So, I *finally* made it through high school and as a graduation gift I get to build myself a custom desktop computer, all expenses paid (within reason of course. I doubt the 'rents would shell out umpteen thousand dollars =P ).

Anywho, I still don't really know what all I need to buy and what's best so that's where you guys come in Like Rax, I intend to make myself a "beast" of a computer (or at least levels higher than the computers at home).

Here's my list of what I'm thinking of buying so far:

• MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard (link)
  
• Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor (link)
  
• Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7,200RPM Serial ATA-300 Hard Drive (link)
  
  

I have no clue what to get for a graphics card or what other cards I need. And yes, I would greatly appreciate if you yell at me for for being a n00b at this ^^;

n00b you're going nowhere if that's all you're buying

What? You mean my 1337 c0mpu73r needs m0r3?

Seconded. You need some way to power that stuff, otherwise it just gathers dust.
This PCP&C model is a good one. (Never skimp on your PSU- if it goes, there's a good chance of it taking everything else with it.)

Video-wise, the GTX 275 and 4890 are both solid cards. With such things, though, it's mostly a matter of deciding how much you want to spend then seeing which card in that price range performs best.

With RAM it's mainly a case of brand loyalty. I like this Corsair set.

You'll also need a case, unless you plan to tape it all to a cardboard box. That's basically a case of your own preference, as long as you get one that doesn't have incredibly shoddy construction. Antec is always a solid brand.

N00B.

I never considered the case and RAM to be "I'z a n00b who needs help" aspects of the computer. I'm definitely eying some Antec cases and I know what RAM I'd like to get.

As for the video card, I don't really plan on doing anything graphics intensive (gaming, etc) so I probably don't need to spend upwards of $250-$300 on a card like the nVidia GTX 275 or ATI Radeon 4890. I'm looking on the Micro Center site at the nVidia GTX 260 which is only about $180 (link) and it seems like a pretty good buy. Would that be good?

Amazing processor. I've been drooling over those for months. Definitely go with it.

I haven't had much experience with MSI, but that looks like a good mobo.

I'm a complete paranoid when it comes to data storage, but I really wouldn't trust 1TB of information to a Barracuda. Besides, this is $10 cheaper and has free shipping. You can't go wrong with a Western Digital.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136317

Who HASN'T been drooling over the processor? That thing is awesome! O_O

As for the HDD, duly noted. I've used both Western Digital and Seagate drives before and both always seemed fairly reliable but in the name of paranoia I'll follow your advice (I'm paranoid about data storage as well).

The Core i7 isn't worth the increase in cost over a regular Intel Quad Core IMO.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, the money doesn't come out of my pocket so why not splurge just a little?

On another note, opinions on the Antec Sonata Elite ATX case? http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0306000 Then again, if I like it it's probably not good

New processors rarely ever seem like it's worth the cost. But remember that with the core i7, you're also paying for a newer socket which means longer upgradability life out of your motherboard.

And that case looks nice. Good cooling, too. I like it.

That's assuming that the new socket's going to be around for awhile.

With the way everyone talks about the Core i7's, it's going to.

If you enjoy watching films, it's probably worth ensuring that your monitor and video card both support HDCP and that your monitor can run at a multiple of 24Hz.

Ah, thanks for telling me that! The GTX 260 card supports HDCP so I might go with that. I'll keep the HDCP and 24Hz things in mind when I look for a monitor.

Might I recommend a dual (minimum) hard drive system, one for everything and one for backup of everything. Might I further recommend one small (<=250GB) boot drive and a raid card with 2 medium to large drives attached in a mirroring mode for a full backup of all your data kept current 24/7 (I would install all programs and keep all documents on the raid system as opposed to in C:\Program Files and C:\Documents and settings\youruser\ I think you might be able to tell windows to use a different folder for my documents and if you are using anything else than that would be even easier). A quick search on newegg revealed that there are lots of slightly slower RAID cards available cheaply and at least one fast one available (the fast one being much more expensive).

Many late-model motherboards, such as the one I have in the computer I just built, support RAID right off the bat with no external hardware or cards necessary.

Relocating special folders (Documents, Pictures, Videos etc) from one drive to another is an easy job; just cut and paste and Windows updates itself automatically.

Moving C:\Users\ onto another drive is a bit trickier; you'll need to boot off the Windows install CD, open up a command-line window, move the folder then create a hard link.

It's also easy to set a special location for My Documents, if it's an existing folder: Simply right-click on the item in the Start Menu, choose properties, and change the path shown.

This will get you a good mid-range system:

Antec Performance One P180 Silver cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $139.99

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - x2 $459.98

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor $189.99

XFX GX275XADQC GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card $185

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... $119.99

Logitech Deluxe 660 920-000492 Black USB Cordless Standard Desktop $26.99

Tuniq TX-2 Cooling Thermal Compound $4.99 (This stuff 0VV|\|z artic silver)

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C8D $166

EVGA E758-A1 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard $299.99

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 $279.99

Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler $79.99

LG Black 6X Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20L $164

Total: $2,172.88

Personally I'd go for a slower drive with more space and more cache, plus maybe a different mobo but other than that it looks like a nice setup. I also prefur ATI to nVidia but thats just personal preference.

Edit: WTF stupid Sony crap, blu-ray burners are hugly expensive, that is total BS, at least the drives with out burning capibilities aren't to bad but they're still $80 for a fricken optical drive.