CPU
1x - Intel Core i7 920 Quad-Core @ 2.66GHz
This processor is beast. It's quad-core and takes advantage of Intel's Hyperthreading technology so the least of my concerns in any task should be processing power. There are other processors out there I could go with to use on the motherboard I'm using but this one was a steal on sale for $200 and is widely regarded as the greatest value in the Intel lineup, if not on either platform. I went with Intel architecture because...well, I don't know why exactly. Every computer I have ever owned has been Intel (including the Macs) so I guess I'm just an Intel guy for life.
Motherboard
1x - ASRock X58 Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
I chose this MoBo for several reasons. First, it was very highly rated/reviewed from many sources. It's an "entry-level" board but it's solidly built and some of the features it offers are only found on higher end boards which leads me to decision #2: price. I don't need a MoBo with all sorts of features that make it fantastic for overclocking and I have very limited I/O needs so some of the features found on boards well above this price point were a complete waste and I opted to budget the savings elsewhere.
RAM
3x - OCZ Gold Tri Channel PC10666 DDR3 Memory - 1333MHz, (2GB sticks, so 6GB total)
I've used OCZ stuff in the past and haven't had any issue and it's some of the cheapest RAM out there so it was the logical choice. There are faster speeds of memory but triple-channel DDR3 @ 1333MHz is basically twice as fast as I'm running right now, and 2x more RAM in total.
Graphics Card
1x - XFX GeForce 7600 GS / 256MB GDDR2
Part of the way I'm keeping the cost of Tradezilla down is by cannibalizing a couple parts from my current trading machine. One of the key parts I'm using is the dual-DVI video card (I have the OEM card which I will be putting back in that machine). It's nothing fancy, it just has dual-DVI outputs for my monitors. In the future I may add another dual card as the MoBo has 3 PCIe x16 slots on in, which means that I could theoretically run a 24 monitor setup (3x cards with 8 outputs) but even I can agree that's a bit overkill...for now :)
Hard Disk Drive
1x - Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200JD 320GB
This is another part I'm cannibalizing from the current trading machine. It has dual HDD's in it and by taking this one (currently used as a backup, which is now obsolete since the Time Capsule handles backups) the current machine will still be operational.
Optical Drive
Past installing the OS, I don't ever see me using this drive. All the software I use is downloaded from the vendors and any ripping/burning of CD's and DVD's is accomplished here on the iMac mothership. I went with cheap and it just happened to be highly rated; bonus.
Case
1x - Thermaltake V3 Black Edition Mid Tower
I had a few criteria when selecting a case:
1. Quality
2. Low price
3. Don't look like a computer gamer's wet-dream
This case satisfies all 3 criteria. It looks really nice/professional and it's from a very good name. It's a bit unorthodox as the power supply mounts at the bottom for better cooling and doesn't make the machine top heavy, so we'll see how that works with the build-out; might have issues with cable length. However, it has one feature that I will be changing. The 120mm fan at the rear of the case has blue LED lights on it, which I find extremely annoying. Thankfully, fans are dirt cheap so I'll just drop $5 and get one that won't look like I'm trying to start a dance party in the office.
Power Supply Unit
1x - Coolmax 500-Watt Modular Power Supply
My homeboy Kuka recommended a modular power supply as you can pick and choose which power cables you need and leave the rest off. This assists in not cluttering up the case with unused wires and provides a much smoother/cleaner airflow which assists in cooling. I calculated the minimum power requirements for this system and the most I could come up with by maxing the output of the components and such was 233 watts. So, 500W should be plenty. It was nicely priced and should I need to upgrade down the line it won't be a big loss.
Operating System
1x - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
This was sort of a no-brainer. I have no real issues with XP other than the fact it downloads updates constantly and there is a 64-bit version of XP out there but I figured if I'm going for top of the line I should dabble in Microsoft's newest/best OS. It's 64-bit, rather than 32, which is fantastic. All the trading software I use is compatible with Win7, it will run faster, more efficiently and really take advantage of the hardware/architecture it's operating within. Win7 is basically what MSFT wanted Vista to be, which in time I'm sure will be known as Windows Me 2.0...and if you know anything about OS's you know that's a pretty shameful honor.
Miscellaneous
There may be little things here and there I'll have to get like extension cables if the placement of the power supply at the bottom poses a problem, extra case fans and such but for now before I start assembling everything this is it; this is the "meat" of Tradezilla. You technically wouldn't "need" anything else to build a machine and the components chosen here are all exactly what I want/need.
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