I'm gradually narrowing things down.
Here's an update to the list...
If anybody could chime in on sections that include more than one version of the similar-type component, I'd be grateful.
"Version 1.5" of my list:
CPU:
"AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 140W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103285
($169.00)
or
"AMD Phenom 9950 2.6GHz Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Black Edition Processor - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103291
($184.99)
Motherboard:
"ASUS M3A78-T AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131331
($149.99)
("Unleash 140W Phenom Performance, DDR3 1333 Sideport Memory")
or
"ASUS M3A79-T Deluxe AM2+/AM2 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131339&Tpk=M3A79-T Deluxe
($188.99)
("AMD 790FX/SB750, Quad PCIe x16, Ideal OC platform")
NOTE: I believe these are Crossfire/ATI. I am getting NVIDIA. Is there an equivalent to these AMD boards, perhaps even asus, that's has the nvidia chipset?
RAM:
"Kingston HyperX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104043
($78.99)
or
"Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134641
($60.49)
Hard Drives:
"Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148274
($129.99)
~~~~~ ...in addition to... ~~~~~
"Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148274
($129.99)
or
"Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148274
($129.99)
~~~~~ ...in addition to... ~~~~~
"Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288&Tpk=Seagate 500gb SATA
($69.99)
or
"Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148274
($129.99)
~~~~~ ...in addition to... ~~~~~
"Western Digital Caviar GP WD5000AACS 500GB 5400 to 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136149
($64.99)
~~~~~ ...in addition to... ~~~~~
"Western Digital Caviar GP WD5000AACS 500GB 5400 to 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136149
($64.99)
or
Another arrangement of 2, 3, or more hard drives ranging from 1.5 TB to 2+ TB costing hopefully no more (hopefully less) than $260 (2TB) or $195 (1.5TB).
Case:
I have absolutely
no idea.
Looking for: full tower (ATX), something clear and glowy, with good air circulation, is solid/stable, functions well.
A non-clear option: Someone had mentioned Antec 900 is very quiet, I like that (especially for music), though I'd still love to have a clear.
($ price range, not sure atm.)
PSU:
"CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006&Tpk=corsair 750
($119.99)
(Price goes up by 10% after 10/22.)
or
"PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009
($144.99)
GPU:
"EVGA 512-P3-N873-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130376
($189.99)
($159.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate, available up to 11/5, with special savings on AMD CPU combo, ends 11/5)
or
"XFX PVT98FYDBU GeForce 9800 GTX Black Edition 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150297
($189.99)
(Black Edition overclocked at 760MHz)
or
"EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
($159.99)
or
"XFX PVT98GYDLU GeForce 9800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150316
($129.99)
($109.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
(Free Call of Duty 4 included, while supplies last.)
or
"MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127361
($239.99)
(Free Rainbow 6 Vegas2 game w/ purchase, limited offer.)
(A GTX260 might be out of my current price range; it depends on what other components I get.)
Audio:
Internal:
"ASUS Xonar D2 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Ultra Fidelity Sound Card with Complete Dolby/DTS Sound Technologies - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132001&Tpk=Asus Xonar D2
($179.99)
($149.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate)
or
Something totally different, effective for gaming purposes only.
($ price range, not sure atm.)
~~~~~ ...in addition to internal for gaming, getting external for music production... ~~~~~
External:
Something from M-Audio, Emu, RME, or similar (not sure).
I'd like to get something like that Yamaha mixer that doubles as sound card, though am not sure model #.
DVD:
All of the DVD burners seem to be right around $25 or $26, I don't know if it really matters which one to get? I won't be getting bluray just yet.
LCD Monitor:
I really don't know about this yet... I'm still working on the "guts" inside the computer case. I am interested in at least 22" and of course as inexpensive (but good quality) as possible. I would also like to have at least 1680x1050 resolution.
Keyboard:
"RAZER Lycosa RZ03-00180100 Black 104 Normal Keys 7 Function Keys USB Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823114004&Tpk=Razer Lycosa Gaming Keyboard
($84.99)
(That's odd, it was only $79.99 the other day.)
or
Another keyboard if someone knows of a good one (without the attached gaming pad).
Music Keyboard:
Probably something (only 1 or 2 octaves) by M-Audio.
Gaming Pad:
"BELKIN F8GFPC200 N52TE Tournament Edition - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826169019&Tpk=Belkin N52 Tournament Edition.
($69.99)
or
Another one, similar to it, if a better deal is available.
(I do like that it is separate from the keyboard.)
Mouse:
"RAZER RZ01-00020200 Red 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1600 dpi Diamondback Precision Gaming Salamander Mouse - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153029
($39.99)
or
Another one if better deal. (There appear to be multiple possibilities by Razer.)
Speakers:
"Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121120&Tpk=Logitech Z-5500
($252.99)
($212.99 after $40.00 Mail-In Rebate)
(Combo savings with Viewsonic [19"] monitor, ends 10/31.)
or
Something more affordable for gaming purposes. I won't be using these with music production. I'll have an entirely dedicated set of speakers and gear for that.
Mic:
Labtec Verse 333 PC Microphone.
