First time builder - suggestions welcome

[DoubleDipper]

It seems like this is the correct section for me to ask help on the components of my build.
Max I want to spend is $1500.
I will be using this computer primarily for school work, but I also want to be able to play current and future games that will come out. Oh, and also movies! Programs I will use include: Photoshop, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Autodesk Inventor, ACD/ChemSketch, MATLAB, Mathematica, and, of course, Microsoft Office.
I would highly prefer to have dual monitors.

Here is what I have come up with:
MOTHERBOARD:
ASUS M4A78T-E AM3 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366
$124.99

PROCESSOR:
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103675
$179.00

VIDEO CARD:
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801
$159.99

POWER SUPPLY:
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified
Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
$119.99

MEMORY:
mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996601 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777
$112.99

HARD DRIVE:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
$74.99

CPU COOLER:
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835207004
$24.99

THERMAL GREASE:
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186020
$7.99

CASE:
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021
$107.99

OPTICAL DRIVE:
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X
CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175
$25.99

MONITOR:
Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009145
$139.99

KEYBOARD:
Logitech Deluxe 250 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Standard Keyboard - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126013
$9.49

MOUSE:
Logitech G5 7 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB Wired Laser 2000 dpi Mouse - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104076
$26.99

SPEAKERS:
Creative Inspire T3100 2.1 2-way Speakers - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836116024
$49.99

Without the OS, this configuration with dual monitors will be $1416.37 (I have listed prices with rebates). I plan on getting Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit.

Any suggestions/comments? Is everything compatable with one another?
I am fairly new at this, so I welcome all suggestions.

 

[Flameethrower]

Keep looking.

You can build a AMD Phenom II 955 for that price. the Q6600 is old now.

Look at the sappahire hd4870 1gb. its now 159.99

i have a build im going to be doing and it comes out to lil over 1 grand with the Phenom II,2 hd4870s,1tb,case,mobo,ram. I like AMD simply becasue it performs better with games. I recommend INtel for multitasking.

 

[GrimX9]

I'd also get the WD caviar black 640gb, its 15 dollars more and faster.

 

[Bobnova]

I would go with an amd 955 over the q6600, and a sunbeam CCF over the zalman.
The ram you listed is DDR3, your mobo is DDR2, so that won't work.
If you go for AMD 955 AM3 then you can use DDR3, but you'll want two dimms not three. The only triple channel setup in existence at the moment is the core i7. Everything else is dual channel (so pairs of dimms instead of triplets).

Alternatively, for $1500 you can probably get yourself a core i7 setup, which beats anything else going right now.

 

[DoubleDipper]

Thanks for the suggestions; I will look into them.

I failed to mention that I will not be purchasing until September. Is there anything that's going to come out soon that will be a better choice for the money than what I have and the suggestions above?

 

[ou_phidelt]

I am also going to have to suggest a PII over the 775 set-up.

I failed to mention that I will not be purchasing until September. Is there anything that's going to come out soon that will be a better choice for the money than what I have and the suggestions above?

The intel i5 chips are due out to be soon but am not sure if its going to be in that time frame.

 

[DoubleDipper]

I have updated the configuration with the suggestions above. I have looked at i7, but I think it will be unnecessary for my purposes, plus the setup might cost a little more. If the prices drop in the coming months, I will consider it but for now I think I'll stick to the amd 955.
How much can the amd 955 be OCed safely?
Would you guys suggest I do 2 of 2x4g (8gb total) of ddr2 instead of 3x2gb of ddr3? I realize I will need to seek an alternative motherboard for this.

 

[Flameethrower]

the 955 will his 4ghz+ on air if done right. 8 gbs ram is fine for years to come. But with the 955 just go all out and get the ddr3 ram. itll still be under the 1500 your looking for if you go with amd.

 

[Bobnova]

Go AM3 and get the DDR3, but only two (or four) sticks.
Three stick packs are for Core i7 only, everything else uses 2 or 4.

 

[DoubleDipper]

Ah, I thought I changed that. I added 2x mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB)

 

[Ahgemon]

consider this

before you get the mother board and processor check this out

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo.../promotions.newegg.com/AMD/073009/118x118.gif

combo deal is only 238.99 the processor is the 945, not the 955 you picked, the mother board in the combo deal supports crossfire, and trust me your going to want it, down the road get a second 4890 card and let it rip, the 945 will almost run as fast as the 955, I bet you won't notice a difference, and if you use crossfire later, it is a better way to go.

41 bucks you'll save and have crossfire capability, and if you want later get the 955 chip in a year or 2 when its much cheaper.

just food for thought

 

[ou_phidelt]

before you get the mother board and processor check this out

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Combo.../promotions.newegg.com/AMD/073009/118x118.gif

combo deal is only 238.99 the processor is the 945, not the 955 you picked, the mother board in the combo deal supports crossfire, and trust me your going to want it, down the road get a second 4890 card and let it rip, the 945 will almost run as fast as the 955, I bet you won't notice a difference, and if you use crossfire later, it is a better way to go.

41 bucks you'll save and have crossfire capability, and if you want later get the 955 chip in a year or 2 when its much cheaper.

just food for thought

I am going to agree with this statement. Get a better motherboard with the 790 chipset. It is going to OC much better, much easier. If you want to OC you need to put some money into the MB, it is the backbone of your system.

 

[DoubleDipper]

Ahgemon, thank you for your suggestion. How long do these combo deals last usually? I don't plan on purchasing for another 2-3 months.
Also, I was wondering, is there a notable difference between the 4870 and 4890? There is a $40 difference, would it be beneficial?

 

[GT3mich]

All these prices will be different in 2 or 3 months so its kind of pointless to spec out a pc now unless you're going to buy parts now. Take the 2 monitors you chose. At $139.99 that is the best price I've seen them go for. I bought mine last Christmas for $159 with free shipping and thought it was a good deal. I would buy them today and leave them in the box. Take the case for instance. The 900 @ $107 will cost 22.76 to ship. I would buy that when it has free shipping or even goes on sale. The 900 II is on sale @ Microcenter this month for 111.99 btw. And Windows 7 comes out in early October so I'm not sure I would get Vista in September.

 

[DoubleDipper]

GT3mich, thank you for your advice. I realize that prices will differ, but right now I just wanted to know approximately how much I need to save up. How long does price protection last? If I get the monitors and they don't lower the price for another month, would it be possible to get the difference? I never thought about the free shipping that is sometimes offered, so I'll keep a lookout for that Also, I have thought about waiting until Windows 7 comes out.

 

[GT3mich]

I don't think Newegg has price protection.

 

[DoubleDipper]

Sine I'm hoping that the computer will last me for at least 3 years with minimal upgrading, will this mobo be a better choice for future upgrading: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131361 over http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131366