After doing a little research and getting a quote built for me, this is the system I have in mind to pick up. The HD4850's might be swapped out for the 4870's. I am by no means as technically savvy as some of you here, I'm just beginning to learn. This is simply my first shot at a gaming system with a little more kick, any advice or criticism is apprechiated.



-INTEL Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz FSB1333 12MB LGA775

-ASUS P5Q3-DELUXE/WIFI-AP P5Q-DELUXE P45/ICH10R, 4xDDR3, 1394,2xGbL, HD Audio

-CoolerMaster 120MM BLUE LED Fan 22dBA 1220RPM

-G.SKILL [ HK ] DDR3 PC3 1333MHz 4GB

-Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E DUAL DVI-I / TVO (ROHS)LITE (Two in crossfire configuration)

-WD Caviar SE-16 / SATA-II 5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM, 16MB, SATA-II

-LG GH20NS15 SATA BLACK DVD±RW (20X+/-) DUAL LAYER w/ SW

-ANTEC Gamer Nine Hundred Case Black w/ Window NO P.S

-PC Power & Cooling 750W Red, 60A 12V Rail, Quad PCIe, CrossFire Certified

-Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Go with a P5Q Deluxe, that way you can use much cheaper DDR2. The P5Q3 also seems to be very picky about what memory it will work with.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... p?t=191848

Gaming only rig?

Drop the Q9450 and go for the E8600.

yup u wont need a quad thats for sure.
also get a mb for ddr2 as dr said and also stay the hell away form any coolermaster fans. there all junk lol
and if yer goin with ddr2 take a look at the p5n-t deluxe vary nice mb and great for overclocking. just make sure u update the bios to 1001

just make sure, that no matter what baord your getting...remember you will want more in the future...sooner or later...make sure that the mb you get supports SLI or Xfire to the fullest! dont make the same mistake as me.....P5K Premium is an AWESOME board...but its xfire capabilities is dissapointing....

I thank you all for the advice. I am new to the concept of cooling as any previous Comp I have had has never needed any. If this fan is not very reliable what cooling would you recommend? At what point would you require liquid? Is that maybe if your into over-clocking? I would like the quad processor I know its not needed for anything out today but I'd like this system to remain compatible with what is coming out in the future as well. A mother board is something I will still have some homework left to do. I have a tough time figuring out which board is compatible with what gpu configuration (xfire and SLI) and what configuration is better SLI or X-Fire. So far as I can tell the only real difference is personal preference. Kind of like the pepsi vs coke thing.

what configuration is better SLI or X-Fire

heh
if u find the answer to that. yer the man. thats a ongoing battle. some say sli some say crossfire

not much even uses dual core let alone quad core. f this is a gaming rig...video performance will be #1 for you...so like i said make sure your motherboard supports a good SLI or Xfire depending on which way you go...(ATI =Xfire....nVidia = SLI) everything else...just get the best you can staying in your budget....keep in mind...almost nothing takes advantage of quad core...so the best dual core your can get the better...especially if your not overcloking...if you are overclocking...then you might as well wait for nahelm....as far as GPU goes....right now is a GREAT time to buy...4800 and 200 series is making everything very cheap....

basically it comes to a very easy anwser....what do u prefer...IMHO...unless your hardcore...and OC to the "Hiltz" and want nothing but bragging rights...any of the new gen cars will satisfy you..4850-4870-260-280...whatever...2X4870 and 2X280....are gonna play crysis on the same settings with no difference to the naked eye....

Based on your desire for a 775, going SLI or Xfire will depend on the motherboard you decide upon. If you choose a Nvidia 775 motherboard, then your going SLI and if Intel based, then Xfire.

If you're going with a lower end 775 and overclocking it hard, then I suggest an Intel chipset based board, thus Xfire. If you're going highend 775 and overclocking it hard, I suggest NVidia and SLI.

Either of the current highend Nvidia or ATI cards will easily handle a monitor supporting 1680x1050 resolution, so the 'real' need for either second card will not be realized at this lower resolution.

Going with a monitor supporting 2560 x 1600 might need that second card for gaming enjoyment.

based upon his responses he doesnt plan on oc'ing nor does he plan on going to the "fullest" for gaming....we could all suggest a ton of anwsers...basically read up and get the top that your budget can afford...i have been in and out of the "scence" for some years...and am still only classified as a "moderate-lite-heavy " enthusiest...enthusiasm depends on what you take and turn it into IMHO...