Hello world, During the process of researching and collecting information to assist with building my computer, some of which can be found in the following thread: http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=73664 ...I have come across a few separate subjects within the process that require some extra digging. To allow for a better discussion of specific topics within an all-encompassing and, for me, slightly overwhelming category of computer tech talk, I will extract the subjects that would benefit from a separate and more focused discussion. This will also help me with not becoming overwhelmed by the process. My initial steps included skimming the surface of all computer components in a particular order and has since progressed into more thorough digging into the each component's subject. I created a list of all the parts I am (or was) interested in, though I am going through revisions so that I may replace components in the list - tweak it, basically - prior to purchasing the parts. You will find early drafts of the list in the thread linked above. I suspect that list will go through at least a few more minor revisions and at least one or two major revisions before finalizing my preferred options. Here is a direct link to "version 1.5" of my list. Purpose of this computer: 1/2 music production, 1/2 gaming; and a little extra multimedia mixed in, for use with movies/tv shows. Price range for this computer: $1,000 to $1,500 (if possible), though I might go a little higher. I recently posted a message on: "Choosing a GPU: NVIDIA 9800 GTX, NVIDIA GTX 260, or switching to ATI" "Choosing a Motherboard: ASUS, AM2+ Socket, NVIDIA/SLI Chipset, or switch to non-ASUS" "Choosing RAM: For 64-bit Quad Core (AMD Phenom 9950)" As a side note: the description of the "System Builder's Advice" forum reads, "Are you planning to build a new computer or looking to upgrade yours? Get feedback from the community here for your whole project." I'll leave that to my "whole project" and this one specific piece of my computer puzzle open to discussion here. There is not a CPU-specific forum, which is surprising but that's okay, and I'm not discussing "Overclocking & Cooling" in this topic, so this "General Hardware" forum is the perfect place! Now... back to the topic... I am 100% positive that I want the "AMD Phenom 9950" CPU and around 95-99% positive that I want the "NVIDIA 9800 GTX" GPU. (The 95-99% on the GPU involves the motherboard, which will be explained elsewhere.) CPU: I have come across two versions of the Phenom, though I am unsure which one to get. It would help if I knew how they are different and the pros/cons to their differences. I am aware of the 125W and 140W, though I am unaware of the pros/cons in each. I am aware of the "OEM" and "Retail" (at newegg.com), though I am unaware of the specific contents included within each and which contents I would really need. Here are the two CPUs I am referring to: "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) Thank you!