A couple things right off the bat:
Processor: No need to get the Q9650, the Q9550 OCs like a dream, has the same cache, and is $200 cheaper. I have mine humming along nicely at 3.4ghz, 27ºC idle and 55ºC under load, at 1.275V (within official Intel stock voltage), passes Prime95 and Intel Burn Test however many cycles you like. The ceiling for OC is much, much higher, because this thing can take a lot more voltage than that safely and runs very, very cool. People have easily got this thing up to 3.8-4.0ghz. My plan is to keep it at 3.4ghz because I need 100% stability, and it tickles me to get a 600mhz overclock at stock voltage and such cool temperatures on air
Storage: Your hard drive is kind of a funny choice, did you mean to go with an IDE drive? I'd recommend the WD 640GB, it's incredibly fast. Not as big as that drive, but the performance is amazing and it's SATA. I use two of them and another one in an external enclosure, and I have never had a HDD that performs this well, it's amazing. Plus, seems like people are having problems with that Seagate that you picked, too.
Motherboard: That looks like a nice motherboard, but you could save $50 by going with the motherboard I picked, an Asus P5Q-E. It's got good overclocking features, is stable and gets a decent stream of BIOS updates. I had some RAM compatibility issues before (with RAM that was not on the QVL), but I'm using 8GB (all four slots filled), and I think in retrospect I was undervolting the RAM I was using so that probably had everything to do with it. I replaced it with some RAM that is on the QVL, Geil DDR2 1066 5/5/5/15, which is rated at 2.2-2.4V, and it's getting along just fine at 2.2V with the full 8GB. It seems like a high quality motherboard, and it could save you some cash. Like I said, I'm OC'ing with it just fine. If it is missing some features that yours has and you really need, then disregard this.
Graphics card: I have the same video card. Here's how I reviewed it for NewEgg's reviews thing. I couldn't say "nVidia GeForce 280GTX" because of the silly rules, so I said "the other maker's card" or something to that effect instead. But I mean the 280GTX. I'd like to preface the review by noting that the graphical performance is beyond unreal. It is the most amazing, immersing, detailed, flawlessly powerful graphics card I've ever used. I have no complaints about it in its intended function. My concerns are a bit more abstract, as you will read.
Pros
* This is the fastest single-slot card you can purchase today, faster than the other maker's best in most settings.
* Cheaper than two of its component GPUs in Crossfire
* 2GB of GDDR5 means that you will always, under any circumstance, have sufficient VRAM for your resolution and AA/AF preferences.
* Excellent video quality in every application, from games to Blu-Ray DVDs, and HD features are great (including audio passthrough).
* Does not suffer from the odd fan speed issue of the regular 4870s - the fans on this beast keep it below 50ºC idle, and I've never seen it get above 65-67ºC at load.
* Good driver support in general means that you can actually take advantage of the dual GPUs in nearly every game
* Official software suite is nice - Catalyst Control Center does everything from custom application settings, to global driver-forced 3D settings, to video color correction, to thorough overclocking configuration. Hydravision is an excellent multiple monitor utility, too.
Cons:
* High price premium
* Though it is better than the other top card, the difference is in some cases remarkably small or nonexistent, and in any event isn't going to be apparent in any but the most demanding conditions - 1600x1200 and above resolutions with plenty of AA and AF and all gaming options to the max. And some games run better on the other (not most, but some).
* Does not always beat two individual 4870s in Crossfire.
* Mammoth and extremely power-hungry, though that's par for the course in high-end graphics cards.
* The dual-GPU means that until drivers are released to support a hot new game, it will only run on one of the GPUs, reducing your monster card to the (still formidable, but not what you bought) regular 4870. The single-GPU other top card has its performance on release day.
Other Thoughts: It is probably apparent from my review that I am not 100% convinced I made the right choice in getting this card. That isn't to say that I'm not totally thrilled with its performance. In fact, its been an amazing card, and has played everything I've thrown at it with literally zero graphical hiccups. The image quality is beautiful, its AA modes are great and allow you to carefully pinpoint where you want your visual quality to be. It is beastly powerful.
But the "other" is cheaper, now, and is a single-GPU solution that will have 100% of its performance on the day of a game's release or if the game isn't SLI/Xfire friendly.
This is the best, but is it the best value? Is it the best technology? It's almost a brute-force approach, doubling the power by adding another core instead of making a new architecture. But then, ATI designed it that way, and it lets them dominate the market at all levels, one way or another... for this product cycle.
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The NewEgg review format's space limitations meant that I had to pick my pros and cons pretty carefully to get what I felt were the important ones. If I had the space, I would have added the concern that 2GB of VRAM is really a bit absurd. I haven't done the math, but when are you going to play at a resolution where 2GB of VRAM is helpful? Benchmarks show literally no benefit to this larger VRAM number over two 4870s in Crossfire, which have a total of 1GB of VRAM between them. There is NO benefit at all, even at the highest resolutions with AA/AF. Add to that my current problem - if you're dual-booting XP or another 32-bit OS, the 2GB of VRAM becomes a real problem since it reduces you to 1 gig, 1.5 at the most, of system RAM used for your programs.
Another thing - the Drivers situation seems to be fine, really, with ATI having released another driver update just last week. I don't know how much of an issue that is, practically, but it is a concern of mine.
