Can someone enlighten those of us who aren't nearly as computer savvy? Why would you need an additonal fan/cooler? I'm still in the process of moving, and still looking at computers to buy. I have looked at TigerDirect, IBuyPower, hp.com, all sorts of places. Still so confused, and now with the "cooling" issues I see people having..

Dr. Mike.. (driving stage 1 to Missouri starts tomorrow morning..)

That said, getting an aftermarket cooler will reduce your system temps overall, perhaps not as much as Blizzie or I, but they will have a positive effect on your system. Secondly, I would make sure that the power supply I was getting was 80+ (more than 80% efficient) and well-respected, like this one.

750 Watt Thermaltake Toughpower W0117RU Power Supply Quad SLI Ready
Description:
750 Watt -- Thermaltake Toughpower W0117RU Power Supply -- Quad SLI Ready

Specification:
- Complies with ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V version
- SLI, Cross-Fire, and Dual Core CPU ready
- Next generation four +12V rails(12V1, 12V2, 12V3, 12V4) supports high-end graphic card and PC system (combined loading of 60A) - Independent Voltage Circuit: offers unflappable current delivery under heavy load and makes voltage output more stable
- Active Power Factor Correction (PF>0.99) and high efficiency (up to 85%)
- Extremely good voltage regulation (±3%): provides steady voltage for system
- Industrial grade components (capacitor, transformer, etc) High reliability: MTBF>120,000 hours Mirror effect housing and reliable 14cm ball-bearing fan
- Protections: Over Current, Over Voltage, and Short-Circuit protection Safety / EMI Approvals: CE, CB, TUV, FCC, UL, CUL, and BSMI certified

what are things I would need or want in a desktop for crunching? I7 processor? Xeon processor? Memory, and how much? graphics card? (i'm also going to word process on my new computer, as well as play mostly low graphic intensity games.. mostly)

wireless is what i'd also like.. cable modem (i do occasionally download songs)
blu-ray player (seems that's all that dvd's are made from nowadays?)

don't need one that talks to me.. lol..

Mike..

I've fallen, and I can't get up. Mostly because my physician failed to pre-authorize my fall with my HMO.

How about you let us know what you're maximum budget is and we'll see if we can find you one.

It's going to have to be a pre-built one. I don't trust UPS or anyone to ship a system if I build it. I've seen some pretty bad pictures..


---

Also, I'm shutting Quad now... Issues with the cooling and one standoff is loose.

I need to get myself a new CPU cooler but I don't have $70.

Here's an attempt to build an Ibuypower for less than 1500:

Case ( CoolerMaster CM 690 Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( 650 Watt -- Corsair CMPSU-650TX Power Supply SLI Ready )
Processor ( [New !!] Intel Core i7 Processor 920 (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
Processor Cooling ( XIGMATEK Dark Knight 120mm CPU Cooling Fan System H.D.T. (Heat-pipe direct touch) technology )
Motherboard ( Asus P6T Deluxe V2 Intel X58 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Triple-Channel DDR3, Dual Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Three PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1600 Triple Memory Module Corsair or Major Brand )
Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( None )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard w/ 18 Internet Hot /Multimedia Keys Black )
Mouse ( iBUYPOWER 1600 dpi High Sensitivity Internet Mouse Black )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Operating System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) 32-Bit )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $1,478.00
Current Coupon: None or you entered an invalid coupon.

Please select your country: USCanada
Ship To:


Shipping Method:

* Fedex Express Saver -- 3-4 BUSINESS DAYS Delivery Service.
* Fedex 2 Day -- 2 BUSINESS DAYS Delivery Service.
* Fedex Standard Overnight -- Overnight (Afternoon) Delivery Service.
* Fedex or UPS Ground -- 5 to 7 DAY Service Depending on STATE
* For HI, AK customers, we only provide Fedex 2 days Service.
Total: USD $1,478.00

NOTE:

NVidia 260 GTX Core 216 Graphics
Intel I7 processor
Reasonable Heatsink and power supply (thanx Blizzie for the tip on the PSes)