Making my list, checking it twice...$1100 build ver.2

[smitty24]

Okay, I am getting ready to put my order in and wanted some opinions and suggestions. I debated on the video card options. I was leaning towards a pair of 4850's in crossfire, but instead I think I'll go with the 4870 1 GB and save crossfire for sometime in the future when my system starts showing it's age a bit. Maybe a year or even two. I also picked the 1 GB over the 512 considering the price difference is minimal. And obviously I'll be using a 22" monitor since it's on my list. I decided to go with the Q6600, as it seems to be a good bang for the buck and does seem to be a semi good choice for "future proofing". I don't necessarily want to OC right off the bat. I may do it or I may not, but I know I can in the future and especially if/when I get the 2nd 4870. I'm not too sure about the case. I missed the cheap Antec 900, but was considering the 300 possibly. And is the 750W PSU going to adequate for Xfire with 2 4870's? My budget with the monitor is ~ $1100 (I can flex a little bit, but not much), and this comes out to $1083 after MIR. So what do you think? What would you change and what did I screw up on? I should also say I've built a couple systems in the past, but not in awhile and I have no OC experience other than the automatic software OCing. Thanks for any input you may have!

PSU -CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006
$104.99

Case - COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119137
$74.99

Mobo- ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131299
$114.99

Video- SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801
$264.99

CPU- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018
$177.99

Memory- G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231209
$49.99

HDD- Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
$69.99

DVD- SAMSUNG Black 22X http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173
$28.00

OS- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
$79.99

CPU cooler- ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134
$26.99

AS5 - $5.99

Monitor- Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145
$149.99

 

[Proximon]

Good plan, great build.

If it was me:

E8500
Xigmatek or Sunbeam cooler

But that's more personal preferences and usage.

 

[smitty24]

Wow, thanks! I considered the E8500. Still not sure about which way to go. I also looked at the Xigmatek. I may go with that and the retention bracket to avoid the push pin problems I've read about in the reviews. Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!

 

[Proximon]

Have you seen this guide? there is a brief discussion of quad vs. dual that might help you out:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/257075-31-what-parts-choose

 

[smitty24]

Nice guide. I definitely fall into the "minimalist" category. Even if my computer CAN multi-task, I only do one process at a time. I'm thinking my idea of "future proofing" with the Q6600 may not be the best choice. Besides, i7's are the future I suppose. I think I may swap my choice to the E8500 as a better fit for me at this time. Again, thanks for the help!

 

[col-p-todd]

^1+ on the E8500

 

[smitty24]

Looks like I'll be getting an E8500 instead. Excellent. Just the kind of suggestions I was looking for!