Maximum PC

Recently had my entire computer stolen, so I am looking to build a new one in the coming weeks. Only thing I have left is my old CRT 20 inch NEC monitor. So i need new everything else. Going to be mostly for games, but I dont need super fast video cards or CPU. One area I will NOT have is onboard sound. (Im like the Max PC Editiors "The day I use onboard sound, is the day you pry my sound card out of my cold dead hands" ) I am also partial to Asus for motherboards, but will accept other soultions.

For starters, is it worth building an I7 or Phenom II now, or should i wait and just build a Core 2 Quad or Phenom Quad?

So far, this is what i was thinking
Please note, all prices are from Newegg.ca

CPU Intel I7 from 920 $359.99
Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R $248.49
RAM CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Video Card SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit
Hard Drives: Couple of Big Hard drives, was thinking Western Digital 500 gb for main, and 1 TB for Data
Sound Card: HT OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels PCI Interface

Cant decide on a case yet. Power Supply is picked and bought Already. Its an Antec True Power Trio 750W Burner will be an LG DVD burner, Blue Ray ones are too expensive still.

Any changes, Ideas, or input would be very helpful.

Thoughts....

1. Fantastic spec, nice to see homework being done!
2. What is your budget for a case? Are you seeking window, LEDs and bling or grown-up understated excellence?
3. Go with a 320 or 640gb boot hdd, then your 1tb or 1.5tb for storage.
4. You don't need 750w, but that ship has sailed!

Case wise. Really dont care for case window or lots of bling. Had a Antec Solo. Really loved the case, save for it was just a little too small for the bigger video cards. Really looking at something classy, clean, but not too big. Just need enough for a burner, front panel fan/led controller (possibly), and a the stated couple of hard drives. Really dont want an Antec P180 or anything in that range, built in a few of them. wiring is a pain in the butt.

Any Ideas on how big the Cooler Master Cosmos is in real like, only seen pics of it, looks big, but is it as big as the Thermaltake Armor? Dont plan on going to Lan Parties or anything like that, so size isnt too much of an issue, but I dont want a tank either. Kinda like the COOLER MASTER Centurion Any Thoughts?

All depends on how much you want to spend and your long range intentions for the case. Some fantastic performance-to-price cases are:

#1 RC-330 @ $40
#2 RC-690 @ $80 shipped
#3 Tempest @ $95
#4 HAF @ $142
#5 Cosmos @ $165
#6 Silverstone FT01 @ $207
#7 ATCS-840 @ $216

The Cosmos is a fantastic case, here's more. Go visit your local MicroCenter and fondle all the cases to your hearts content...until you find one that speaks to you.

Think I have made up my mind. Going with the Cooler Master 690

Also, dont live in U.S, Live in Canada (hence the Newegg.ca prices). Couple of local shops where I live that I 100% trust. So certain parts might change

Oh hey you're in Edmonton.. I have a friend that lives out in Stony Plain.

About your question of the Corei7 and Phenom 2. They are not on the same level on the performance tree. The Phenom II 3.0 GHZ Black is equivelent (a little better) than a Q6600, or Q8300. It all depends on what is cheaper. Also, if you are going for an all AMD (Dragon class) I think that they are soppused to offload some worloads from an AMD cpu to an AMD GPU.

Terdog, I know exactly what you mean about the Solo. I've got one my self. It's a great case, but it is a bit small. My HD4870 looks huge in it!

The Centurion isn't a bad case, but it's not much bigger than the Solo. I had one before I bought the Solo. It also had cooling issues. 80mm up front is a bit loud too.

Honestly, for the size you're looking for, I second Klien's recommendation of the RC-690, but don't overlook cases like the Antec 300, or possibly the Lian-Li PC-7B. All awesome cases.

I know you said you didn't like the P180, but many of the cable management issues were fixed very well with the P182. Was that your only dig against the P180 case?

No, My other knock against the Antec P180 was that it was a beast (in other words heavy). I really didnt look at the P182 much, ill take a second look at it.

the AMD Phenom II X940 is faster than the Q9400, but is slower than the Q9550

In case you are all wondering, this is what i had before.

CPU: Intel Q6600
Motherboard: Asus P5B-E
Ram: 2GB Crucial Ballistx DDR 1066
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon 3850 256 MB
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-FI Gamer Edition (with CD-bay front panel)
Hard Drive #1: Western Digital 500 GB SATA - Windows
Hard Drive #2: Western Digital 250 GB SATA - Music and Video
DVD / CD Burner: LG GSA-H62L SATA
Monitor: LG 194WTX
Case & Power Supply: Antec Solo and Truepower Trio 650W
Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech G15 Keyboard (v2) and G7 Wireless Mouse
Speakers & Headset Altec Lansing Series 100 Speakers and Logitech Digital Precision Gaming Headset