Help me build a rig for GTAIV

[sketo8]

My P4 system is aging, and I really want to play GTAIV , but I need some advice on my potential setup. Could you guys help me out?

Goals:
-To play GTAIV smoothly on high settings (or maybe mid-high)
-not be too expensive. I don't have a set dollar limit, but I don't want to go too far over what I have below. At the same time, if there's a place where I could save some $$, let me know.
-a fairly quiet system
-I will never use a 2 graphics card setup
-I have never overclocked before, and I haven't decided if I'm going to start
-I'm not a huge gamer, but I like to play games occasionally

What I already have:
-a 22" widescreen monitor (1680 X 1050 resolution)
-OCZ Stealth XTreme 500W PSU that's about 2 months old (I'd like to save a few bucks and use this, but if I need something more powerful, let me know). Here's the link to the PSU I have:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341012
-keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer

My list:

ASUS EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
$170 ($140 with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121272

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
combo price: $250 ($235 with rebate) (I can't figure out how to link to the combo, so I'll link to the individual parts)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL4D-4GBPI-B - Retail
$45 with promo code HARDOCP11245
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
$32 ($22 with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail
$8.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233019

case:
I have no idea, help me out. I heard that on 11/26/08 newegg will have the Antec 900 for $60 - I'm thinking about that, but I don't want a case with all those lights. Is there a way to disable the lights? Or do you have any other suggestions? Also, I have a microcenter and a Best Buy nearby (shipping for cases can be expensive)

OS:
Vista Ultimate
$65 (I don't think I need Ultimate instead of Home Premium, but since I'm a student, this is cheaper)
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx

Total before rebates: $705
Total after rebates: $645
(this assumes I buy a $60 case)


Questions:
Should I go quad core? Or would the E8400 be good enough for GTAIV?

Will my current PSU be sufficient?

Should I go with 32 bit or 64 bit Vista?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it

 

[timaahhh]

Your PSU should be fine. It all looks really great. I suggest you wait for the game to come out. There is no way to tell if the game likes a quad before it comes out. There is no way to tell if the game is gonna perform better on ATI or nVidia. Since you are building this computer mainly for GTA wait a day or two after its launch so you can build a computer that will run it the best for the money you have.

 

[sketo8]

Thanks for the input. I think I'll follow you advice and wait for the game to come out, but I was hoping there would be some good deals the day after thanksgiving. Maybe I'll just look for deals on cases, and buy the rest in December.

 

[Guest]

Xbox 360