Core 2 Duo Build/ Input Wanted Please

[Smititty]

Hey guys. I know there are a crapload of Core 2 Duo build threads popping up everyday but I just want to make sure my hard earned money is going into worthy components. I'm currently on an Athlon XP 2100 with an ATI 9500 Pro with a gig of Kingston ram. My upgrade plan was to go to Core 2 Duo with a mediocre vid card until DX10 comes out. Now I'm reading that DX10 won't matter for some time now so I might beef up the new vid card now instead of later. My current computer's system drive took a dive so now I'm on my mom's laptop so I figured an upgrade is def. needed.

Parts planning to buy:

Case: Antec P180B
Proc: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
Mobo: Gigabyte DS3
RAM: 2gigs of either Crucial Ballistix @ ZZF or Corsair or the slower Patriot ram that is getting a lot of praise.
Vid: EVGA 7900 GT KO or 7900 GS or 7600 GT
HDD: maybe a 74 gig Raptor
PSU: Antec TP2 550W

Parts already in my arsenal:

Antec Sonata/PSU
Nec 3500A DVD burner / Lite-On cd burner
2x250gig WD SATA2 drives
X-Fi sound card.
Dell 2007WFP
Older Logitech 5.1 speakers that can still crank
Old Logitech MX Keyboard/Mouse combo


I'm pretty sure my planned components are worthy but am seeking some input, especially on the RAM. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the 7900 GT for the vid card. If I'm missing anything let me know.

Thanks in advance,
Smitty

 

[BenjaminDuncan]

Case: Antec P180B - the P180 was my primary system case since when it was released and when I recently replaced my system. It's a really nice case, fairly roomy. I like that the PSU is separated, but longer PSUs might not work with the lower chamber fan installed (though you might be able to get away with mounting the fan on the reverse side of the fan) or not at all if it's longer than the metal fan mounting. My PC Power and Cooling 510w Deluxe barely fits and I really had to yank and secure the PSU cabling running to the mobo chamber to keep things from making contact with the fan blades. The GPU duct is, in my opinion, worthless as designed. The separating door between the lower and upper chambers is also flimsier than I would like and the locking screw mounts are prone to stripping after a few rebuilds.

Proc: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 - Lovely.

Mobo: Gigabyte DS3 - No personal experience, but I've heard good things.

RAM: 2gigs of either Crucial Ballistix @ ZZF or Corsair or the slower Patriot ram that is getting a lot of praise - I'm a big Corsair fan with Crucial's high end stuff coming in somewhere second or third in the list.

Vid: EVGA 7900 GT KO or 7900 GS or 7600 GT
HDD: maybe a 74 gig Raptor - I love the Raptor drives. I have two 36GB first gen Raptors and 2 of the new 150GB Raptors. They're very nice and stable drives.

PSU: Antec TP2 550W

Looks like a great build. Enjoy!

-Ben