$1000 PC Build

Hello. This is the second pc I have ever built. The first one I built for my Uncle a half year ago and it still runs well today. So I know I'm actually able to select compatible parts. However, this pc is a gift for me from my Cousin and being a poor college student I want the biggest bang for the buck I can get. Here are some details.

-I have $1000 to spend right now.
-I want to focus on getting a good PSU, Mobo, Cpu, and Case first. (I can and will upgrade this system beyond the initial $1000).
-I will most likely overclock some components of the system. (CPU, GPU, RAM)
-It will be an air cooled system that I may update to water cooling one day.
-I want the system to be expandable so that I can add and swap parts as necessary.
-As far as GPU I'd like to the best single card I can get within the budget. And then SLI or XFire it next month.
-I prefer full tower cases.
-The hardest thing for me to pick is a Mobo. (Shouldn't be an unusual difficulty.)
-I will be buying within the next week.
-It will be used for competitive gaming, currently COD4.
-I want to purchase all of the parts from Newegg

Here are the parts I selected / am choosing between and the reasoning behind each choice.

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811215006
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103010
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103011

My friend has the XClio Windtunnel case and recommended it. I can't decide which case would have the optimal airflow. I want the classic negative pressure effect. The ABS case looks like it'd be perfect for that. Front fan, Back fan, lots of vents, and a huge side fan. The reviews weren't as good though. The windtunnel looks like it could have decent airflow without the front fan b/c of the well placed vents. All of them are big enough for me with a pleasant design.

EDIT: I'M PROBABLY GOING WITH THE WINDTUNNEL BECAUSE IT'S PART OF -$30 COMBO DEAL WITH THE PSU.

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817814013

I picked this initially because it comes bundled with the processor I was looking at. However, it does have all of the features I want. Good reviews, modular design, headroom for expansion. (PSU calculators estimated I would need 500ish watts for everything I eventually plan to put into it.) So that wouldn't be a bad workload to run it under. The 500mm length of the cables concerns me though. Especially with side-mounted hd's on a full tower case.

EDITART OF COMBO DEAL.

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036

This processor has amazing reviews. Most people seem to agree that it overclocks to 3.0Ghz easily. I would be happy with that kind of overclocking. I might not even go that far at first. It comes bundled with the PSU to save money.

EDIT: I WAS LOOKING AT DUAL CORES NOW B/C THEY SEEM TO DO BETTER ON A LOT OF GAME BENCHMARKS. ANY TRUTH HERE? AND IF I DO GO DUAL CORE IS THE EXTRA $20 FOR THE 8500 OVER THE 8400 WORTH IT?

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121253
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121258

Most of the reviews were positive. I don't mind loud fans, I actually prefer them to sleep with. Also I cose this because ATI seems to have very nice scalability as far as adding a 2nd card to the mix. The downside is I've never owned an ATI card before so I don't know what exactly to expect. Btw, what is the current popular opinion on single card slots? The idea of blow the hot air out of an expansion bay seems like a good idea to me except for the dust that might collect. Also, if I were to get a windtunnel case. It might just be easier to install an aftermarket heatsink and fan to blow directly on the card. That would be a lot of air flow in that hot spot.

EDIT: I THINK I'D PREFER THE 4870 OVER THE 4850. I HAVE THE CASH TO GO FOR THE BETTER CARD.

HD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] WD6400AAKS

EDIT: I SWITCHED TO THIS BECAUSE SOMEONE POINTED OUT THIS LARGER DRIVE WAS FASTER FOR ALMOST THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY.

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227298
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731

Possibly a bad choice because I just picked it from pricerange / newegg reviews. I can always replace RAM later, and I don't see a need to go past 4GB. Anything better around this price?

EDIT:The MUNSHKIN RAM WOULD SAVE ME MONEY ON ONE OF THE MOST EASILY REPLACED PARTS.

MOBO:
I still haven't selected one. I want something with 2 PCI-e (at least x8) slots, DDR2 1066 memory standard, LGA755, and compatibility for XFire. I need the most advice in this section as far as selecting an analyzing which part to choose. I'll be reading articles about selecting this part.

DVD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827135156

I'll probably just get something with decent reviews. Most of these are cheap enough anyway.



If I missed anything obvious let me know. Also, if anyone wants to create an alternate mock build I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance for all input.

if you want to crossfire, get a x48 MOBO

Get a better psu than the coolermaster one. Get the Pc Power and Cooling 750W, or Antec, Corsair 750, Thermaltake 750, Enermax.

Look at the ASUS P5E Deluxe X48. I have had it for a couple weeks now and i love it. Lots of features and comes with two x16 pci-express lanes for Xfire. Reasonably priced at 219.99 on newegg.com.

Thanks for all of the responses so far. I like the build aevm suggested. I do think I will be sprucing for the 4870. However, I think I'm keeping the same psu and case I already chose. I found a combo deal for them that saves $30. As far as the x48 boards. Is the performance difference really worth the extra money? Is that just going towards dual x16 slots, or does added quality come with it. Finally, I'm also thinking about going dual core with the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036 It seems to beat out the quad cores in games as of right now. And I don't mind upgrading cpu's and other parts over the next 18 months.

So if anyone has a solid argument towards the 4870 over the 4850, the x48 over the mobo aevm suggested, or the q6600 over the e8500 let me know. All other build and part suggestions are also welcome. Please just try to give me some reasoning for them.

As of right now the build is looking something like this.
XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower = $0 (it's a gift)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811103011

ABS Tagan BZ Series BZ900 900W ATX12V / EPS12V Patent Piperock Modular Power Supply = $230 - $30 (combo with gifted case)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817814013

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor = $190
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115036
OR
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor = $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115037

ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard = $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131299

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive = $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136218

VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 = $285 - $20MIR = $265
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814129113

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 = $85 - $25 MIR = $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146731


Total:
$975 - $995 not including the case

Ok and now the explanations / problems. I was going to get the ASUS HD4870 but it's out of stock so the VisionTek should be fine.
Next, the memory isn't listed on the QVL for the P45 board. Can anyone confirm that the memory will work with this board? Also is there are point in getting the E8500 over the E8400. Is the extra $20 for the 8500 worth the .16Ghz? Or is there something else that makes it worth the extra money. I will be OCing the CPU btw.

Ok then that leads to another question. When people were to overclocking the E8400 they suggest it's only better when you can afford to have 1066 RAM. But if you can only have 800 RAM then you're better off with the E8500. What's that all about. Are these people nuts or is there something behind it? I read it has to do with the higher multiplier and fsb. Don't fully understand what they're getting at though. Not to mention the extra $20 I'd save with the 8400 would go straight into a better aftermarket fan and heatsink. That definitely leans me toward the 8400. Let me know what you think.

Will the new E0 stepping raise the prices?