All done my build, using it now, as a matter of course...
Motherboard: Gigabyte EP43-UD3L
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Q8200 2.33Ghz Quad Core
GPU: Nvidia GeForce 9800GT 512MB
Sound: Creative X-FI XtremeGamer PCI
PSU: Corsair tx750w
RAM: 8GB Corsair XMS-2 (4*2GB)
HD: 750 GB SATA Seagate Barracuda
Optical: LG Super-Multi DVD-RW+- DL w/ Lightscribe
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate x64
runs excellently. I had problems getting it booted originally... tried for 5 minutes. thought I fried it. Then I looked over... and saw that I had forgotten the RAM!
... once I got that in booted up straight away
I'd like to thank Calum who was a great help in putting this together... he's on vacation now but he'll be back eventually
saved me a bundle and I got more for my money then I would have.
temps: I'm not overclocking... and it idles around 40-50c, which is a bit hot; it doesn't break 70 under load.. (best I can do right now for load is Doom 3; on high quality. runs great, now I can play the game for the first time
) As far as the temps go, I'm in the middle of a heat wave (averaging 30 celsius... it was actually 40 degrees in my room this morning) so I have a feeling that is a large contributor to the slightly high temps. The case actually had two 120mm fans included, so as far as internal case airflow I believe things are quite good; as I speak the air coming from the side exhaust feels cool, the CPU is hovering in the mid-50's (which makes me think perhaps I should reapply the thermal one of these days) and the GPU is 69 (but this card runs hot anyway, I hear)
All in all a successful and very satisfying build; planned upgrades:
I have a lot of boring panels on the front. I'm going to fill those up, probably with a media card reader. Also, I'm probably going to replace the X-fi (if only so I can put it back into my previous desktop) with a PCI-E Fatality when funds permit; opting for the one with the breakout box will fill another panel. (I hate boring panels. they must be noisy with various connectors, regardless of how redundant they might be. I'm just that way)
No floppy drive.... not that I have a shortage, but rather because all the floppies I have have biege bezels... the one I do have that has a black bezel is in a 5 1/4 rail and has had the 720K/1.44MB hole detector diode replaced with a switch(apparently doing so you could buy 720K disks and easily format them to 1.44MB with no ill effects)... this works fine but in this case the switch has been places as part of the larger floppy drive assembly... and while that would certainly match with the case and allow me to use up a front panel (why am I obsessed with not having empty space...) at the same time I was too lazy to look for my other FDD cable that included the "slot" connector it required. I could have removed the small pin/slot connector adapter included as part of the 5-1/4 assembly but I'm too lazy to do that as well. perhaps another time.
Also I cannot find the drive. That was probably the deciding factor.