First time build, first time overclocking

[jr2408]

This is going to be a first time build for me. I plan to do heavy multitasking and some games - esp flight sims.

I will be overclocking for the first time, hopefully to around 3ghz (e.g. beyond the level of the E6700).

I plan to upgrade to a more powerful graphics card when the DX10 cards are released - this choice is just a stop gap measure.

Can anyone give me some help in understanding:-

- Is E6600 the right choice? I originally planned to go for the E6700 but I am reading that it is not good value.
- Is this motherboard a good choice?
- Have I got my memory choice right?
- As a newbie to build & overclock (but pretty savvy with PC's and tech stuff in general) how difficult is it going to be for me to build & overclock and end up with a stable system?
- Will this cooler & case be good choices in terms of cooling and also keeping noise down?
- Will I notice the difference the Raptor makes, or should I substitute it for a Seagate?
- Is it worth getting a sound card to reduce CPU cycles?

Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 "LGA775 Conroe" 2.40GHz (1066FSB) - Retail (CP-128-IN)

Gigabyte GA_965P_DQ6 (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard (MB-058-GI)

Corsair 2GB DDR2 XMS2-6400C4 TwinX (2x1GB) (MY-108-CS)

TextEVGA GeForce 7600 GT KO 256MB GDDR3 HDTV-Out/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail (GX-005-EA)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-078-SE)

TextCoolermaster Wave Master - Black (No PSU) (CA-047-CM)

Antec NeoHE 550W Modular ATX2.0 PSU (CA-046-AN)

Mitsumi FA 404M 7in1 USB 2.0 Floppy & Media Drive - Black (HD-002-MI)

NEC ND4571 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer LabelFlash ReWriter (Silver) - OEM (CD-032-NE)

Your help appreciated!

 

[myocardia]

These are better power supplies, in my opinion: Hyper Type R's @ overclockers.uk, although I'd really recommend the Enermax 600 watt Noistaker EG701AX-VE(W), from this page: Enermax psu's @ overclockers.co.uk

And, in case you haven't heard, the Conroes (E6600 and up) are overclocking much better on 975-based motherboards, than they are on 965-based motherboards. Of course, if 2.8-3.0 Ghz is all you're looking for, I'm sure that DQ6 will handle that. The RAM is good, and the Seagate 7200.10 is awesome, assuming you're talking about the one that has Perpendicular Recording Tech. I love mine. It's hard to believe how much faster it is than a Seagate 200 GB non-Perpendicular drive.

BTW, none of your links are working.

edit: And, yes, for a gamer, having a sound card is very worth it. Using onboard sound can use up to 25% of your cpu's clock cycles, when gaming. A sound card will use 2-3%.