semi-final build plan (with some issues) help is appreciated

[Cheeseking25]

is vista really as bad as some ppl make it out? i want all my programs (which isnt many just like 12 games and itunes) to work smoothly on vista. does anyone have any concrete reasons for me not to get it?

[marvinmatthew]

Originally Posted by >Omen<

I've heard rumors of this. If it's true, and I really wish people would quote their sources when they say it, it tends to confirm what some have said that there won't really BE a Vista service pack, at least not in the true sense like XP had.

Here's from Microsoft itself:

Microsoft’s Evolving Approach to Servicing the Windows Platform: Q&A: Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of the Windows Core Operating System division at Microsoft, discusses the company's plans for the first service pack of Windows Vista.

Most of the updates that could have been released in the service pack have already been released via Windows Update.

[C38368]

Originally Posted by arcadeplayer987

For PSU I recommend Thermaltake ToughPower 700W and stick with Q6600 because the future games will use all 4 cores

Wasn't it you that posted to the Last Thing You Bought thread about having purchased a new PSU because you Thermaltake blew up? Yeah, it did that for a reason: Thermaltake sucks.

Onto more interesting stuff:

Originally Posted by Cheeseking25

Case: Antec 900 ATX Mid-tower: I like the 4 fans on this case. It's great for cooling and I also like how it looks.

Meh. A case is a case is a case and is a pretty personal choice. I expect this thing is fairly loud however. Also, the buttons and FP connectors are placed in such a manner that it appears Antec expects you to put this on the floor. And that's never a good idea.

CPU: Q6600: I am fairly sure this will be my proc.

If it weren't so bloody cheap, I'd recommend against Penryn right now. However, clock-for-clock on the available cores, Conroe performs better still, and runs a lot cooler. Ridgefield will be a better multi-core solution.

PSU: Coolermaster 850W (165$) or OCZ GameXtreme 700W (140$)- This is one of my big question marks. I am looking to possibly get a 8800GTS 640 or 8800GTX and SLI it later without a future PSU upgrade. I've heard that the GameXtreme happily runs 2 GTX's and it is cheaper.

I'd get a Seasonic. Or a PCP&C, but they're just insane, and I don't think they're neceessarily worth the cost. Also, you can get out of the stratophere; 600W will be more than enough, confirmed @ wall draw on someone else's dual-GTX machine (it drew something like 490W under full load).

Mobo: ASUS P5N32-E SLI: This was (strongly) reccomended to me as a cheaper version of the Striker Extreme board. I want to be sure this will work with my RAM.

Forget 680i and forget SLI. Strongly recommend the Intel bandwagon with something like the P5K Premium (which, incidentall, ZZF is selling for something like $219 shipped). It's based on the P35 chipset and as such, doesn't officially support SLI, but if enthustiast exerience with Intel's own 975XBX is anything to go on, this is easily fixed with 3P drivers.
Either way you go, ASUS is just about the most reliable manufacturer on the planet, after Intel, whose products are pretty feature-poor for the average enthusiast.

Video Card: 8600GT OC SLI or 8800GTS 640MB (future SLI) or 8800GTX (future SLI): I am looking for playing new games at max settings with smooth gameplay at a resolution of 1680x1050. The only reason the SLI 8600GT's are on here is because they were recommended to me but quite frankly, they just dont satisfy my needs. I am wondering what is the better option, 8800GTS 640 for 100$ less than the 8800GTX? I also want whatever vid. card I get to be supported by my PSU for future SLI.

It would be a supreme act of stupidity to buy 8600s for any reasobased on everything else posted here so far. If you're hellbent to buy a card now, I wouldn't spend a dime over the cost of a nice, solid (read: eVGA) 8800GTS 320MB. Performance of the 640MB just isn't there, but it's about $100 cheaper and we're within a few months--we think--of a new product launch from nVIDIA. And frankly, AMD's HD2900XT is turning out better numbers at the $400 price point in many cases.
Finally, the 8800GTX isn't likely to drop in price when nVIDIA releases their latest and greatest. Past experience with product launches suggests that the Ultra and GTX cease to exist, and the GTS either drops a little or soldiers on, very close to the price-point of the new line's lower-end stuff, at launch.

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800: My big question here is will my memory work with my mobo?? Here's the link to the product page for exact info.

Memory's memory. People have their opinion of it. I like Crucial, personally; you're guaranteed top-shelf, binned ICs from Micron. It's DDR2. It'll work on the P5N or the P5K (but not the P5K3).

Hard Drive: I am planning on getting two drives, Raptor 10000RPM 150GB Drive (200$) and a cheap 2nd drive, Seagate 7200RPM 250GB Drive (65$): I will use the fast drive for my OS and games and the other for standard stuff. I was considering getting JUST the 150GB drive but my current 250GB drive is getting full and 150GB is not enough room. I like the idea of the fast drive. I know it is expensive but I am willing to pay for it.

Yeah, they're tanks. And the space available absolutely sucks. Hardly worth the effort, in retrospect. I'd stick with nice, massive 7200RPM drives. SATA and 16MB cache and you'll realize real-world performance on part with a 10k Raptor, without the cost, heat or noise. I once thought like you.[/QUOTE]