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My 2 online choices are Newegg.com and Tigerdirect.com
Between those 2 sites you can find just about everything you need.
Also if you have one near you, Frys Electronics is like the adult's version of Toys'R'Us. I remember the first time I went there, I ran through the store running through aisles looking at all the goodies with big eyes and drooling all over the place. My heaven. :P
I lol'd, Crayon, and ty Don...a nice cheap case with plenty of room is exactly what I'm after :p I'm more tempted to buy a non-OEM processor though so it comes with the necessary heatsink stuff rather than bother with an aftermarket one...I don't like fooling with thermal paste and the like more than I have to lol(Yes, I'm a pansy about screwing with the inner workings of the comp; it's my baby and my main source of entertainment so I try to be very careful and not overdo it ;p)
Fair enough. :P It might work OK at 3.0GHz but it just may end up being a bit louder than you'd like. Can always back off the timings a bit to get temps/noise back to levels you like.
So I took the suggestions here and with assistance of a model-savvy friend I put together a decent system via Newegg consisting of:
Cooler-Master Centurion 5 Black/Blue PC case
2x 2gb G-Skill DDR2 800mhz ram
SATA-based DVD-RW(Since I'll lose my CD-RW in the process of mobo changes, being IDE based and the 1 IDE cable going to be eaten by my 2 existing IDE HDs)
XFX 8800 GT very slightly overclocked vs the EVGA version(by about 40mhz clock speed) same specs otherwise
Some $100 mobo that was cheaper than the 680i I found at tigerdirect but just as good if not better, forgot name atm lol
Intel Q6600 quad-core
PSU, 650w I think, but it's not a cheapo brand 650w, may've been OCX or some other reliable one with enough SATA connections to run everything(the cheapos only had 2 SATA attachments and I'm gonna need at least 3)
However, having "built" the spec a couple days ago...I hesitated away from buying it...until my "Economic Stimulus" check thinger came in this morning, so it looks alot less like a giant stab in the wallet. Total came to $901.01(All Retail, no OEMs) for the setup, with tax/shipping and a Rush Priority on the Shipping so it goes out TODAY, I should be set up by Tuesday at worst >D
Thanks to everyone to helped out and suggested things, both in this thread and in others so I knew what specifics to aim for as a multiboxing system =)
I quench my purchasing thirst lately at tigerdirect. They have some really nice package deals. My currently machine is 90% TD stuff, and the rest is just recycled equipment.
Aye TD is nice and has some good package deals but with some digging and instant newegg savings I ended up spending $100 less at Newegg for MORE parts than I did at TD lol
So my Case arrived Tuesday and the rest arrived yesterday...spent 4ish hours putting it all together, transplanted my old HD over to serve as the boot drive(Too lazy to fuck with a new windows/sp install) and formatting my shiny new SATA drive and it works great =D The DVD-ROM I ordered however was IDE so unfortunately I'm down a HD atm, as the mobo only has 1 IDE plug and all IDE cables have 2 attach spots...2 HDs + 1 DVD-RW = someone gotta go. And I needed the DVD-RW to install my drivers from CD so the choice wasn't all that tough =\
Noticed a huge change running 5 WoWs already, getting max fps permanently on main and even turned maxfpsbk back up to 20 without any loss to fps on front window; will have to test it by logging my Boomkins in tonight in Shatt or IF and seeing how well they run in a city setting but so far I'm quite content with the upgrades :p Much quieter than my old case too despite having like 6 or 7 fans running. Alot more awesome looking too :p
Thanks to all who helped out in the thread =D
My suggestions:
Newegg.com - Hands down the best parts supplier I've dealt with. Great prices and in terms of timeliness the cheapest shipping has always arrived 1-2 days after I ordered it.
Microcenter - If you're lucky enough to have on in your area, they offer great deals and selection on pc hardware, but not nearly the quality issues that Fry's has.
Fry's Electronics (click here for current deals)- They offer great deals and huge selections. The problem I have with them is a HUGE difference in quality when I buy components here. As an IT consultant, there was a point where I was building a PC about every month for a client -- when using Fry's for the parts, I had about a 20% failure rate. That's horrible. In my opinion it's partially due to the fact that (at least at both in my area) when you return an item, it's often re-sealed and put right back on the shelf. The only reason I built several systems off parts from Fry's was because this client was ripping me off, so I was penny pinching to pull a better margin (immoral, i know. bad majo. they deserved it, though). I would never build a system I'd plan to rely on from Fry's parts.
PC Club - They don't always have the greatest prices, but alot of system builders I know prefer to get their local parts from these guys when they don't order from Newegg.