Gigabit GA-G31M-ES2L / first build $600

I was recently given this mobo from a friend who upgraded and I'd like to build my first system. I've been reading many relevant threads and guides but I still can't seem to figure out where to sink my money in this thing. It will mostly be used for streaming video (hulu, abc, netflix), watching dvds (occasionally ripping/encoding to iphone), and occasionally compiling on an openCL GPU (of which I have yet to decide upon). I want to spend around $600 give or take a little. I'd definitely like to take advantage of any cpu OC'ing to save money on a CPU.

I'm new to this and have a lot of questions. My only constraint, besides budget, is that it needs to be in a receiver-style microATX case and I'd like an Nvidia GPU. I plan on buying 4gb of ram. I don't know if I need two cores or four, please advise.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This week

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Streaming video, DVD, openCL compiling

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS:newegg

PARTS PREFERENCES: I have a gigabit MOBO and I would like a Nvidia chipset...9000 series perhaps / HDMI, 4gb ram

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Samsung TOC T260HD 1920 x 1200 HDMI

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: quiet, microATX case


Thanks in advance

Thanks for taking the time to post. My only question is should I purchase 1066 memory? I know that the board specs say 800, but I've read that 1066 is better if you plan on overclocking. But then again, I may be in error, I've never OC'd before. I just want the option to lengthen the usable lifespan / reduce costs.

There is no use for DDR2 1066 RAM for your system. Core 2 systems run best when the FSB and RAM are at a 1:1 ratio. The E6300 has a 10.5 multiplier which means that even DDR2 800 RAM would allow you to overclock the CPU to 4.2GHz in theory (400 x 10.5). You could lower the multiplier and still get a very high overclock with ddr2 800 RAM (400 x 9 = 3.6GHz, 400 x 9.5 = 3.8GHz, 400 x 10 = 4GHz). There is really no benefit to running the RAM faster than the FSB on LGA 775 systems.

Do you have a link to the case you're referring to?

Also, how do I ascertain what extra cables and connections that I will need to buy? I understand the difference between buying oem verus retail versions, but beyond that what extras are needed? thermal compound, power connectors, stuff I will need on hand etc...

Do I just get one SATA for each drive that I install?