[pt121984]

Ok, I'm not new to putting a system together, but since some new tech has really come out strong I thought I'd get some input from others.

*First, the power supply. It's been my experience in the other 8-10 systems I've put together to go with what I believe to be the best.
PC Power and Cooling Silencer 750 Quad I've always had the best of luck with these units.

*Second, the motherboard. Another manufacturer I'm partial to is Asus. I'm looking at this board. ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA I do like good parts in my systems.

*Third, the memory. This I've not decided on as of yet. Since I'll be sticking with Win XP Home most of these boards are suggesting to not go over 3GB since it won't be recognized by the OS. Any suggestions would be appreciated though. I will not be over clocking, but would like the fastest I can get within reason. Meaning not spending a fortune on.

*Forth, the CPU. Now this is where I really need some input. At the very least I'll be getting the Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz Now, what I was wondering is.....THe Extreme processors which have 4 cores, will Win XP utilize all the cores of this CPU while Multitasking or will it ignore two of them?

*Fifth, the case. This I've been searching for. I need it to meet the specs I have room for or I'll have to pull everything out of the one I have and transfer parts to another case to use the P4 I'm using now.
It has to be within these specs. 17 1/2" Deep, 8 1/4" Wide, and no more than 19" tall. Preferably without a Power Supply, but I can always yank that.

*Sixth, the Video Card. Since this board can support the new PCIe 2.0 specs, I'll probably want to go with something like that. I'm not a gamer, other then my PS3, so I'll not be using more then one Video card so the need to utilize Crossfire or SLI is a non issue. Since this Motherboard is crossfire ready, does this mean I have to use a crossfire card even though I don't intend to use more then one card in my system?

Thats it as far as the major components. The hard drives will most likely be Seagate SATA drives and the DVD Burner will probably be a Plextor.

Thanks in advance for any input.
Patrick

 

[blackduck30]

Nice choice on the power supply and also the motherboard.

Something like this is a good deal at the monent

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail $49.50 After rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034


As for your CPU choice, it is really up to you but I don't think there are a lot of programs that will fully utilize quads. I would just sit back and wait. The next round of CPU's are on the horizon and as long as you are quad ready then the price will drop and by then they may be more useful.

Well cases are a bit of a personal preference but the antec 900 is a nice case but i think it may be a bit big
Thermaltake make a nice case as well,

Thermaltake Matrix VX VD3000BWA Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Dimensions 19.1" x 7.5" x 17.1" (D x W x H)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133008

or

Thermaltake SopranoRS VG7000BWS Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $35 ( after rebate )

Dimensions 17.3" x 7.9" x 19.7"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133046


or

Thermaltake WingRS VG8000BNS Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $50

Dimensions 16.3" x 7.5" x 18.9"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133047

or the silverstone stuff has a very good rep as well

SILVERSTONE Kublai Series KL01B-W Black Aluminum front panel, SECC body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $140

Dimensions 18.9" x 8.1" x 17"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163096

or

SILVERSTONE Kublai Series KL02B-W Black Aluminum front panel, SECC body ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $105 (after rebate )

Dimensions 18.7" x 8.0" x 17.2"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163094


If you want a nice video card then the 8800GT is all the rage at the moment but if it is a bit too much you can go with a 8600GTS

 

[TheMatt]

For a mid-tower I would look at the Antec Nine Hundred as another option.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

 

[pt121984]

Thanks all for the input...it is much appreciated.

Patrick