Please help me with my current setup

[Phatzilla]

BFG GeForce 8800GTS OC 550MHZ 320MB 1.6GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP DIRECTX10 Video Card


Antec Neo HE550 High Efficiency 550W ATX12V V2.2 Active PFC Power Supply


Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro LGA775 2500RPM 45CFM



Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 1.8GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail


Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB SATA2 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache NCQ Hard Drive


Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Atx LGA775 Conroe P965 DDR2 PCI-E16 3PCI-E1 3PCI SATA2 Gblan Audio Motherboard



Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower Gamer Case 900 Atx 9 Drive Bay No Ps Top USB2.0 1394 Audio


Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB 2X1GB PC5400 DDR2-667 Cl 4-4-4-12 240PIN Dual Channel Memory

this particular setup would cost me around 1050$ CAD.

Now, i MAY go with the E6420 (Which is around 90$ more expensive than the 4300, Is it worth it?)

Also, the reason im going with the ram is because i heard it can EASILY be oc'd to ~900 mhz. (Its also on sale, 70$ CAD)

Im hoping to hit 3.2 - 3.4 Ghz overclocking the CPU, and i know that would be near impossible with the e4300.

So does the extra 90$ justify the extra 300-500 overclock and 2 MB cache? Opinions on the setup in general guys?

 

[Puffnstuff]

The cpu is entirely up to you but let me make just one suggestion. Ditch the hsf and get one that has a backplate to which you attach the hsf and not the push through legs. They aren't the most secure way to mount a hsf and can and will pop out. Since the mb will already be out of the case just go ahead and do this right the first time. I won't make any recommendations but you see what I'm running and it works but it's expensive and heavy.

 

[Modelworks]

Quad core is going to be under 300.00 in just over 2 months so I wouldn't spend a bunch on a dual core now. I would make sure the motherboard will support quad core in the future.

Of course thats if quad core would be something you wanted to get.

I've used Antec products for years and been really happy with them so don't see problems there.

The same with corsair, good company.

BFG I have used once or twice in the past. I did get a card with bad memory once, but they replaced it without a hassle.

 

[Phatzilla]

someone mentioned DFI INFINITY P965-S Over the DS3, any thoughts on that?

Also the tuniq tower is what i might get as a HSF.

What about upgradability, am i safe there or would i need a total tear down in the future?

 

[Sumguy]

Actually, as for OCing the e4300, I read up on some Newegg comments and apparently they can get them to run at 3ghz+ with ease using the stock cooler and voltage. I don't know much about overclocking though. Either way, looking into it more wouldn't hurt, especially considering the price difference.