First build in 4 years (everyday/gaming)

[atrifix]

[noparse]This is likely a 24/7 machine for everyday use, gaming, video encoding, various other tasks, etc. I plan to OC this quite a bit, and I want cool temps, a stable system, and so on. Noise isn't that much of an issue. I don't plan on upgrading this for awhile: 8GB of RAM when it becomes necessary, but not much beyond that. I haven't even glanced at hardware in the past 4 years so I'm pretty new at this.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16819115042

MOBO: Abit IP35 Pro
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813127030

RAM: Corsair Dominator 4GB DDR2 1066Mhz
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16820145197

GPU: EVGA 8800 GTS 512MB (G92)
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814130325

CASE: Antec Twelve Hundred
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811129043

HD: Seagate Barracuda ES.2 750GB
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16822148295

OPTICAL: Lite-On 20X DVD-RW w/ LightScribe
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16827106072

PSU: Undecided. Leaning towards OCZ GameXStream 700W (+12Vx4 = 18A), but maybe Thermaltake Purepower 500W is sufficient (+12Vx2 = 14A / 15A).
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052

CPU HSF: Undecided. Leaning towards Sunbeam Core Contact if I can find it. If not, Xigmatek HDT-S1283.
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233003

GPU HSF: Undecided. Given that this is dual slot, should I just go with stock, or do I pick up a Zalman VF1000?
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118037
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118038

TIM: OCZ Freeze
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202006

OS: 32-bit XP, to eventually be replaced by 64-bit Vista, dual boot with Linux

I have no special plans to cool the HD/RAM/NB/SB, but I probably will add a case fan on the side panel. Let me know if this looks good, or if there's anything else I should consider before going ahead. My plan is to run Prime95 for 24 hours once I have everything set up.[/noparse]

 

[SittingDuckie]

mobo doesn't support sli and is pci express 1.0. This means a) you won't be able to add a second card (should you ever want to) and b) you won't be taking full advantage of the extra bandwidth available with your evga 8800 gts which is a pci express 2.0 card.

You'll only be able to utilise 3.5 gigs of RAM until you upgrade that OS, but it sounds like you were aware of that

I don't think you want to mod the graphics card at all, evga do a pretty thorough job with these things.

500w is fine for your system (but how much do you intend to add over the next few years?)

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

mobo doesn't support sli and is pci express 1.0. This means a) you won't be able to add a second card (should you ever want to) and b) you won't be taking full advantage of the extra bandwidth available with your evga 8800 gts which is a pci express 2.0 card.

The first may be a valid point if the OP is looking to game at 1600x1200 or greater. The second is a moot point however, since today's cards aren't able to completely saturate the PCI-E 1.0 bus, much less that of its successor.

@atrifix, I'd suggest getting this RAM kit instead, since it's cheaper and of the same quality as the Corsair kit. Also, I recommend changing the motherboard to this, so you can take advantage of the RAM without being limited by the board.

As for the PSU, I recommend this one instead. It provides a single +12V rail with 52A on it which will be enough for almost anything you throw into that machine and it's quite cheap with the rebate, which I know Corsair to honor from personal experience.

Lastly, I recommend changing the CPU HSF to this and the GPU HSF to this instead. The latter doesn't come with a fan, but once you get one, it's the best GPU cooler out there IMO.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.