New gaming system... haven't built one in 10 years.

You have two CPU coolers listed: XIGMATEK S1283 and Swiftech H20-220. Save $140 going with the S1283 HSF.
OS: Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit $100 save $40
You're more than halfway to a non-budget busting Core i7 system.

What size / resolution monitor will you be using (now or in the near future)?

ah... thanks for pointing that out.

As an XP user I'm a little afraid of Vista. XP 64 is so stable... Should i really go with vista?

Vista SP1 is actually very stable. And Vista 64bit seems to be quite a bit better supported than XP 64.

If you change out the dual 4850 video cards for a single GTX 260/216 $170 after rebate or go with just a single 4850 for now you can save $70 (GTX 260) or $115 (single 4850)

With $250 in savings plus the CPU/MB/RAM $378 = $628 we can cover the $630 cost of an I7 CPU/MB/RAM combo

Core i7 920 & Asus P6T & OCZ Platinum 6GB DDR3 1600

Not too shabby for a $2 upgrade?  

$1356.91 + $13.87 ship, MIR not included yet  

i7 build

This mobo down below runs SLI and Crossfire. Water cooling anymore doesn't have all that big of an advantage over air. You can always add another vid card later on down the road or get two of them now. But I would't be pumping $1,500 into a rig and throwing a ghetto vid card such as the 4850 into the build. They are a low budget card if anything. Anyways you can play with the parts list down there, but this gives you a basic idea.

One other important note here. If your into gaming in the slightest, then ditch the XP. Vista 64 w/DX10, etc...ftw. It's 2009, and it's not an XP world anymore when it comes to gaming, especially these new games coming out now.

http://cmstore.coolermaster-usa.com/product_info.php?pr... $119.99
Cosmos 1000 Full Tower, W/O window, W/O PSU - Refurbished

http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-750w-tx-series-80-plus-... $99.99 Price After Rebate(s): $79.99 Shipping: FREE
Corsair TX CMPSU-750TX ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $209.99
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R-SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=I7-920 $265.99 Free Ground Shipping
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 2.66GHz 8MB LGA1366 CPU, OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $39.99
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $339.99 ($309.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate)
GIGABYTE GV-N285-1GH-B GeForce GTX 285 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... $94.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - 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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $24.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $99.99 Free Shipping*
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM

Total: $1,382.29 *(not including shipping and rebates)

or this vid card....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $189.99
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2009/01/16/nv... <----here are some reviews that include the gtx 285, ati 4870, etc....

Some cases worth looking at. Both of these cases are full towers and have excellent airflow/ventilation/cooling.....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $149.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $149.99
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KKN1-GP Black ABS Bezel, SECC Body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

... has the socket 1366 bracket in the accessory pack. I had forgot to add a back plate bracket to the basic HDT-S1283 in your original post.

And a i7 920 / GTX 285 is a very nice upgrade over the 920/GTX260.

I've got a Samsung 22" SyncMaster 226cw at 1680 x 1050.

Ok heres my updated i7 setup, which I think I'm now heavily leaning toward. Which mobo looks better? One consideration is that I have a internal storage drive on my old PC, which I'd like to install into my new one. It's EIDE I think. (Can i keep it?)

Even though the video card is pretty much the most important thing to me, I'm not sure if I really need to go with the one below... seems a little excessive.

mobo: ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

OR GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R-SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

fan: XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM: G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...


Video: GIGABYTE GV-N285-1GH-B GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

Case: COOLER MASTER COSMOS 1000 RC-1000-KSN1-GP Black/ Silver Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

optical: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS120-04 $21.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E168...

I vote for that Asus mobo. It has a lot of bells and whistles, not to mention the PCI-E slots aren't so close together as they are on that Gigabyte.

As far as the EIDE drive goes...if you can drop it. Those drives block airflow not to mention they are a pain in the arse.

Much,much better.
For $5 more, I would pick the EVGA GTX285, for the lifetime warranty and good support.
The video card is THE most critical component in a gaming PC. You will be able to run anything out there well with a GTX285.

Take your pick on the mobo. I had no problem with the P6T deluxe.

The cosmos case is pretty, but not noted for good cooling.

The Antec 902 would be much better at $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

You can attach an ide drive, but I can't imagine why for a nice new build. They are slow, low capacity, noisy, and should be wearing out by now.
Sata replacements are cheap, and much neater to install.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <---maybe the best case for cooling/airflow/ventilation bar none and it's at a great price right now. (CM HAF)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... <---another great case with a killer combo special (CM Storm Sniper)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite... <---same case but with another killer combo special (CM Storm Sniper)