~1000 +/- to finish, Purchasing tonight (10/26/09)

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Tonight

BUDGET RANGE: ~1000. I'd like to get a new monitor, but it can wait

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, Sibelius/Sequencing, Videos, General

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Speakers, Mouse, Monitor (need to save up more), OS (Win 7 64bit home premium), Video Card (Powercolor HD 5850 in the mail)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, but open to good deals

PARTS PREFERENCES: Indel and ATI

OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No, but possible in future

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1200)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Gaming PC with the CPU oomph to handle my screwed up multi-tasking and system-heavy applications like Sibelius and Fruityloops

Current Selections

OKGEAR 18" SATA II Cable Model GC18ATASM12 - OEM $3.98 for 2

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM $31.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail $109.99 before $10 mail in rebate

Logitech 967740-0403 Black USB Standard Internet 350 USB Keyboard - OEM $14.99 (I could use something a little newer and cleaner than my 10 year legacy keyboard)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail $85.99

Seagate 1TB HD
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $164.98 for combo

Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7860 - Retail
GIGABYTE GA-P55-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $429.98 for combo

.................

I'm wondering also if two 6+2 PCI power connectors from the PSU will work with the two 6 pin connectors I think the powercolor 5850 requires. So, do I need adapters, or am I a newb?

I'm looking to lower the cost and/or confirm that these all work together and will get the job done. I considered dropping down to an i5, but I the hyperthreading of the i7 860

Was also considering a smaller SSD to handle programs and OS, but I'm a little wary of the current prices on SSD's vs. performance increase.

Oooor, has something fancy new and improved come out in the last few days I don't know about the would recommend a completely different setup, socket, etc. ? The only things I have so far are the Mouse and Video Card (5850).

Thank you again Tom's Folks!

Awesome. Thanks for the info Obsidian

With the newer cards being more power efficient, they may never go back to 8 pin pcie connectors.

My understanding is that the i920 and i860 are pretty similar at baseline speed, but that the i860 soared ahead with turboboost and efficiency, etc., and that it was overall faster than the i920 unless you overclocked the i920 by a bit. The only advantage the i920 had was the triple memory thing that came with its socket. Am I correct in my understanding? (that and the memory will be more expensive). Thanks

Goodness, is the burning out issue only during overclocking, or is it a problem at even stock settings?

So, the place I managed to snatch up a 5850 from sent me an email notifying me that they had oversold and were canceling my order. Ahh, avast, system delayed again. Ahh well, I suppose more time to plan. Thank you all for the replies and help.