APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next week hopefully. I don't have to have the parts ready for Win7 launch, but the sooner the better.
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (Team Fortress 2, eventually Starcraft 2, SW: The Old Republic), General Internet surfing (I watch a good deal of HD videos on Hulu, Gametrailers), some light photoshop/windows movie maker (nothing professional).
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I have a USB keyboard and mouse, so those aren't needed for OS installation, but I'll probably buy new ones soon.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Not a big deal, but if I had to pick I'd go with newegg. (I'm in the US)
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU. A HD that won't fail on me. I'm pretty sure I want Windows 7 (pro, 64).
OVERCLOCKING: I've never done it before, but if there's a good tutorial this is definitely possible. No preference for Crossfire or SLI
MONITOR RESOLUTION: I don't have a monitor, so I'll need to buy one. I'm thinking something in the 22-28" range that will do 1920x1200. Attached speakers aren't necessary, but would be nice (the monitor will most likely sit on my coffee table in front of my couch).
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: PC doesn't need to be terribly quiet, it's going to be beside my couch in the living room where the TV (and my loud sound system) will usually be on. I've used the same laptop for 4 years (Thinkpad T43) and I finally have the funds to build a nice desktop rig. I'd like to keep it around $1500 give or take a few $100. That has to include the OS and monitor. I've never built a PC before, but I have replaced the RAM and GPU fan on my Thinkpad, so I'm not completely new to hardware.
I looked at tecmo34's Recommended Builds thread and this build sounds pretty good, but that thread is 2 months old and I wanted to research a bit more before buying anything. Prices change, better stuff comes out, etc.
So would this be the non-Micro equivalent? It's $20 more but having things spaced out more might be worth it, not to mention there are more ports for various things.
GPU listed above is "deactivated" on Newegg right now, I might get this one from ZipZoomfly.com:
DIAMOND 5850PE51G Radeon HD 5850 1GB GDDR5 PCI Express x16 (2.0v) Video Card Retail
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/Prod [...] e=10011258