need advise for my first build

hi guys, this is my first time joining the forum but I always visit the site. I'm new on building a pc but I have read a lot about it and wanted to try it for my self, by the way this is not just for fun, i want to build a new system to upgrade from my current one, I really need some good advise before I buy the stuff's, here's what I have so far:

Cpu: core 2 duo e8400 (to be overclocked)

mobo: I still don't know what to get, I am leaning towards asus p5n-d, but I read a lot of negative reviews about it and also read a lot of good reviews on p45 chipset based mobo's, so this is one thing I need advise from you guys.

RAM: Corsair TWIN2X2048-8500C5 (2x1GB)

PSU: pc power and cooling 750 watts

HDD: seagate barracuda 500gb

Optical drive: anything that can cd write and dvd - rw, needs suggestions also

GPU: now this is the most difficult part for me to pick, I'm leaning towards the evga geforce gtx 260 and do SLI in the future but I can also have a single gpu thats best bang for the buck, maybe just around $200 - $300 price range?or should i go with radeon 4870?

by the way, my monitore size is going to be 22' or 24 ' depends on the budget. Hope you guys can help. thanks

I would suggest that you get 2x2GB RAM DDR2 800 - it's cheap right now and very much worth it.

I would suggest the WD 640 GB HDD - 2 platters - excellent performance and price per gig (only $80).

If you go with the 4870, then you'll want an X48 (crossfire for the future) or a P45 - crossfire possible, but not at full bandwidth.

Like stated, if you want SLI, you'll need the 750i/780i or 790i (only DDR3).

well ive heard that nvidia boards are a little more difficult to OC than their intel counterparts...besides that, I would base my decision on what video card I choose....

by the way, I'm really not going to do SLI or xfire if I can find a good single gpu that can play crysis and cod4 in a decent settings, this is one of reasons I want to upgrade, my old computer can even run crysis!

False - nvidia actually is EASIER to overclock than Intel cuz they let you unlink cpu & ram speeds. Intel links both. No exception. i.e. If the ram is the bottleneck, the cpu won't go too far.

True - There are fewer nvidia overclockers than intel overclockers. That MAY give you the false impression. Go to evga form and see how crazy those overclockers are.

http://www.evga.com/community/mess [...] aultmb.asp

Basically, EVGA & XFX are the same thing. However, EVGA support is unmatched & they offer step-up & cross-shipping (less wait time for a return).

Scroll down to the green chart for the differences between the 2 boards.

http://www.evga.com/articles/420.asp

If money is object, go gtx 280. Otherwise, gtx 260 for less than $300 at most places. BTW, EVGA, BFG & XFX offers factory-overclocked nvidia cards. They're faster than stock ones, but will produce more heat. Personally, I don't think they're worth more than $50 of the stock card cuz i can overclock them.