Heatsink/CPU Fan: Zalman CNPS9700 LED
CPUs packaged by the manufacturer typically include a Heatsink and fan, this was the case with my QX6850. You can save a few extra dollars by purchasing your chip OEM, but this will only include the chip, no manufacturer packaging, manual or heatsink/fan. Typically the heatsink/fan that comes from Intel or AMD is not sufficient if you want to perform any overclocking. Although I don't plan on doing any until my chip starts to show the signs of being dated, I bought a Zalman CNPS 9700 LED based on numerous good reviews. As you can see from the picture it is quite large but fits in my mid-tower NZXT case with ease. The fan is extremely quiet at idle, does get a little louder than I expected when it's RPM is cranked up.
CPUs packaged by the manufacturer typically include a Heatsink and fan, this was the case with my QX6850. You can save a few extra dollars by purchasing your chip OEM, but this will only include the chip, no manufacturer packaging, manual or heatsink/fan. Typically the heatsink/fan that comes from Intel or AMD is not sufficient if you want to perform any overclocking. Although I don't plan on doing any until my chip starts to show the signs of being dated, I bought a Zalman CNPS 9700 LED based on numerous good reviews. As you can see from the picture it is quite large but fits in my mid-tower NZXT case with ease. The fan is extremely quiet at idle, does get a little louder than I expected when it's RPM is cranked up.
Power Supply: Ultra X3 1000W
The configuration of my PC at the time of writing probably only needs a 600 Watt power supply at most. However, I wanted the option to upgrade, adding a second PCI-e SLI graphics card or a multi hard drive RAID configuration is going to take extra power. I had originally decided upon the Ultra X3 800 Watt power supply but found the Ultra X3 1000 Watt online for only a few dollars more which made my decision to go with the larger much easier. The Ultra X3 1000 Watt power supply is both energy efficient and quite. It also allows you to plug in only the cables you need so there won't be any extra dangling inside the case. There are also 6 and 8 pin PCI-e power connectors for the latest graphics cards.