Please help slim down my $1000 build

[asdftt123]

PLEASE when POST threads asking for input on system builds tell us...

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming, schooling, multimedia

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread $1000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. USA

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture. None.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. 22" Apple Cinema, Keyboard, and Mouse

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads. Yes

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Run at default speeds but may OC later

8. WHEN do you plan to build it? Within a few weeks

I'm considering purchasing a new build ($1000 budget) and here is what I have thus far:

CASE: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
MOBO: ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
VIDEO CARD: SAPPHIRE 100243-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
PSU: Antec earthwatts EA500 500W ATX12V v2.0 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 - Retail
RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail
HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
OPTICAL: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model iHAS120-04 - OEM

Total price is w/o shipping or Windows Vista on Newegg is $984.92. I'd like to slim this down as much as possible without sacrificing much on performance (would like to keep a 1GB HD 4870 and E8500 if possible). I'm also not sure about my choice of motherboard and case. Any advice would be appreciated...thanks!

 

[Roguestar]

Save some on the motherboard by picking the Gigabyte EP35-DS3L.

Change the RAM for G.Skill DDR2-800, it's $79.99 at the moment IIRC. You'll not be even using all of your DDR2-1066 unless you've overclocking really high. Stick with DDR2-800.

 

[jae]

Also, get the e8400 instead. It can achieve the speed of the e8500 with just a little overclocking.

 

[Roguestar]

You may well be right. Infact, I'd probably recommend the E8500 if you were specifically set on overclocking, ironically. The E8500 is only $20 more and you're more likely to get an E0 stepping CPU, which combined with the higher multiplier is a benefit if you're interested in overclocking.

 

[nitromullet]

Consider this case instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129024

It comes with the same power supply you are looking at, and will save you about $20 between the lower price and shipping.

Two further pieces of advice:

1) Shop around. Most of the parts you listed are available at zipzoomfly.com also, and every one that I found is cheaper there than Newegg. I love newegg, but they aren't always the best deal. Definitely consider ordering parts from multiple etailers too. You don't really get any benefit from ordering your entire build from Newegg over getting the parts from multiple stores (except maybe a little convenience).
2) Include shipping on your estimates. On a full system build the shipping will be significant, and it might just swing your choice between different components and/or etailers.