<$1000 - All-Round System - First Build

go for a 720 BE and 790 motherboard(not asus) then try to unlock the fourth core, you'll get a quad(or at least a tri-core) and it'll cost less.

If you multi task, encode a lot or play Flight Simulator and Supreme Commander, then go for the Quad core.

Also try to get a Western digital Black black as they are slightly faster, I'd go with the 640gb one.

I have the Asus h213h 21.5in monitor and it is great, the colors and contrast are good and no dead pixels, so you should be happy with the hd monitor you picked.

For an all around system then i'd go quad core. Don't get an IDE burner, get SATA. I agree with Tech-boy about the 640GB WD hard drives over the 500GB, they're faster and only about $10 more expensive. Make sure to check the combo deals on the new Phenom ll's with their new release there's some great deals right now.

Nice build you have there.  

Here's a few changes you might want to look at.

1) Seeing how your not going to run SLI, no need for the CM690. Take a look at the CM590...great cooling and plenty of room but it's cheaper.

2) The Corsair psu is cheaper right now than the one you chose.

3) The Gskill memory has a lower latency...and it's $5 cheaper than the Mushkin.

4) The vid card is free shipping, with a mail in rebate, and it comes overclocked.

5) The WD 640 is SATA...like the poster above said...never go with an EIDE hookup...it blocks your airflow...not to mention EIDE is a thing of the past.

6) The Xigmatek heatsink has a retention bracket you can order and makes for better installation not to mention better cooling.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $69.99
COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $94.99 ($69.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $24.99 ($19.99 after $5.00 Mail-In Rebate)
XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $8.49
XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $44.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $349.99 ($329.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 01G-P3-1285-AR GeForce GTX 285 SC Edition 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $79.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Q8300 is faster and runs cooler then Q6600. Also cheaper.

+1 for the Q8300 *cant believe I missed that.  

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $189.99 Free Shipping
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $69.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $79.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q8300 $189.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply $94.99

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 $44.99

ASUS VH226H Black 21.5" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor $189.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders $99.99

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket $8.49

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound $6.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard $114.99

XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler $24.99

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 $22.99

XFX GX285NZDFF GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Already have the vid card just need the rest of the system.  )

Subtotal: $948.38

Ok made some changes. Comes out a little cheaper

+1 for the 285  

This monitor down below is a great deal right now....great response time (2ms)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $169.99 ($149.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
ASUS VW224U Black 22" 2ms(GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ HDCP Support 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 5000:1) Built in Speakers - Retail

So I'm just about ready to place my order and just wanted some final thoughts on my setup to make sure everything will be compatible. Thanks for you help.  

COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $69.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $79.99

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9400 - Retail $229.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply $94.99

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 $44.99

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders $99.99

XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket $8.49

ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound $6.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard $114.99

XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler $24.99

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 $22.99

$810.39
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XFX GX285NZDFF GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Already have the vid card just need the rest of the system.

I've decided to go with the Dell S2209W for my monitor as it suits my needs better.

Hm... theres a 4gig ddr2800 from corsair for $20 at tigerdirect.com http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite... might wanna consider that... although you have to pay even more shipping XD if you're doing sli, http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/ite...

You don't need gimmicky SLI RAM to run SLI.

Not going to be doing SLI. I'm not heavy into gaming but I enjoy playing casually.

I was considering doing a raid setup with a couple smaller drives. Would there be any advantage to do this for what I'll be using this system for? Which is mainly ps and illustrator and general music and video encoding and web surfing.