Rate/Help me on my proposed build

Mammoth

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So our old computer died somehow, and seeing as it's a P4 with a 9200SE, we're not in a huge rush to fix it. So I'm in need of a PC, and I'm wondering what you guys think of this.

Motherboard: Asus P5N-D. Dunno if this is a great board, but that'll probably change.
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600. This is probably going unchanged.
RAM: 2x OCZ 4GB PC2-6400 SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 2GB). Yeah, 8GB of RAM. I'm thinking it might be overkill.
Video Card: 2x XFX GeForce 9600 GT 512MB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDTV-Out. I don't know if these in SLI will be better or worse than a pair of 8800GT's.
Hard Drive: Hitachi 1TB Deskstar 7K1000 SATA II w/ 32MB Cache. Love the Cache size.
DVD Drive: LG Super Multi Security DVD Writer 20x20x12x, SATA w/ Lightscribe, Black (OEM). Cheap, fast, and Lightscribe in case I ever use it.
Case: Lian Li PC-G50B Aluminum Mid Tower, Black. Looks nice and has a 120mm fan.
OS: Some 64-bit version of Windows for all that RAM. (Which one??)

So there we have it. Minus OS, Case, and Mobo it's less than $1200 which I think is good for 8GB of RAM, a Q6600, and 9-series in SLI.

Now the main questions:
Which version of Windows?
Is the motherboard good? (There's so many with so many different chipsets I just don't know which type are best)
What's better, 9600 GT's in SLI or 8800GT's in SLI?
Is there a better case for about the same money that looks similar?
 
But which type of Vista? Home Premium, Ultimate.. I have no clue if there's a performance difference.
 
What are you going to be doing with your PC, we can't recommend changes without knowing what it's going to be used for.
Get 1 8800 GTX
The 8800GTZ is an outdated, power hungry waste of money card now that the 8800GTS G92 has been released. It offers 8800GTX performance whilst using less power and costing a fair bit less. As for the OS, Home Premium is fine and Ultimate is a bit of waste IMO, it doesn't offer big advantages over HP and costs quite a bit more.
 
Personally I would go with a 8800 GTS like worshipme said and I would only get 4gigs (more than enough) of ram with your 64-bit OS. I also agree with worshipme on the OS. Get Home Premium, Ultimate is just a scam just like every other version of Windows. It would be nice if Microsoft would stop playing around and just made an all-in-one OS.
 
Well I'd be doing some good gaming on it. So I guess Vista Premium would do, but the question still lies, 2 9600GTs or 2 8800GTs, or an 8800GTS? (And the RAM too...)
 
Go with Trivum and try to find an 8800 GTS with the G92 core. I have heard a lot of good things about them.

You should only need one for some pretty sweet gaming.

Also, you might consider just 4 gigs of RAM, 8 gb may actually be worse and slow your system down, but if technology continues in this direction, be prepared to get the other 4 gigs in the near future.
 
GTS G92, 4GB ram. Q6600 good.

go for the G.Skill 4GB (2GBx2) dimms - theyre the best value (like $40 per 2GB dimm or something)

i'm saying this because the 8GB packs on newegg (2GBx4) go for $250, and thats like $62.50 per 2GB stick, (and unless you're an idiot, you'll realize that if u get 2 of the 4GB packs you'll have the exact same thing and save like $90).

DDR2-1066 is overrated. even if u have a 1333Mhz FSB CPU, u still dont need 1066. 1066 is overpriced and doesnt come in 2GB-per-stick flavor (yet at least). any performance boost is negligible

whatever though, if u get 4GB, dont get 4x1GB - LEAVE ROOM to upgrade. by 2010 you'll regret buying any sort of 1GB dimms. and 2GB dimms are cheap already anyway.

get a zalman cooler and up the Q66 to 3GHz. its not an excessive overclock, and not a weak overclock by any means. its just right. significant performance boost and good temps (should last ALMOST as long as standard-cllocked Q66 - as long as u use a non-stock cooler)
 
Well I'd be doing some good gaming on it. So I guess Vista Premium would do, but the question still lies, 2 9600GTs or 2 8800GTs, or an 8800GTS? (And the RAM too...)

You may have already seen on the forums that I always recommend dual cores over quads for gaming. And I have proof to back it up. Hardly any games are threaded for quads and therefore are not taken advantage of or used efficiently. Intel have released the new 45nm C2D Wolfdales. They are more power efficient. faster and cooler (temperature wise:p ) than older 65nm parts (Q6600). Here is an article about them: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/intel-wolfdale.html It includes details and benchmarks that will give you proof that something like the C2D E8400 is better for gaming. So you save money, and get better performance.
As for the GPU, If you aren't playing at a high resolution (1280x1024) then I single 8800GT 512MB or the slightly cheaper 9600GT if you want. If you're gaming at a higher res (1600x1200) then I would recommend an 8800GTS G92. If you're gaming at ultra high resolutions then dual 8800GTs/HD 3870s would be perfect. For the RAM, get 4GB of Corsair XMS2 800MHz. Get 4x1GB because:
1. I can't find a 2x2GB that's at a reasonable price and has CAS 4 timings.
2. 4x1GB is cheaper than 2x2GB.
3. By the time you need 8GB, DDR3 RAM will be the standard and you will almost definitely need to upgrade your mobo and CPU (so you'll need DDR3 RAM) I recommend two kits of this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034
 
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