Need advice on a new build

[ev1lg00dguy]

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ~= $50 (Microcenter after tax)

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM = $41.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail = $94.99 before $20 rebate

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-8500C5 - Retail = $61 before $20 rebate

Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9400 - Retail ~= $190 (Microcenter after tax)

GIGABYTE GV-R487D5-1GD Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail = before $30 rebate

GIGABYTE GA-EP45C-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail = $119.99

-$20 combo w/video card and mobo.

Total ~= $758 - $20 (combo) = $738
AR ~= $738 - $70 (rebates) = $668

I'd like to spend under $800 initially. I will do rebates, but won't stretch parts for one. Anyone have arguments for other parts? GTX260 vs HD 4870? AMD Phenom II 940 vs Intel Q9400? I like that the Gigabyte board has the capability of DDR3, but I'm not sure if I want to spend the extra $30-40. I think I'd rather just upgrade later if I decided I wanted it.

Edit: Links fixed, the link builder added quotes around the link which broke them oddly enough.

 

[xthekidx]

None of your links work FYI.

I would get a larger HDD, WD6401AALS or at least WD3200AAKS

You don't need 1066mhz ram, 800 should be fine. DDR3 shows almost no improvement over DDR2 in most cases and isn't worth it IMO unless you go for an i7. Just get these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219&Tpk=G%20skill%20HK

I would personally go with this combo instead cuz you get more for your money:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.165047

Your other selections look good, make sure you pick up an Optical drive and an OS if you odn't have one.

 

[ev1lg00dguy]

Thanks for the suggestions. I do like the Phenom, I just hadn't found a mobo I was happy with. I was wanting 2x PCI E x16 slots, but I've since decided I wont be doing crossfire. I'd rather get a new card a while down the line thta's a total replacement. (This is already far overpowered for what I need haha)

I did forget to mention that I have a copy of Vista 64 bit pro, and a optical drive. I also have a 500gb and a 200gb external storage drive. I just want to make sure that my hard drive has decent access times. That's actually one of the parts I had the hardest time picking out.

Edit: I'll fix the links at work in a bit sorry about that.

 

[xthekidx]

That mobo and CPU combo is worth looking at, its a very good mobo and can xfire if you really want to later, if not then no harm done having the extra slot. Its a great deal and I would take advantage of it if I were you, you get more for your money there. But its a very good board and much cheaper than the one you are considering, and probably of equal or greater quality.

As far as HDD's with good access times go, most are going to be about the same, unless you get a 10k or 15k rpm drive or SSD which are just way too expensive. The drives I listed are good drives and pretty fast.

 

[MykC]

I agree with xthekidx, the motherboard in the combo is a very solid board and the pricing is fantastic. You've alreay picked out a 4870, you can pick one up at later time when you find the GPU holding you back. I mean in a year the a 1GB 4870 is probably going to be sub $100.

Also for cooling, whether you plan to OC or not:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003 Xigam CPU Cooler $36 - $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020 Artic MX-2 thermal compound $7

 

[ev1lg00dguy]

I'd be keeping OC'ing in mind, but will stay at stock for a while. This is my first home build and will eventually be my first OC if I do at all. It's already overkill for what I need, so I'll wait a bit before I risk breaking it.