[dptr]

Ah, I forgot about the sound card. Like you said, Creative is the brand I would go with. Would this card work in my machine? http://www.newegg.co...N82E16829102006

And networking card, would I be able to add in both Ethernet and Wireless cards?
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16833106121
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16833315041

Would the 5870 work with that EVGA MB I picked out? I'm trying to decide between that and the 295.

For the case, I'm not planning to overclock or watercool, as the components I'll use should be more than enough. My budget is a changeable thing right now, as I'm trying to finish selecting pieces to get a general price.

Also, I'm sure there are many smaller things I'm missing (things I don't know much about). Do I need extra fans? Will all the things I listed fit into either of those cases? Do I need some type of component for USB connectors, or will they fit from the board to the case?

To everyone in this thread, thanks so much for your help so far!

Edited by dptr, 15 October 2009 - 09:11 AM.

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avoid the SSD drives for awhile...go here to read about the Testing of SSDs in a used condition...like they will be in the real world..not just benchmarking

Testing SSDs in a used condition is important because of the block rewrite penalty associated with flash memory. In an SSD, flash memory is split between 4KB pages organized into 128-page, 512KB blocks. Empty pages can be written to directly. However, occupied pages can only be written on a block-by-block basis, which involves reading the contents of the block, modifying the necessary pages, and rewriting the block as a whole. These extra steps take time, resulting in a performance penalty.

if you have the money go with the 5870 video card...the reviews are great...and here...lower power consumption and less heat..GDDR5 memory and supports DirectX 11. and ATI Eyefinity...info here...(for future proofing)...Operate up to six high-resolution displays simultaneously and independently...

to further confuse you, I would also have you consider the i860 or i870 for your cpu...reviews here...you will save over a hundred bucks on the Intel P55 socket 1156 mobo and it appears to have a better upgrade path compared to the LGA-1366 socket mobo...
just my 2 cents worth to add to the confusion...

[happyrock]

avoid the SSD drives for awhile...go here to read about the Testing of SSDs in a used condition...like they will be in the real world..not just benchmarking

Testing SSDs in a used condition is important because of the block rewrite penalty associated with flash memory. In an SSD, flash memory is split between 4KB pages organized into 128-page, 512KB blocks. Empty pages can be written to directly. However, occupied pages can only be written on a block-by-block basis, which involves reading the contents of the block, modifying the necessary pages, and rewriting the block as a whole. These extra steps take time, resulting in a performance penalty.

if you have the money go with the 5870 video card...the reviews are great...and here...lower power consumption and less heat..GDDR5 memory and supports DirectX 11. and ATI Eyefinity...info here...(for future proofing)...Operate up to six high-resolution displays simultaneously and independently...

to further confuse you, I would also have you consider the i860 or i870 for your cpu...reviews here...you will save over a hundred bucks on the Intel P55 socket 1156 mobo and it appears to have a better upgrade path compared to the LGA-1366 socket mobo...
just my 2 cents worth to add to the confusion...

[edge2022]

SSDs are worth it... they will give you a very noticeable performance increase... look here: http://www.madshrimp...cle&articID=923

The read/write speed to and from a SSD is extremely fast compared to HDDs.

If no overclocking... get a Foxconn Bloodrage or a P6T. Or as happyrock said, try an i5 processor (the i5 mobos are cheaper).
All the cards you pick will work as long as you have enough empty slots to accommodate them (most mobos will have onboard sound and LAN)
Keep in mind that the 295 and 5870 are big cards and they have dual-slot coolers.

[dptr]

I'll take a look at the i5's and see if I'd be better off getting them. But I'd really rather stick with the i7's, as they're what I've been seriously wanting.

I'll have to double check that EVGA board to make sure it has enough slots for everything. I'd hate to double up on something that didn't fit/ isn't needed.

I've decided on the larger case and probably the 850W Corsair PSU, will I need extra fans/cooling system? It comes with some fans built in, I'm not sure if they're enough.

[edge2022]

You probably won't need any additional fans unless you are overclocking... give us your final parts list.
If you don't need that powerful a motherboard, go with a P6T (very easy overclocking for beginners) or a Bloodrage.

[happyrock]

the i860 IS a i7...it just goes in a different socket mobo like this one here...they also have a 20 page review with lots of benchmarks...look at the screenshot ...the i870 spanks the i7 975...a thousand dollar processor...
the i860 and the i870 also use less power and run cooler

[edge2022]

Yea you might want to go with a socket 1156 i7. That is the best bang for your buck now.
I also really like that ASUS board in the review that happyrock linked to.
The i870 will stand against the crazy extreme edition i975 (I think the reason Intel charges so much is b/c of the unlocked CPU multiplier) and in some cases out perform it when overclocked.