Upgradable computer for college

[Card11]

Hi, I'm heading off to college in the fall and I'm planning to build my first computer this summer, which will hopefully get me through all 4 years. It will be used for a little gaming and maybe CAD/design programs (I'm studying engineering). I've read many of the critique-my-build threads, and I'm using most of the same parts that show up often. I'm interested in suggestions you have for the parts, but mostly I want to make sure that my system will be future-proof (or as much as is possible). I don't mean absolute top-of-the-line - I'm planning on some upgrades (memory, GPU, etc.) - but let me know if I'm going to use something that will cause upgrade/compatibility issues later on.

Overclocking? Not right now, but it would be nice to have the option
Budget - up to $1500

CPU - Q6600 - $266 (after price drop). I'm thinking that the 4 cores will be useful in a couple years, even if they don't help much now.

CPU Cooler - I'll be doing light overclocking at most; is there anything easier to manage and smaller than something like the 6" Tuniqs? Since it's my first system, I'd rather not deal with a monstrous, heavy cooler if I can avoid it. Suggestions for something light, easy to install?

Mobo - Not sure...I think one that supports DDR3 will be good in the future. I'm not planning on SLI, but I've heard that it would be nice to have an SLI board because of the extra PCI-E slot...thoughts on these two points, and suggestions?

Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R?

GPU - EVGA 8800GTS 320MB - $260 - Link

PSU - Corsair 520HX 520W - $90 - Link Looking for other suggestions here too.

RAM - 2GB of DDR2 800 (whatever is on sale when I buy it) ~$90

HD - 2x Seagate 7200.10 320GB - $160 (2 x $80) - Link

Monitor - Already have one

Case - Not sure...looking for a solid case, not too flashy. I've been thinking about the Antec P180 and the Cooler Master Centurion 5. Because of the P180's design, I've heard long power cables are needed on the PSU. Does the 620HX have these, or should I go with another PSU?

Thanks in advance for all your advice.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

good choice on the CPU, psu, hdd's. and anything ram (ddr2800 can be had for $75...?)
a nice, easy to install, and great cooling btw is the Zalman 9700.
go for the Antec P182 or a nice elegant Lian-Li for your high end system.

what monitor do u have? any comments on your video card requires u telling us what resolution you'll be gaming at.

 

[Ika]

You don't really need the 620W PSU, a 520 will be fine. After rebate, it looks to be a $40 savings...

As for the CPU cooler, may I suggest the Scythe Mine? It's still a tower-type design of cooler, so it's pretty tall, but it 1) looks nice, 2) isn't very expensive ($30 bucks easy), 3) is only about 600g after fan and all (maybe less), and 4) is relatively quiet.

as a side note... WHOA, buy.com has low prices on that PSU. NewEgg has it for $115 AR... thanks for the link.

 

[Card11]

LOUIS: My monitor is a Samsung SyncMaster 914v - a 19" LCD. Thanks for the tip about the Zalman 9700. Any thoughts on my concern about the PSU wires on the P180/182?

Aflac: Ok, I'll switch to the 520W, and I'll check out the Scythe Mine.

Still looking for mobo recommendations, and maybe a couple more cases too, if you've got any. Thanks!

 

[LOUISSSSS]

should be fine, a lot of people have problems hiding the cables in the p180/p182, but theres not much u can do there, the corsair PSU is already a pretty good PSU. i think the 9700 will do a better job than a MINE, even a 9500 will. Scythe makes good coolers nonetheless, -Scythe Ninja user

what are your requirements for case's?
door, no door
window or no window
mini,mid,full tower
how many hdd's will u prob add in
do u use 3.5 external drives
aluminum ok with u?
cooling preference, silence preference or balance?
etc

just off the top of my head

lian li v1000b plus http://www.performance-pcs.com...h=104&products_id=4260
lian li v1100b plus http://www.performance-pcs.com...h=104&products_id=4262
lian li z16b http://www.performance-pcs.com...=104&products_id=21171
silverstone tj07 http://www.performance-pcs.com...h=334&products_id=3941

 

[Card11]

Those cases look good; I'll pick between them and the P180.

Any advice on the mobo? I keep seeing the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R recommended in this forum, and it supports DDR3...would that be a good future-proof board (see first post)?

 

[Roguestar]

The P35C-DS3R is a great choice of board if you want to be able to upgrade to DDR3, but personally I'd go for the P35-DS3R vanilla for DDR2 only because by the time you're buying DDR3 you'd likely have at least 2GB of DDR2 you'd have to throw out. If you're not going to SLI (read: not going to waste your $$$) then you don't need the other PCI-Express x16 slot.