDVI-I Video Card
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 - 289.99

Yeah, the little hot right now! I will buy a second one and do crossfireX in a few months, will my other hardware support and run it nicely?

Noctua NH-U12P LGA775 AM2 Heatsink Heatpipe Cooler W/ NF-P12 120MM Fan -12.6-19.8DBA
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] ure=Noctua
- 59.99

Does it fit on my motherboard? will it cool enought to overclock to 3.0 Ghz the Q6600?

Samsung 203S TruDirect 20X SATA DVD Writer Lightscribe Black OEM W/ Software
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1051 - 24.99


Now all of that go for 1,225 $ CAN for the hardware, no taxes or shipping.

Do i need anything else??
Thank you for paying attention and helping, I really appreciate everyone's effort!

Yan,

If you really want fast loading, get a faster hard drive. Something 10000 rpm with a 32Mb cache like the Western Digital Velociraptor 300 GB. It's $300 USD but it will definitely affect your load times. You can get one of half the size for $180 USD.

Also, if you plan to crossfire in another 4870 in the future, consider a motherboard with 2 PCI-E x16 slots (yours only has one).

Thanks, i switched my mother board, I do plan to go on crossfirex with 2 4870...

I'll look for a 10k hard driver later..

what about other question in my first post?

Thank you!

Yan,

Nothing is assured. There is the chance that you simply won't be stable 3ghz without water cooling. All CPUs are not born equal. However, if I recall Noctua is a quality HSF, and I would give you a good chance.

2x2GB is better. Populating fewer dimms puts less stress on the MCH, and allows for more stable, higher overclocks. Also, the G.Skill seems like it may operate at the same timings at lower voltage. That's ALWAYS a bonus, because it either can use less power and remain just as fast, or it means that you have some overclocking headroom.

It's usually only worth it to overclock the memory if necessary to keep a 1:1 DDR:FSB ratio. So if you overclock your FSB frequency above 400MHz, you would need to overclock that DDR2-800 to keep the 1:1 ratio. That memory should overclock without much difficulty, particularly since it's extremely unlikely that you'll get the FSB up to 500MHz even.

This forum has some overclocking guides, this one should be a good place to start. And remember with overclocking to have patience and know what you're doing so you don't muck things up There are already many great threads in the Overclocking section that are likely to answer nearly every question you have, so try to read before asking!

It has a more feature rich bios, but that may be more of a hassle for you than a help. It is designed for more experienced users...but yeah, it will be perfectly compatible with everything I've seen so far.