Circ wants a new computer.

[Circuitous]

Case: Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-BA Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

Good, cheap case with what appears to be great air cooling.

Power Supply: ENERMAX INFINITI EIN650AWT ATX12V / EPS12V 650W Power Supply - Retail

Apparently works well with a setup like this (thanks 4est).

Motherboard: Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Has what I need.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6600 - Retail

Did a little research on this on TomsHardware and saw good results, more for raw processing power than gaming but still performing admirably on graphics benchmarks.

Video Card: BFG Tech BFGR88768GTXOCE GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Starting with one.

Sound Card: o shi--

Memory: A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K - Retail

Should probably get 4GB.

Data Storage: 2x Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

RAID?

Current total with shipping: $1,683.15

Trying to keep it under two grand and still be a really good gaming machine. Did a little (emphasis!) research and made the choices above. It'll be a while before I can afford this, so I've got plenty of time to think things over and take recommendations. What would you do differently and why? What sort of power supply should I get, and should I bother with a sound card?

[4est]

The Rosewill PSU is putting out 80 AMPs on the +12Volt rails.

This Enermax 650 Watt PSU is putting out 86 AMPS on the +12V rails and costs a lot less. Plus, it has a great cable management system.

Don't be fooled by inflated Volt numbers. I'm running almost the same computer you listed on a 485W 44Amp Enermax and it runs it fine. Enermax PSUs are great.

Get a guaranteed G0 stepping Q6600 from www.clubit.com . The Zalman 9500 cooler is great for it.

[Everything]

I too want new computer.

Oh, and good choice of specs/hardware/etc, Circ.

[4est]

I just noticed... you are getting a crossfire motherboard and an nVidia card

[Circuitous]

...

Well fuck.

Edit: rofl, Newegg lists it under essentials for that video card.

[4est]

Just start reading though the "best rating" list for the LGA 775 socket boards. You find a board with the features you want.

[pF]

650 Watts! I very recently (2 weeks ago) built a new box, and i got myself a 480W psu.. works fine. Then again, my HD3850 probably pulls a lot less than your 8800. Btw, i strongly recommend this card for value for money.

[Ihmhi]

Solid state drives might be a better choice than a raptor in the coming months.

And that case is total bullshit. Where the fuck's the Autobot logo? ):<

[Paft]

I have a ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 with a nvidia Geforce 7600GT 256mb.
The card isn't in the VGA support list, well it is but mine isn't a ASUS EN7600GT/2DHT model as listed.

Does that mean the graphics card isn't performing like it should?
I didn't think about checking for card support at the time, learns from mistake.

Edit: because my computer should be able to run HL2 but it struggles (unplayable)

Specs:
2.8ghz P4 (upgrading soon)
512mb ram 667MHz DDR2 x2

[Etzell]

Hey, that's the exact case I used in my build... 2 years ago. :P
Works like a charm.