 | Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad-Core Processor, 2.40 GHz, 8M L2 Cache, LGA 775
Buy new: $175.99 / Used from: $164.99 Amazon is only shipping the G0 stepping version of this great CPU... the G0 has lower power consumption thus allowing the CPU to run cooler with more room for overclocking.
And yes, this is a great overclocker. Google it and you'll see some people take the CPU from 2.4GHz (9x266MHz) to 3.0GHz (9x333MHz) on stock HSF without compromising stability... thats a 25% gain on bus and CPU speeds :)
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 | VisionTek Radeon HD4870 512MB GDDR5 PCI Express Video Card
Buy new: $249.19 / Used from: $250.00 My last three video cards have been NVIDIA and I currently own an 8800GT but Ive seen reviews that show that AMD's back in business in the $200-$300 market with the HD 4850 and HD 4870. Im not making this out, you can check the numbers here: http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341
So, if I were to buy a video card today, Id go for any of these two, the HD 4870 being the coolest one.
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 | MSI P35 Neo2-FR Intel P35 Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1333MHz PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 ATX Motherboard
This MB allows some of Intel's 45nm that run with FSB of 1333MHz and it supports DDR2 memory which is cheaper than DDR3. It has nice overclocking controls, more than youd probably need.
If you have Crossfire in mind, this board supports it and the ICH9R gives you AHCI support even in WXP (if you know the trick). If Crossfire isn't for you, then consider the MSI P45 Neo3 which costs the same.
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 | Corsair DHX 4 GB (2 X 2 GB) 240-pin DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit
Buy new: $73.99 / Used from: $90.00 I've used Corsair for some time now and I haven't had any problems so far... they're reliable and stable. This one is a 4GB kit with low latencies (4-4-4-12) and nice heatsinks to keep them cool.
If you decide to overclock, this memory have plenty of room and speed. DDR2-800 would allow the Q6600 to go as far as 3.6GHz before giving you headaches. You can also go for the TWIN2X4096-6400C5.
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 | Seagate ST3500641AS-RK Barracuda 7200.9 500GB SATA NCQ Internal Hard Drive
Buy new: $84.99 / Used from: $64.99 What I like from Seagate hard disks, besides reliability, is the 5 year warranty they offer with almost all disks. This one has 500GB, SATA2 and NCQ which improves speed and latencies if the mobo's chipset supports it.
You can also go for the WD WD5000AAKS which is almost the same as this one and is currently $30 cheaper but comes with a 3 year warranty.
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 | Antec Three Hundred Gaming Case External 3 X 5.25; Internal 6 X 3.5 2*Usb2.0
Buy new: $53.24 / Used from: $66.68 I own the Nine Hundred but this one costs half as much and it's a little bit smaller... it comes with two 3-speed fans, one 120mm rear mounted and the other is a 140mm top mounted. Boths allow to extract hot air from the CPU's HSF.
Three more 120mm fans can be mounted... one in the side, and two in the front with removable and washable air filters that reduce the dust that enters the case.
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 | Coolmax 14042 500W ATA Power Supply
Buy new: $57.25 / Used from: $65.04 I haven't tried Coolmax products myself but they seem to be nice and this PSU comes with a more than adequate wattage for a C2Q PC with one HDD and no multi GPU in mind (Crossfire or SLI). There should be enough juice for a little OCing as well.
It comes with SATA connectors, short circuit protection on all outputs and also an overvoltage protecion. Good price/quality I think.
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 | Lite-On SATA 20x Super All Write LightScribe Internal DVD/Dual Layer RW Drive (LH20A1L06)
Buy new: $37.99 A nice and popular double layer DVD burner... you can't go wrong with this one and it comes with LightScribe support in case you feel like using it. Uses SATA connection so you don't need to install IDE cables in the case.
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 | Noctua NH-U12P CPU Cooler
Buy new: $137.99 (Optional) Intel's HSF is really good for stock speeds or some initial overclocking... but if you want to get serious about it go for this unit.
You could take the Q6600 all the way to 3.6GHz (+50%) while keeping things cool. Check the numbers for yourself here: http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3357&p=6
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 | Noctua NF-P12 Vortex Control 120mm Quiet Computer Fan
Buy new: $53.99 (Optional) This fans is a great addition to the Noctua NH-U12P... you get to put Noctua's fans in a push-pull configuration which obviously is going to cool things a little bit more. The difference of using (or not) the push pull configuration are some 3° or 4° Celcius... check it out: http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3357&p=6
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