My build

[Starman]

So I have been asking questions on here, and doing research for a while, and I think I have finally figured out everything I want (I already have a mouse and keyboard). I am kind of a perfectionist when it comes to things, so I wanted to make sure I had exactly everything I wanted before setting out on my building journey.

Case: Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=antec%20900

Mobo: Asus P5Q-Pro
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299

CPU: Intel E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115037

GPU: ATI 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102801

PSU: Corsair 750w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006

CPU Cooler: Xigmatek HDT-S1283
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233003

Ram: 4gb (2x2) G. Skill
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231209
or
4 gb (2x2) OCZ
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227298

DVD/CD Drive: Lite-On Sata
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106100

HDD1: Seagate Barracuda 500gb (for music, videos, etc)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148288

HDD2: Western Digital Velociraptor 74gb (for games and OS)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136033

Monitor: Samsung 22" LCD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001268

OS: Vista 64-bit Home Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116488

and some Arctic 5

My only question is the ram. I am between the two up there, but am not sure if the 1066 is worth the extra money. I plan on experimenting with overclocking, and the 800 seems to run cooler, but don't really know which would be better to go with, or if a different kind all together would be better? They end up being the same price after the MiR, but we all know how long those take to come in the mail. How much of a performance boost would I see from the 800 to the 1066?

If anyone has any input I would appreciate it, but I'm not looking to spend anymore money really, so try to keep alternatives to similar prices. Thanks a lot everyone.

[tomtoon]

Are you over clocking the CPU and the RAM?

If yes the 1066MHz is probably worth it.

[not important]

Persoanlly, I would go with a second Seagate 32MB Cache HDD in place of the Raptor. About equal performance for less money.
The PC6400 RAM should be fine. http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=203321

[shadowpr]

If overclocking, get the ddr2-1066.

Get one that has a cas 5, and a voltage of 1.8 or 1.9.

Look a dvd burner instead.

For a bit more, you can get the e8500.

And you could drop the psu down to a 650.

I also agree about the hd.

[Starman]

I am overclocking, so I will go with the 1066, thanks. Why the 1.8-1.9v ram? All the ram I can find with that kind of voltage doesn't look as good or reliable as the OCZ. Would I be ok with the OCZ? I went with the 750 in case I decided to throw in another video card in the future, which is likely to happen. I'm going with the E8400 because it comes in a combo with the ASUS P5Q-Pro, so I end up saving $60 over the E8500. Thanks for the HD advice, I just went with the Raptor for the name.

[shadowpr]

For ram, I personally use this with my e8400: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231145

This looks good too: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231166

You're right abiout the slim pickings of ram at that speed and capacity with 1.8v. The lower voltage is recommended cause it has a lesser chance of giving you problems right off the bat, and cause less voltage means less heat.

As for going crossfire, it's usually not the recommended upgrade path. You will most likely get better performance by just buying the best single card you can when you're ready for an upgrade.