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Gaming PC build, around $1280 (Canadian), read and respond please!

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Hey guys, I've been using this old HP computer for too long and I decided that I would build myself a new PC. Nothing super high-end, but from what I've researched, this should play almost any game out there right now decently on max settings (we're looking at you angrily, Crysis :non:  ). Anyways, here are the specs, if there is anything you see that should probably change please tell me!
PS: I am thinking of making this a Vista Hackintosh when they get GTX 260 compatibility, so I picked the other parts to work with it. The Motherboard apparently works fully except ethernet, which is being looked into.

Motherboard:
EVGA nForce 780i SLI (A1 ed.)

GPU:
EVGA GTX 260 Core 216

CPU:
Intel Q6700 Quad Core 2.66Ghz
Cooling: MassCool 8WA741 with ZeroTherm compound

RAM:
OCZ Dual Channel Platinum 4GB (2x2048Mb) DDR2, 800Mhz

Hard Drive:
Hitachi Deskstar 7200RPM 500Gb

Case:
CN690 (3x120mm fans) with 3 additional 120mm fans

Power Supply:
CoolerMaster RealPower Pro 750W (SLI ready)

Operating System(s):
Windows Vista Premium 64-bit SP1
(maybe) Windows XP Home SP3 (for any backwards compatibility issues)
(in the future) Mac OS X

I know the HDD isn't very big for a tri-booter, but I can always pick up another one once I start running out of room, but for now 500Gb seems perfect to me.



Any comments, ideas or suggestions? Please post them! Thanks in advance!
PS: If you have any suggestions for different parts, please post CANADIAN prices!
PSS: The case, PSU, mobo and CPU came as a bundle, I would rather not change any of them



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why don't you consider the seagate 7200.11 500GB instead, its pretty fast...i think its faster then most 500 GB drives for a normal gaming rig. Cooling wise...you can check out xigamtek (i think i spelt it right) or thermalright ultra 120 or the ultima 90, both are excellent heat sinks. I personally own the ultra 120 and it does a great job. 120 is around 70-80...and 90 is about 60 if i remember correctly. which store are you buying from?

normally I would, but there are a couple reasons why I'm holding back on doing so-

-the 7200.11 is, oddly enough, not for sale on the store I use (tigerdirect.ca)
-I would rather have a sub-1300 pricetag, and if I went with a better cooler I would push it over.

I just plan to OC to 3.0-3.2, nothing huge, so I think my cooler will do for that.
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plus, NCIX ends up being more expensive with a similar computer, thanks to the great bundle TigerDirect has. It's $1350 from NCIX, and that's with a 650W PSU and a cheaper case!



EDIT:
Wow, nevermind. I can make a cheaper system ($1240 including S&T) from NCIX thanks to their great pricematch feature! Check this out:

Mobo: same
GPU: same
CPU: Intel E8400 Dual Core 3.0Ghz
Cooling: Xigmatek HDT-S123 (With MX-2 compound)
RAM: same
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB (little bigger but the same price :D )
Power Supply: Corsair TX650 650W PSU
OS: same

You really don't want to buy a 780 board unless you already own that GPU.

Go P45 crossfire with a 1GB 4870. Or, if you don't intend to SLI, just get a P43 board.

For further info see the link in my sig. The only SLI boards I would recommend are X58.

Also, you would need at least the 850TX to run two of those cards.

Thanks for the tips- I guess I'll go with the DS3L EP45 Motherboard.


I'm going to stick with nVidia cards for a couple reasons though-
-PhysX. I love having that extra touch of realism in games, and only nVidia cards offer it.
-Heat. From what people say, the 4870 runs really, really hot. I know that it's perfectly stable at the temps it reaches, but it does raise the ambient heat in the case and can damage everything.

My Sapphire 4870 Toxic edition runs at 48C idle, 60C full load, and the fan is set to a permanent 34% so that it's quieter than my case fans. If I turn the fan up I can push the temps down below 50C at load.

It's overclocked.

It does all this while venting the hot air out the back of the case.

However, the GTX 260 core 216 is every bit as good a card.

If you are going with a Gigabyte board, get the current generation:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

well, I guess I was misinformed about the 4870's, but I still prefer the 260.


And why bother going with the UDP3? It has the same FSB, the same type of RAM... The only real difference is that it has 2 PCI-E2.0 slots, and one of them only runs as 8x anyways.

the gigabyte board you mentioned isn't even in stock at ncix ATM...atleast thats what i see. If you are gonna OC, i say get a mainstream board thats around 130-150. You can't go wrong with either Gigabye or Asus.

I just put together this build (my first, trying to escape my 6 year old dell):

- Lg GH22NS30 Black DVD+RW 22X8X16 DVD-RW 22X6X16 Dl 16X/12X 2MB Sata Oem
- NCIX XION2-BK Black ATX Mid Tower Case 4X5.25 2X3.5 5X3.5INT 2X120MM Fans 450W
- Powercolor Radeon HD 4870 770MHZ 512MB GDDR5 2XDVI PCI-E Video Card
- G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ PC2-8000 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
- Gigabyte EP45-UD3P ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 2PCI-E SATA2 RAID HD Sound 2GLAN 1394A CrossFireX Motherboard (w/ free gaming mouse)
- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Dual Core Processor LGA775 3.0GHZ Wolfdale 1333FSB 6MB Retail
- OCZ GameXStream 600W ATX12V 24PIN SLI Ready Active PFC ATX Power Supply 120MM Fan Black
- Xigmatek HDT-S1283 Direct Touch 3 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 LGA775 S754 S939 S940 W 120MM PWM Fan
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM
- Thermalright LGA775 BOLT-THRU Kit for Ultra 90/120 & HR-01 Retail Box
- Arctic Silver 5 HIGH-DENSITY Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound 3.5 Gram
- Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB Hard Drive

The folks on here helped me put it together and made sure I had everything I needed.

The entire build cost $1,208.25 including taxes/shipping/insurance AND the $105 in rebates that I'll be cashing in. Thats from NCIX with about $35 in price match savings.
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