$9.99 (tigerdirect.com)
(I think I'll hold off on something like this until I know if I'm getting a monitor with built-in cam+mic.)
Headset:
"TRITTON TRI-AI712 4 x 3.5mm Circumaural AX 51 - Gaming Headset"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826235003&Tpk=TRITTON AX51
$69.99
or
"Creative FATAL1TY 3.5mm gold-plated Circumaural Gaming Headset"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826158051
($49.99)
(Special savings, ends 10/31.)
or
"TekNmotion TM-PSX100A 3.5mm/ USB Circumaural Pulsewave / Pulsar SX PC Gaming Headphone"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826289001
($54.99)
UPS:
I have no idea.
LAN:
I'm guessing it's completely okay to use the one integrated into the motherboard. I doubt it's really necessary to get a special "gaming network card".
WLAN:
I really don't know about this yet. It does need to be compatible with Unix and Linux.
Wireless Router:
I might put this on hold and stick with the old wireless router, for now at least. I'll probably get a really nice Linksys when I get a new one.
Cable Modem:
I really don't know about this yet... I'm still working on the "guts" inside the computer case.
Coolers:
Ditto, I really don't know about this yet... and I should probably figure this out soon, since coolers are some of the most important parts of the "guts" inside a computer case. RAM coolers, lots of fans, thermal paste, who knows what else. I'll still look into those 2 links provided in an earlier reply (to cooling and silencing computers).
Computer Desk Chair:
I think I'll just go ahead and get one at the local furniture store at a decent price (for now).
Computer Desk:
Ditto, I'll probably pick up a desk/table locally. I don't know what to get though, yet I'd really like either a very basic computer desk or a pretty fancy computer "table".
I'll probably get a laptop stand with it, like the "Allsop Metal Art" brand "corner monitor/notebook stand".
Here are some updates on the comments for some components:
CPU:
I'm not sure what the difference is in prices with "OEM" and "Retail". As I said before, I honestly like both Intel and AMD, though I want AMD with my first computer. I'll get something from the i7 series in the future, if they're not phasing it out by that point in time. Though, by that point in time the new AMD will most likely look pretty tasty.
Case:
I removed my original option from the list because it had too many negative reviews. I'd love to have an all-clear case with some pretty glowing lights. If there is a similar case that has more clear parts to it than just one side panel, that could be pretty neat too.
PSU:
I'm still a little unfamiliar with power supplies, though have gained a slightly better understanding this past week. With the current rig I'm assuming 750W is enough, and that having a little breathing room is good. I know having too little power is very bad, though don't know if it's possible to have too much.
Here are some questions that hopefully some people can help with:
Motherboard:
There are 13 (or more?) motherboards that might work with my CPU. Here's a sample list:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showpost.php?p=1004226&postcount=4544
I'd like to be able to upgrade components later, for example, AMD's Agena after it has been out for a while.
How do I select the right motherboard?
RAM:
Should I get the HyperX or the normal?
Should I go ECC or non-ECC?
Hard Drive:
Is there a difference in compatibility with motherboard between a SATA and SATA-II hard drive?
Case:
What could I consider getting?
(Trying to find something "mostly clear", some "glowy stuff", good air circulation, solid/stable, and functions well.)
GPU:
How do I know if the GPU has at least "Shader Model 3.0 capable Video card, Direct X 9c, 256 MB RAM"? (Some of the requirements for the game I'm testing.)
How many GPUs do I need so I can use 3 LCD monitors at once?
(Only using 1 monitor this year, will have 3 next year.)
Audio:
What could I get away with as an affordable internal sound card for gaming?
What could I use for an external music production audio device/interface that would perhaps be similar to that Yamaha mixer "plus external soundcard" that was posted earlier in this thread?
Any ideas what the model is on that Yamaha?
Speakers:
I'll have a dedicated set of speakers/gear for music production. What is a good set of 5.1 speakers for gaming that isn't as expensive as the Z-5500 ($250) speakers?
UPS:
I don't know... but this is important. Illinois power is so horrible that it has damaged my rather expensive power amp to my stereo system. I won't be using it again until I replace the fuse, which won't be until I get a couple surge protectors and UPS-type items. I'll use a UPS on the computer set-up, though probably only a protector on the entertainment system. What could I get for both?
"Bonus" questions:
What are some AMD-based motherboards (supporting Phenom) that has the nvidia chipset?
For 1 year from now, how could one use 3 monitors with an AMD motherboard and nvidia?
Top brands for various kinds of coolers?
Regarding monitors, is 8000:1 and 4000:1 stuff basically the quality of the contrast between brights and darks?
Silly question... UPS... the U = uninterrupted, right? (I used to think it was "universal.")
Do 5.1 headphones/headsets literally (physically) exist? (Bizarre!)
Are 120mm fans less noisy and/or more effective than 80mm fans?
What's the difference (or is one better) between (ASUS) 790FX and 790GX?
Thank you everybody very much!
EDIT:
When I make another significant update to the list I'll add a fresh reply. One addition to the list will be an external sound device in place of the internal sound card, perhaps a Yamaha mixer/soundboard capable of connecting to the computer. Perhaps an Emu 1616 device as well.