I put together a list of stuff and posted asking for help but found these parts to be very wrong and just about overhauled everything i was gonna buy. I switched from nvidia 8800gt's to ati 4850's for video cards and changed mobos as well as cpus. Since this is going to be my first build and with the very small amount of experience i have with computer hardware, I came here looking for help. Comments are much welcomed. This is what I found for a price I'm ok with but if there are major problems with any of this gear I don't know about, I would love to know.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121253 $187.99 each.. i might get another later on

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131291 $189.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103773 $112.99

I'm also considering below as my cpu.. which is better.. price is ok for both for what their worth

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103249 $203.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231184 $109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136161 $59.99 each.. i will get two

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006 $119.99


I also have some major cooling in line for this that all will fit and should keep this list nice and cool

Comments WANTED!

Hey,

Drop the Amd board and CPU!

Get an....

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115018

Asus P5Q Pro P45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299 Room to crossfire in future!

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003

SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102747

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231166

That is my honest opinion

yeah

I agree, but you get a discount if you get the Asus 4850, which is only like $3 more. Also, I'd go with a Q6600, but that's my preference. The E8400 is great as well. I think this RAM is a lot better though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731

with that motherboard I would only have a two way xfire setup. With the one i chose 3 way xfire is possible and i was hoping to do that in the future. Is 3 video cards even worth it? I'm unsure if doing that is even worth the extra 200 dollars

or would switching back to two nvidia 8800 gt's be better?

After some searching time I'm considering below.

nvidia 9800gtx
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150297

ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131284

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134

Don't quote me on this but I am pretty sure that crossfire does not scale as well above 2 card, thus why i picked a 2 slot board. Plus the power requirements would be terrible.

I would build the setup i gave you above and perhaps switch the e8400 for a Q6600. Definitely keep the 4850 and add another as needed. and no an 8800GT is roughly 10-20% slower than a 4850.

ok... good to know about the crossfire deal. are u sure your build all works together and has no bugs?

Yes, The system I listed above is completely compatible with all the parts and is comprised of some of the most popular parts out right now. This system is fairly inexpensive and will give you amazing performance, especially if you add a second 4850 video card.

The only choice you need to really make is the CPU - If you don't know how to overclock get the E8400, if you know how to overclock or want to try it get the Q6600.

Let me know if you have more questions.

i'm new to overclocking so help with that would be wanted... I need to know the risks vs rewards and how difficult overclocking is.

The Q6600 is a very easy and good overclocker, especially with the CPU cooler i listed. The standard Core of a Q6600 is 2.4Ghz with obviously 4 cores running at that speed. The E8400 is 2 cores running at 3.0Ghz. Obviously if you can overclock the Q6600 to 3.2Ghz you get 4Cores running at 3.2 Ghz.

There is almost 0% risk overclocking a Q6600 to 3.2Ghz especially with the stable motherboard, Power Supply, and Cooler I listed. If you do decide to go for this build, I will be more than happy to walk you through overclocking your new computer.

i might change the power supply to http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

would this change anything.. i need the extra power for the fan system i have on my case. I can't replace the case because it was a very special gift I'm not willing to get rid of before I use it.

Ok, so here is the final build I humbly propose to you once again, as well as my Hard drive recommendation.
EDIT - Yeah if you have the money go for the better PSU, its the same except 100more watts (4 PCIe and some more amps)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115018

Asus P5Q Pro P45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299 Room to crossfire in future!

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003

SAPPHIRE 100242L Radeon HD 4850 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102747

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139006

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231166

All parts are compatible, reliable, and great value!

awesome.. i might change the hard drive from the 650 too 2 of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136098

because I'm going to be running games on one and the OS on the other.. whats your recommendation about the version of windows to use... I don't know if vista is worth the problems it has right now or not... should i stick with XP?