Final Build Specs!

Well I've finally ordered the last parts for my computer, dropped a nice $900 just now. Thanks everyone for all the good input.

Here are my final specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz
$10 off, free shipping, hurray

OCZ Reaper Dual Channel PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (4 x 1024MB)
Looks bad-ass, had good reviews, huge heat-sinks, big rebates.

ASUS P5N-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
Can't go wrong with ASUS right?

Samsung 226BW 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor - 2ms, 1000:1(DC 3000:1) Contrast Ratio, WSXGA+ 1680 x 1050, Gloss Black, DVI
By far the best monitor I've ever seen, I absolutely love it, makes my regular movies look almost HD.

Dual Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Got them for cheap

XFX GeForce 8400 GS Video Card - 256MB DDR2, PCI Express, Supporting 512MB with TurboCache, DVI, VGA, HDTV
It was cheap, am going to use it to hold me over until the release of the 8900 around Xmas lowers the prices for the 8800s.

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B
I like Samsung, had good ratings and customers said it was quiet.

RAZER PRO 1.6 MOUSE
Excellent mouse, awesome blue LEDs all over.

Power Up Black 2559 ATX Mid-Tower Case with Front USB, Audio Ports and 250mm Side Fan
This case is soooo cool looking, I bought it because customers said it was super-quite, and it looked like an excellent value.

Ultra / X-Finity / 500-Watt / ATX / 120mm Fan / SATA-Ready / SLI-Ready / Black / Power Supply
Got it for cheap, ~$50

Windows Vista Home Premium
Wanted Vista... free shipping! whatever, it better be good

COOLER MASTER AQUAGATE VIVA RL-M4A-E7E1-GP Liquid Cooling System
Liquid-cooling for my CPU, we'll see how that goes, was bargaine-priced as far as liquid-cooling systems go, especially for a Cooler Master product.

Three OKGEAR 18" SATA II Cables
All my drives are SATA


I've got the AS5 at home, I hope I'm not forgetting anything. Pics + prices for all this stuff coming soon. This all set me back approximately $1500 with shipping, but I have around $200 worth of rebates coming eventually.

Aye... GPU and power supply were kind of concessions just to get my system up and running. Once the 8800 gets cheaper I'll buy both.

I love this new machine... Vista is great and I haven't been able to push the Quad-Core over 55*. Granted I did apply AS5.

That's the stock HSF which totally sucks... I hate the plastic clips. I'm probably getting a new one ASAP, but at least the temps are OK thanks to the AS5. I couldn't get the Aquagate cooler to fit inside my case. It unit needs the little mid-line level meter bubble thing to be placed above the CPU, and the radiator needs to placed above the bubble, so my mounting options were limited and I couldn't make it work. I'm passed the return period too.

There aren't nearly enough USB ports on the board, but other than that I have to see if my newly flashed BIOS will accept all 4 gigs of RAM, and everything is good to go.

... yah it looks a little better since the pic was taken but not much. How do you keep things orderly in there?

Yah there is some space back there. I really should put my unused power connectors back there LOL. When I try the other RAM stick I'll do a little housecleaning

Thanks guys, and thanks for all the advice it helped a lot!