need to pointed in the right direction

[nomagic]

32bit means that 2^32 addresses (or 4GB) can be referenced. However, 32-bit Windows (Vista/XP) will only recognize ~3.5GB of ram because the OS need to reserve some addresses for other things such as video memory...

For 64-bit OSes (Vista/XP), 2^64 addresses can be referenced. I don't know how many million GBs that translate to, but you don't need that much memory anyways.

There is no advantage for a gaming rig to use Ultimate. Home premium is enough.

On a side note, I believe that a non-enthusiast PC gamer should order his/her rig from Alienware or Falcon NW.

 

[nomagic]

As for the heatsink, the Intel stock heatsink is good enough, assuming that you bought that retail version and will not overclock the quad.

 

[plastic prophet]

thank you for that info.

as stated at the very start of this topic, we did not want to just buy another pre-made rig. instead this was a project to gain both skills and knowledge.

i am using a Theralright Ultra 120 heatsink as i will be overclocking the quad processor as mentioned previously.

cheers,