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So would this order make sense?
 
Case (done)
PSU
Optical Drive + Card Reader
Hard Drive
RAM
Mobo+CPU
Video card

deeznutz  

okay.......

That makes sense

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My 1st PC(2003) OCed/Built
E2180 @3.2Ghz + P35DS3L +8400GS (700/475 OC)  

if your to get the PS P&C get the 750 crossfire edition it has the plugs for new GPU's dont matter now but would be nice to not need to replace when you build again, or if you want to save a few dollars go with the 610w version if you would like to see other listing here is fairly recent listing
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forum [...] p?t=108088
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817341011
 
 

 
If you've got a Fry's near you, and you're going for a budget build, look no further than one of their ECS/Q6600 bundles for about $266.  Or ECS/E6550 for like $150.  You aren't going to overclock (neither do I, I need reliability more than rock bottom pricing as my gear is my livelihood) so the ECS stuff is fine.  I use them all the time in builds for friends and family and have found they are pretty reliable and offer the stuff I need and nothing more.
 
Get one video card, don't deal with SLI.  I read that these 9800GTXs are going for $300.  Is that true?  That would be a good deal.  9600GTs at $165 are also supposedly good.
 
500-600W is a good range for this type of machine.  try to get a PSU that has two PCI-E connectors.  I bought an antec trio 650 from the egg for $69.99 last summer.  That would work for you.  Fry's recently had the 550W version for $60 no rebates.
 
I would spring the extra $5-10 for a SATA optical if you have enough SATA ports just for the easier wiring and resulting better airflow.  Tom's seems to like the Sony one.
 
Fry's also seems to have weekly specials for 4GB of DDR2-800 for about $50 (or less).  That's plenty fast.

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811166030
          ($50, yes I recommend this one a lot)(can use up to 5 120mm fans)
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817151057
          ($94, worth it)
MB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813130141
          ($155, expensive compatible with DDR2 and DDR3)
          (The GA-P35-DS3L would also work for ~$90)
CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115031
          ($120)
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820211066
          ($39, 2Gb should do well for now)
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822145137
          ($90, 500Gb very tough drive)
DVD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827106070
          ($26, 20x DVD-R)
VID: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127333
          ($165, GF 9600GT)
 
Total: $739 + S&H (not counting MIR's, or special sales)($65 less with the DS3L)

I ordered the HX620. $107 after rebate...not bad I guess. Buy.com if you're interested.
 
General system building question: do you put in the PSU before the mobo? Does it matter?

Thanks for the tip on bundles Bliq.  I'll see whats available in a month or so.
 
What is up with DDR2 1066? Is it worth it? Do most boards support it?

^ No DDR2 1060 is just factory OCed DDR2 800 RAM. For some reason P35-DS3x boards seems to have a problem with RAM natively clocked beyond 800Mhz, but not when you OC DDR2 800 RAM to the same level. Weird I know.

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My 1st PC(2003) OCed/Built
E2180 @3.2Ghz + P35DS3L +8400GS (700/475 OC)  

Okay cool, thanks shadow.

 
dozenuts  

^

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My 1st PC(2003) OCed/Built
E2180 @3.2Ghz + P35DS3L +8400GS (700/475 OC)  

Alot of $80 & ^ Asus motherboards have a thing called Asus Q-connector. You plug all the clearly labled case wires into this clearly labled adapter and then the adapter snaps onto the motherboard. One of the many reasons I like Asus.

Any particular ASUS model to look for/avoid?
 
I've been reading about P35 express chipsets...is this better than the other sets I've been recommended by you folks?

P35 is the way to go for one card setup. x38 for xfire. I use the cheapest p35 the Asus P5K SE. It comes with the connector. I have my e2180 OC to 3.0 with stock cooler so it overclocks well. It also supports penryn with a bios update.

How difficult is a bios update?

^ Not very hard. Just use Q-Flash/EZFlash (Gigabyte/ASUS respectively). The manual tells you how to use Q-Flash/EZFlash. or you can use good old DOS.  
 
What ever you do NEVER update BIOS through Windows

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My 1st PC(2003) OCed/Built
E2180 @3.2Ghz + P35DS3L +8400GS (700/475 OC)  

Okay so I bought the remaining gear at Frys today.
 
Final Parts List:
 
Antec P182 Case (with additional 120mm fan) - $70
Corsair HX620 modular Power supply - $110
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard -$90
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - $190
2GB Patriot DDR2 800 RAM (w/ heat spreader) - $79
XFX PVT88GYDF4 GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 - $240
Pioneer DVD DL Lightscribe SATA drive $40
Maxtor SATA 500 GB HDD -$90
 
Comments?

^ Looks good . If possible try and get a Seagate or WD HDD (I know Maxtor was bought off by Seagate, but Seagate has a higher warranty than WD and Maxtor 5yrs Seagate vs. 3yrs Maxtor/WD.)

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My 1st PC(2003) OCed/Built
E2180 @3.2Ghz + P35DS3L +8400GS (700/475 OC)  

If I get a 2nd HDD I will keep it in mind.