Need feedback on a new build!

[spidy]

As you might have guessed, I'm building a new PC. The goal is to keep it as cheap as possible, but it'll probably end up being $1000 - $1500, and that's ok. I want to buy as soon as possible. I've been surfing the boards off and on since June, more frequently for the last 2 weeks looking at others' builds. Here's what I'm thinking so far:

Case: Antec 300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $55

Motherboard: DFI LANPARTY X38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136051 $175

ASUS P5Q Pro http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299 $120

ASUS P5E http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131219 $200

-My biggest dilemma so far. Too many choices, too little knowledge.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037 $170

- Considering upgrading to the 8500 ($190) or maybe the 8600 ($270)... I will overclock, but not a lot just yet. I've read that to OC the 8400 to 3.6 is a breeze w/ only minor changes.

PSU: Antec EA650 650W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015 $65

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 $80

- I've heard the same style Corsair with 750W is ~$85 after instant, mail-in and promo discount.

GPU: Either 4850, 4870 or 4870X2. I feel like a single 4850 would be underpowered, but don't know if I want to pay for a better motherboard to get 2 PCIe x16 slots. A single 4870 would probably be OK for now, but what brand? How much onboard RAM, 512MB, 1GB or 2GB?

GIGABYTE GV-R485OC-1GH Radeon HD 4850 1GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125236 $190

-Factory overclocked to 700MHz from 625MHz, but Memory Clock only 1920MHz seems very low, some all the way up to 2200MHz.

Memory: G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209 $70

-I will upgrade to 8GB after a short while.

Hard Drive: Seagate 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148335 $80

DVD: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106263 $23-$25

-Is there a retail version of this that comes in black?

CPU Cooler: XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 $32

Retention Bracket: XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019 $7

- Are the CPU cooler and retention bracket that necessary for a more minor overclock? What if i go to 4GHz?

Minimum $$ right now with all this is $1088 + GPU (<$300) = ~$1000 w/ 64bit Vista

I have keyboard, mouse and 4.1 Bonston Acoustic speakers (from nearly a decade ago). Will the onboard audio be digital output? These speakers only use a digital signal.

I currently use a Samsung 930B 19in SQUARE monitor, which I'm happy with for now, but will upgrade later to take advantage of better graphics... feel free to suggest replacements.

I'm content not playing games at the highest settings, i've been playing most things on my AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 3.0GHz socket 754 (which is now worth about $50), and until a month ago 1GB of Kingston Value RAM, so this is a HUGE step up. I've had my aforementioned system since before (or right around the time) socket 939 (~2004). Basically what i'm saying is Longevity is the name of the game, the longer this lasts the better.


That's all I can think of at the moment, fire away and i'll be checking back frequently to provide clarification.

 

[o1die]

If you don't mind standing in line, you might pick up a deal on black friday. I found my Compaq pc for $199 earlier this year at fry's. Spent an extra $87 for a better cpu and heatsink, and added an old power supply I had leftover for a decent pc. It came with 2 gigs of memory and vista basic. And anandtech had a somewhat negative review of the corsair 750w today, due to the high temp it sometimes runs. If you travel thanksgiving, checkout the city you're in for a fry's. They always seem to have a low cost case or power supply. I got my antec super lanboy for $14 after rebate about 3 years ago, and still have it. Checkout fatwallet or slickdeals for pc parts deals, especially memory. Newegg isn't the only place to order from.

 

[dirtmountain]

I'm a big believer in saving money. With the system you're coming from i'd really be inclined to go with the P5Q PRO, the E8500, a single HD4850 to start with, the 750w Corsair at $85 your other choices look good. This offers you good value right now, a huge increase in performance, the ability to upgrade with another 4850 in the future. If you're not happy with the performance of the 4850 and get a new 24" monitor you can always skip crossfiring 4850s and just replace the 4850 with the 4870x2. (or by that time maybe a 5870x2)
*EDIT* the reason i went with the 750w Corsair is price and support for a HD4870x2)

 

[spidy]

o1die, that's a good idea, but i don't think i can wait that much longer...

dirtmountain, the 8500 uses and 9.5 multiplier instead of 9, so it will easily get to 3.8GHz, right?

What about anandtech saying the corsair 750 running hot? 650W will be enough, right?

According to the Oct. graphics review, the 4850 will suffice for me for a while, but will I notice that it has ddr3 and not ddr5 like the 4870?

What brand of graphics card? 512MB or 1GB?

**Added Seagate 640GB HD, possible 4850 from Gigabyte.

 

[spidy]

don't want this to fall too far, I still want some more people to look at it, even if just to confirm some questions i have in the first post. Thanks!