Remade gaming build

[hooah]

Alright I redid the build and now I am listing all the parts and making a link. Basically I want the most bang-for-my buck gaming rig, so please be very nit-picky and tear this build apart. In this build all I really care about are good sound and good gaming. I need all peripherals (I want a headset, so I don't need speakers) and will have to purchase all parts.
Here is the link to my wish list https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wishlist/PublicWishDetail.asp?WishListNumber=6227846&WishListTitle=Pick+apart+this+gaming+rig, but I will list the parts here as well.

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail 49.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811119068

XFX PVT80GGHD4 GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail 309.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814150173

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail 124.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817139001

CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT533D2 - Retail 82.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145527

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM 79.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148140

Logitech G11 Silver & Black USB Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail 58.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16823126009

SAMSUNG 226BW Black 22" 2 ms (GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail 319.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16824001096

Razer Copperhead Tempest Blue 2000 dpi Gaming Mouse - Full Retail Multi Language - Retail 68.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16826153105

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - Retail 39.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106072

bluegears b-Enspirer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail 94.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16829127002

iCEMAT Black Siberia 3.5mm/ 6.3mm Connector Circumaural Headset - Retail 59.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16836508101

total thus far: 1290.89 (not counting the $80
in mail in rebates) I still need a mobo, cpu, and os and I don't know what to get.
I am open to all suggestions and would also like to know if all the parts are compatible, I would like to order the parts as soon as possible, and are there any cheaper newegg alternatives?

I am trying to keep costs down, so if you see something that is unnecessarily powerful or just isn't needed (or if there is a cheaper alternative), please let me know. My budget is sub $2000. I'd like to keep it in the 1500-1600 range if I can.

[flanzig1]

your list doesn't show a CPU or mother board. If your are going with an Intel Core2Duo, would get the VS DDR2 667 ram, better match for the CPU.
If with Intel, for mobos, look to the Asus P5B or P5K series and for CPU, the E6600.
If looking at AMD , the AM2 socket is the latest and needs DDR2 800 ram. For the CPU, the Athlon 64 X2 series.

[Jimmy0]

I would personally go with an Intel build at the moment, and go with a Asus P5K (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131180) motherboard with one of the new Intel C2D processors that are going to be released pretty damn soon.

Also get some Corsair VS 667 RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098) rather than the 533 you have at the moment. :)

[hooah]

Thanks for the help guys, more is always appreciated. I was wondering if any of you knew if any places offer student or military discounts on hardware or software.

I don't need too much future proofing (I don't think...), I am suppose to be going to Iraq in February. Also, is the intel price drop today? I thought there were supposed to be new processors with a faster fsb released at the price drop...

[Alaron]

Give it time, the prices will fall soon enough. :)

[hooah]

should I get the 64 bit vista home premium or 32 bit?

[blue60007]

Go for the 32-bit. There isn't much benefit for going to 64-bit, and 64-bit driver support is a bit lacking...

[hooah]

how does this mobo look?
ASUS P5K-V LGA 775 Intel G33 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131184

[hooah]

I've also got a few more questions, haha.
According to wikipedia, the best setup for the core2duo (1066 fsb, it didnt say anything about the 1333) is ddr2 pc2 4200 ram...but the ram has to be 533 for pc2 4200. many people have suggested 667 ram, but wikipedia says pc2 5300 can actually slow performance. I would like to have a E6750 because it seems the best bang for the buck. I am really just confused as hell when it comes to differences in ram and mobos. I really need help there.
Here is the clip from wiki, and the link:
"Unlike the previous Pentium 4 and Pentium D design, the Core 2 technology sees a greater benefit from memory running synchronously with the Front Side Bus (FSB). This means that for the Conroe CPUs with FSB of 1066 MT/s, the ideal memory speed is PC2-4200. In some configurations, using PC2-5300 can actually decrease performance. Only when going to PC2-6400 is there a significant performance increase. While expensive DDR2 memory models with tighter timings do improve performance, the difference in real world games and applications is negligible."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_2_duo#Successors

And what do you think, which vid card should I get? The msi is overclocked but $10 more, alot of reviewers said it came with company of heroes, but I can't find anywhere it says that. I also trust evga.

EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130071

MSI NX8800GTS-T2D640E-HD OC GeForce 8800GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127280

[LeftyAce]

I'd be inclined to ignore wikipedia in this case.....if you get 667 ram and the processor REALLY wants to run it at 533, the motherboard will slow the ram down to 533. From everything I understood though, the C2D benefits from the bit of overhead provided by 667 ram. The two builds I've done with it have had no issues.....

EDIT:
On the video card issue, get eVga. The one MSI card I ever had died, they replaced it under warranty, and it's just died again :-(

[blue60007]

I read the source for that article. Some of the tests the DDR2-667 came out ahead like you'd think, but some it was actually slower but I'm not sure why. Regardless, we're only talking a a couple % either way and they were synthetic benchmarks. Not anything you'll likely notice in real life.