New System Build suggestions needed!

[johnyeah]

Okay, here's the story. My friend in Canada has asked me to find a system build with the best c/p for a budget of <$650 CAD after tax (he lives in Kingston, Ontario K7L3Y8), shipping and rebates (the less rebate the better, he doesn't like to wait).

Since he's in Canada, frys and newegg and other sites that I regularly check for PC components aren't available. So I had to resort to the 3 sites: NCIX, directcanada and canadacomputers.

Here's the list I've come up with using directcanada and it's $680.16 after tax/shipping and $660.16 after rebate.
The components are as follows:

OCZ StealthXStream 600W psu
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=13220AC0022
Antec 300 ATX mid-tower computer case
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC8944
AMD Phenom 9850 BE
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10360BD4978
Gigabyte GA-MA78GPM-DS2H
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD2741
Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2x2) DDR2-800
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=13410BD5260
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14120DR9680
Samsung SH-S203N DVD Burner
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14040DR5717

Just some reasons why I chose this build. My friend's planning to get a video card in the future but not at the moment (he's hoping to get a video card that can handle SC2, which isn't out yet) and I did some research on my own and the 780G Chipset (with 128mb ddr3 sideport memory) seemed like the best deal out there. To prepare his system for a video card in the future, I picked the OCZ psu because I'm using it myself in addition to its low pricing (600w should be enough for the 125W CPU and a decent video card plus the rest of the system). I leave my system on for almost 24/7 for the last year and there hasn't been any problems with the psu. My friend isn't a big fan of overclocking because he's not that familiar with computer systems (he has only some basic knowledge of DIY) so I didn't bother getting an aftermarket CPU cooler since the stock one works perfectly fine (this system is definitely capable of some overclocking, I know).

I thought about going Intel but what this means is that I have to get a separate video card (any such card worthy of getting is around $80 CAD).

I also thought about Nehalem coming up around the end of the year and I'm pretty sure that will have an big impact of the market pricing and all, but is it worth the wait?

Anyways, any inputs, feedbacks and suggestions are extremely appreciated and welcomed. If you know other cheap places or online e-tailers to get the components in Canada please do let me know.

*Reminder: I'm pretty much looking for the best setup in Canada not the States.
*Also, keep in mind that $650 CAD after shipping, tax and rebate is his budget (it's always easier to pick components when the budget isn't a limiting factor, sigh).

 

[Proximon]

It's probably pretty good for Canada and that price range.

 

[fshaharyar]

Its very good for about 650 CAD very good choice for AMD you cant get a better deal for 650 CAD on Intel

 

[johnyeah]

Thanks for the response, but I'd also like to know whether or not it's worth the wait for the end of the year since Nehalem was coming out?

I'm pretty sure Core i7 will have a big impact on the current market pricing but I don't know if this build I'm getting is worth such wait.

 

[johnyeah]

Anymore inputs? Really any comment is appreciated.

 

[Proximon]

Only that there is a brand new CPU roundup over at Legion Hardware that really points out the difference in performance between Intel and AMD in gaming.