Looking to upgrade. Need some advice

[THams]

Hey guys. I'm looking to upgrade my current rig (Athlon 64 X2 3800+, 2GB Corsair XMS DDR400, BFG 7800 GT OC) for about $600 or so and build a mid-range system that will last me a couple years and that I can possibly overclock a little bit. This is mostly going to be a gaming rig so I don't see the need for a quad core cpu.

So far, I've come up with the following:
E8400
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L
OCZ Platinum Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 1000 x 2 (8GB total)
ASUS 4850
Vista Ultimate

Cost wise:
CPU/Mobo Combo Deal - $239.98
RAM - $62.99 x 2 = 125.98
Video Card - $152.99
Vista - $64.95
Total - $583.90

Couple concerns and questions. What would you guys recommend for CPU heatsink? I heard that the northbridge on the EP35-DS3L can get a little hot. I've also heard that the 4850s tend to run a little hot too. How viable is this setup for some mild overclocking? How viable is this setup longevity wise? Anyone running something similar, what has your experience with this build been like? Any pros or cons, suggestions, alternative part recommendations, etc. that you guys can give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Dangman]

That MS deal is for Office 2007, not Microsoft Vista Ultimate, for $60. So you'll have to go somewhere else for Vista:
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 OEM - $80

Second, don't count the rebates just yet. The rebates could be rejected, lost, or outright ignored in the two to 12 months you're waiting for them.

Third, what PSU do you have?

Also, do you have a Microcenter nearby?

 

[ElektroDragon]

I notice a terrible mistake in your config. Do NOT buy a P35 chipset if you plan to ever Crossfire, or even a P45. Instead you must get an X38 or X48 board. The P series can only do x8 PCI-E with Crossfire! The X series will get you full x16 Crossfire bandwith.

 

[THams]

That MS deal is for Office 2007, not Microsoft Vista Ultimate, for $60. So you'll have to go somewhere else for Vista:
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 OEM - $80

If you click "Additional Products" on the MS deal site, it says Vista Ultimate Upgrade $64.95, available Sept. 8th.

Second, don't count the rebates just yet. The rebates could be rejected, lost, or outright ignored in the two to 12 months you're waiting for them.

I know rebates can be iffy sometimes but, I've never really had a problem so I'm ok taking my chances.

Third, what PSU do you have?

I have a Seasonic S12 650W.

Also, do you have a Microcenter nearby?

Unfortunately, no. I'm stuck in the middle of the desert, i.e. Phoenix.

I notice a terrible mistake in your config. Do NOT buy a P35 chipset if you plan to ever Crossfire, or even a P45. Instead you must get an X38 or X48 board. The P series can only do x8 PCI-E with Crossfire! The X series will get you full x16 Crossfire bandwith.

I wasn't really planning on doing Crossfire but, if I were to, which X38 or X48 mobo would you recommend? (Best bang for the buck. Not a $200 one, I hope)

 

[HardwareGuru]

For X38 chipset - DFI LANPARTY DK X38 for $180.

 

[Dangman]

I notice a terrible mistake in your config. Do NOT buy a P35 chipset if you plan to ever Crossfire, or even a P45. Instead you must get an X38 or X48 board. The P series can only do x8 PCI-E with Crossfire! The X series will get you full x16 Crossfire bandwith.

I wasn't really planning on doing Crossfire but, if I were to, which X38 or X48 mobo would you recommend? (Not a $200 one, I hope)

Don't worry about CF bandwidth. At high resolutions, there is very little difference between x8/x8 CF and x16/x16 Crossfire. Read this article for more info:
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=761&p=0

Whatever performance increase (a mere 1 to 2FPS) you see can be chalked to chipset improvements.

However, X38 and X48 motherboards are expensive. Cheapest but still decent X38 motherboard would be this:
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180

If you click "Additional Products" on the MS deal site, it says Vista Ultimate Upgrade $64.95, available Sept. 8th.

Ahh. I stand corrected.

 

[THams]

Don't worry about CF bandwidth. At high resolutions, there is very little difference between x8/x8 CF and x16/x16 Crossfire. Read this article for more info:
http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=761&p=0

Whatever performance increase (a mere 1 to 2FPS) you see can be chalked to chipset improvements.

Yeah, after reading that article, I'll stay with the P35. If I do decide to go Crossfire, the money I save by buying the P35 instead of a X38 or X48 will take a nice chunk out of the cost of another 4850 and the improvement will still be pretty good.