As always, our Double-Stuff system includes some of the fastest components available, often paired up in an ode to parallelism, without squandering cash on unnecessary extras.

Processor
Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6700 is essentially a re-badged version of the older Core 2 Extreme QX6700, with the same 2.66GHz clock speed, 8MB of total cache, and 1066MHz front-side bus. Since the Double-Stuff Workstation is meant to be, well, a workstation, we think going with a quad-core CPU here makes sense. Besides, the Q6700's 2.66GHz clock speed makes it a more-than-competent performer in tasks optimized for only one or two cores.

Motherboard
We're going with dual GeForce 8800 GTS graphics cards teamed up via SLI for this build, and that calls for an Nvidia-based motherboard. The nForce 780i SLI is Nvidia's new flagship chipset for Intel processors. XFX's 780i SLI mobo is based on a reference design by Nvidia, complete with SLI compatibility, a very tweakable BIOS, and full support for both Nvidia's nTune tweaking and monitoring software and the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) specification. There are plenty of other very nice high-end motherboards, including those based on Intel's X38 and P35 chipsets, but this board's mix of SLI support and tweakability makes it our choice for the Double-Stuff.

Memory
Memory is stupid cheap right now, so we've outfitted this machine with 8GB of DDR2-800 RAM (via two 4GB Mushkin kits). Our budget has more than enough room for it, and this selection ensures ample headroom for almost any task. We're going with higher capacity here instead of faster DIMMs for the same reasons as in the Sweet Spot: low latencies don't matter nearly as much as some would have you think. Yes, lower-latency RAM could get you an extra frame per second or two in Unreal Tournament 3, but you'll hardly notice if you're already averaging 80 FPS at 2560x1600 with everything maxed out.

Of course, you'll want to install a 64-bit operating system in order to use more than 4GB of RAM. See our operating system section a couple of pages ahead for details.

Graphics
Our graphics card recommendation for the Double-Stuff mirrors that of the Sweet Spot. The eVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB delivers performance close to that of Nvidia's 8800 GTX for much less, and it's an ideal contender for a high-end dual-GPU system. Until the next generation of cards rolls out, this is pretty much the bee's knees as far as multi-GPU graphics goes. Yes, there's three-way SLI, but our performance testing suggests that's mostly for show.

Storage
Our storage recommendations cover a whopping 2.3TB of capacity split between two Western Digital Caviar GPs and two 10,000-RPM Raptors. These drives can be run in either RAID 0 or RAID 1 arrays (or a combination of the two) for improved storage speed or redundancy. RAID 0 may increase the chance of data loss without doing much for overall system performance, but it should still help in particularly storage-intensive tasks. If you'd like to improve both performance and redundancy, you can also assign four of either drive to a RAID 0+1 array.

Since we mentioned our positive appraisal of Samsung's 1TB SpinPoint F1 hard drive earlier, you might be wondering why we didn't pick that instead of the Caviar GP. The answer is that the SpinPoint seems to have problems with Nvidia storage controllers like those of our XFX nForce 780i motherboard. The Caviar GPs are slower, but they're still solid performers, and they're cheaper than the SpinPoints. (Besides, speed isn't too big an issue when you have two Raptors to house your operating system and applications.) Do note that a pricier 1TB Caviar GP RE2 is available with a five-year warranty instead of the regular Caviar GP's three-year coverage. See our review of that drive here.

On the optical drive front, we've upgraded this machine to the same Pioneer Blu-ray drive we recommended in our Sweet Spot alternatives. This drive combines a Blu-ray reader and a DVD burner without breaking the bank.

Audio
As we've noted, the Xonar D2 will provide better sound quality than the X-Fi XtremeGamer we recommended for our other systems, and it's a more suitable match for the Double-Stuff. Gamers will probably want to have a look at our X-Fi alternative for this machine on the next page, though.

Power supply
PC Power & Cooling's TR Editor's Choice award-winning Silencer 750 power supply is back from our Sweet Spot system. The unit delivers some of the highest efficiencies we've seen to date along with five years of warranty coverage, a single 12V rail capable of delivering 720W of power, dual 8-pin PCI Express power connectors, and low noise levels. This PSU has everything it takes to handle our Double-Stuff Workstation's many power-hungry components, and it should provide plenty of headroom for expansion, as well.

Enclosure
Cooler Master's Cosmos 1000 is another TR Editor's Choice award winner. This case shares some design elements from the Antec P182 we featured in our Sweet Spot system, such as a flipped internal layout that houses the power supply at the bottom, but the Cosmos is bigger, badder, and more enthusiast-friendly. With four 120mm fans, there's plenty of airflow, and the case is roomy enough to accommodate six hard drives, five 5.25" drives, multi-GPU configurations, and internal liquid cooling systems. It's also primed for quiet operation thanks to insulated side panels and low-speed fans. Hit our full review of the Cosmos for additional details on this case's unique features and swanky design.