Attempting to build decent budget gamer

*EDIT* sorry if this appears a long in the tooth jumble at first glance, but be assured all the relevant points related to asking for build advice are included in this post! Thanks!

I'm in the market to build a decent yet budget conscious gaming rig. This will be my first build from scratch so if I've made some glaring mistake in my selections please let me know! I plan to build this as soon as I get some feedback on my initial parts selection.

My main immediate use for it will be playing Warhammer online however I do plan to dabble in other more power hungry games.

I will have it connected full time via HDMI to my 50" HDTV set to run Warhammer in full 1080p with close to or max graphics settings. It will also serve to stream video/music from my main desktop/work computer (decked out quad-core G5 PowerMac) to the big screen/surround system.

I spent a few hours tooling around newegg and other various sources to find the most bang for my buck...went back and forth between springing for a low end i7 (found the 920 for only $199 at microcenter) or a higher core 2 quad. Decided to go with the quad as it seems to lead to cheaper components for the rest of the system.

Also debated between SLI or a single card...once again decided on single card due to cost factor.

Where I obtain the parts doesn't matter much, how much I pay for them is what matters...so if you know of better deals than I have listed please don't hesitate to share!

Here's what I came up with...

CPU = Core 2 Quad Q9550 $169.99 (I am able to pick up in store)
http://microcenter.com/single_prod [...] id=0299412

MOBO = Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L $79.99
I'm very encouraged by the second review down on newegg of this motherboard by someone stating they also put a Q9550 into it and managed to overclock it to 3.5 without issue...even if I can't get mine quite that high it'll be nice to squeeze a little extra power out of it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128380

GPU = EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GTX 260 896MB Superclocked PCI-E 2.0 16x $159.99 (with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130433

RAM = OCZ Reaper 2x 2GB DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) $42.99 (with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820227289

HD = 250GB 7200rpm SATA drive I have laying around...I don't really need a ton of space on this rig since I keep all my media on my Mac and the price is right at $0

DVD/CD = 16x dual layer DVD burner I also have laying around from a past system... once again price is right at $0

Sound isn't a huge deal to me so the on-board will suffice. $0

Network...onboard LAN is ok but I also have a PCI WiFi card laying around to pop in and avoid cabling. $0

Power Supply = Tuniq Potency PSU-POT650-BK 650W ATX12V $49.99 (with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817611007

Case = looking on craigslist locally to find an old no frills but suitable full size or even server case since space and looks both are not huge factors....otherwise if that fails I found this also from Micro Center so I could pick it up when I grab the CPU and save on shipping.
http://microcenter.com/single_prod [...] id=0305922

I have suitable keyboard/mouse already.

Total cost after rebates but before tax/shipping (a couple items even have free shipping) = $532.94

Well under $600 and seems like a pretty nice rig for a pretty nice price.

Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I would like to build as soon as possible but don't want to jump in without outside advice!

Here's what I would do. Go with AMD for best bang for buck. Nothing wrong with the Intel C2Q, but the LGA775 socket is a dead end. No room for future upgrades.

Combo:
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P10664GK - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.234483

AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103674

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341017

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102825

Rosewill R220-P-BK Black 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811147074

Everything shipped for $628.58 and no taxes unless your in CA or TN. Minus a $25 rebate. A bit over your price, but a bit more future proof. This mobo will also allow you to SLI in the future if you decide to. Still trying to tweak, so if I come across something that will save some money, I'll post it.

The original build is not bad at all. In my experience, every cheap (<$50) CoolerMaster case I bought had minor quality issues. All could be used, but I've stopped buying them. I switched to Rosewill cheap cases, and have never had any problems.
On an Intel system, with only a modest OC planned, you could save a few bucks by getting DDR2-800 RAM. I like mushkin; runs on the JEDEC standard 1.8V and can be overclocked easily. If you go to AMD, keep the DDR2-1066, or get an AM3 board and use DDR3-1333 with CAS latency of 7.
I think AMDThunder meant you could Crossfire in the future on the AMD setup. SLI is for nVidia cards, Crossfire for ATI.
Either system would be nice. The Intel system offers better performance today, but the AMD offers almost as much performance now, and a better upgrade path (including to Crossfire, if your gaming takes off) in the future.

Thanks for all the input. I see the dead end path of the 775, and in order to get an upgradable system I'm gonna have to spend more. I'd prefer to stick with Intel/Nvidia so perhaps I'll jump on the $199 i7 from Microcenter and see what I can do...it will cost more than the AMD build recommended above, but will probably have a longer upgrade path since the i7 is still relatively new. Any suggestions on a cheapo game worthy i7 build? I'm gonna see what I can come up with.

So, couldn't I effectively replace my MOBO selection above with this:

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128375

Doesn't support SLI out of the box but it's only a manufacturer supported BIOS flash away should I decide to SLI in the future...

and the CPU with the $199 i7 920 from Microcenter
http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0302727

and the RAM...any recommendations here?

The cost difference in MOBO and CPU is only $135 more....putting me at about where the AMD build was....RAM may push it a little over but I think I will end up with a much more capable system.

Thoughts?

If you anticipate keeping this system and upgrading as needs dictate (and budget allows), you could even start with a 720BE on an AM3 mobo, with a single HD4870. Get a PSU like the Antec TruePower New 750W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 817371025. It's $100, but will handle two high-end GPUs so it will let your system grow nicely. If you don't think you'll ever run two GPUs, then a TruePower 550 is only $80; they also have free shipping. These PSUs are 80+ Bronze, and have received only favorable competent technical reviews (i.e. the ones with progressive load testing, waveform analysis, and sometimes disection). A 790GX board will have two PCIE x16 slots for Crossfire; a 785G board will have just one.
If your budget is higher, you could start out with a 945 X4 or 955 X4. Don't bother with the new 965 X4; from the review right here on Tom's it looks like nothing more than a pre-overclocked 945. With a TDP of 140W, it sucks more juice (and creates more heat) than it's worth.
With new video cards just around the corner, start even lower than the 4870 if you need to save money now but think you'll want to upgrade soon. Your monitor resolution is pretty high though, so you may not want to go too low. Choose a card with 1GB of RAM on it.

Your text describes a 2x2GB RAM kit, but the Newegg link is for the 3x2GB kit. From the Craigslist posting, it appears you are getting an unmatched pair of 2GB sticks (one from each of two different 3x2GB kits). I7 has a triple-channel memory controller, so you wanted a 3x2GB kit. What you ordered should work, and each stick IS the same stuff, but you really need to find a third stick for best performance. Hopefully you'll be able to get the exact same one to avoid compatibility issues.

What he's saying is, that mother board runs triple channel memory. The 2 sticks will work, but for best performance, you need to add a 3rd. Dual channel memory, you wants sets of 2. (2X2GB, 4X2GB) For triple channel, you want 3 sticks. (3X1GB, 3X2GB)

Just looked at that board. Is a bit odd, but you'll notice 3 of the slots are white for the triple channel ram. No clue the difference one would see using it in dual channel, but you're probably right. May not be noticable at all in anything other than benchies. Guess the 4th slot is there for options.

I read the manual for the mobo and it actually does dual channel when you install a pair or triple channel when you install a set of three (plus you can add 1 more).