A new rig - After 7 years!

[Tempered81]

I would get the 1066 ddrII, having owned an e8400 and ddr2 800 - I wanted to go higher than 445mhz and keep my voltage and timings per SPD, i couldn't do it with my pc2-6400

edit: per orignal post:

Imo the best standard air coolers are the:

thermalright ultra 120 and ultra 120 extreme edition

zerotherm nirvana n-120

zalman cpns9700 copper

tuniq tower

I'd lap the base of any of these 4 or 5 sinks if i bought them (just to be safe)

Yes I would slap 120mm fans all over the case you get, if it doesn't already have them, at least a 120 front/side intake, a single/dual 120 for a push-pull on your heatsink, and a 120 at the rear of the chassis for exhausting heat, or a 120 at the top for a top-mount exhaust.

Just configure to the performance/noise ratio that you prefer. the antec tri-cools or any other multi rpm speed control 120mm fans are nice.

Also with your 1500 budget, and overclocking plans, I would consider uping the gfx card from 250 to 269, and pick up that deal on the 8800 GTS 512.

stable motherboards with e8400s:

ip35e/ip35pro
p35-ds3r, p35-ds4/p, p35-dq6
blood iron/lanparty tr2
p5k deluxe wifi

 

[sammyunltd]

Hi!

Thank you all again for answering my numerous questions!
As for the Canadian dollar, it's equal to the USD, but still, prices are higher here no matter what.

1) Video Card: I know that in the US, they sell cheap. But the cheapest eVGA I've found is on sale at $229 at DirectCanada. Unfortunately, even if it's part of NCIX, it's not a member of the eVGA's Step Up Program. Thus, I must buy it at NCIX (it's the cheapest place).

2) Motherboard? So, what now? P35? X38? X48? I'm lost. I would have gone for the ASUS Maximus, but I'd rather not pay over $200 CAD for a Motherboard (the ABIT is @ $190 and it's enough).

3) Hard Drive: Seriously, 3 months ago, I would've picked a Seagate eyes closed, but I've nothing but bad things about their HD recently. What about their new Barracudas, 7200.11? I'm not really picky on HD. My current one hasn't crashed, so obviously, I'd like something reliable. If they're all top-notch reliable, then, I'd like the one with the best performance without being too noisy. What about Samsung's? Hitachi's?

4) RAM: If I can find some cheap but good G.Skill or Crucial Ballistix DDR2-1000 or DDR2-1066 (LIKE THIS, should I take it, even though it's possible to hit 4.0 GHz with "good DDR2-800". It should be easier with DDR2-1000/1066, no?

5) Fans and all: So, is this fan a must? I think that's the best I've seen so far. Will this fan fit in the front and middle (to cool the VGA) of the P182 (the only two spots left)?

Thank you all guys!