New Computer Build - Help Welcome

[Yojo]

I have finally decided to build a new computer and am considering the below build. I want to thank the OC community as much of my research has come from reading the helpful threads posted on the OC forums.

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail - $279.99

I know that I am going against the mainstream consensus by choosing this processor and I have read benchmarks at Anantech and visited the Dual Core vs. Quad Core poll at OCF, but after doing quite a bit of research, I am really leaning towards going with this processor (as opposed to the Q6600 and/or E6750)

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM - $169.00

Question: Is it possible, in the future, after already installing 64 bit Vista, to buy a second Raptor and put them in raid then or does it have be right from the beginning they have to be in raid? I believe I mean raid 1 where data is striped across both drives (not mirroring) for improved performance.

Graphics Card:
Shader OC 1650MHz MSI NX8800GT-T2D512E-OC GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $221.51 (Dead Dell Deal, New Egg Page Linked for Reference)

This part is non-negotiable as I have already purchased it.

Power Supply:
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail - $170

The power supply is something I also am looking for help with. And have some guidelines for it -
(1) I am shooting for 600 to 800 Watts (more on this)
(2) It would be nice (not mandatory) if the PSU was modular
(3) I don't want the fan to blow down into the case (more on this)
(4) The PSU falls within the following price range - $100 to $200

I want to be able to go SLI after January when the price on the 8800GT's come down. Furthermore, I might add additional SATA drives and maybe some other PCI devices. Therefore, I don't want my power supply to restrict my upgrade path. Will the above 620W be enough? If not, this OCZ looks like it could be up to par then.

Furthermore, I think it's foolish to have the PSU have a 120mm fan that points inside the case. If the PSU already has facing exposed to the edge of the case, then why not have it blow hot air out of the case rather than back into the case and have to circulate out. It just seems foolish to me, especially when your willing to spend $100+ for the PSU.

Mother Board:
ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail - $195.00

I need some help with the motherboard selection. The motherboard must meet the following specfications:
(1) Supports SLI
(2) LGA775 Socket
(3) Supports DDR2800 Ram (2 gigabyte sticks)
(4) Capable of supporting at least 8 gigabytes of Ram
(4) Falls within $125 - $225 price range
(5) Can handle 5.1 Surround
(6) When using SLI, *both* PCIe operate at 16x
I do plan on overclocking the E6850 too...

Ram:
OCZ 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail - $110 (Purchased through Fry's, Newegg page linked for reference)
This item is also non-negotiable being that I already purchased it from Fry's

Case:
COOLER MASTER Stacker 830 Evolution RC-830-KKN3-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail - $179.99
I have used this Lian Li in the past, and I love the tunable fan control, the slide-able mother board tray and the side window. However, the case is really crowded (to be expected with a mid ATX) and further more, the with no side vent, the heat sink fan simply blows against the window resulting in what I believe to be poor air circulation. I think this cooler master stacker should really solve all of my issues with the Lian Li.

Case Fans:
5xRosewill RFA120L-R 120mm 4 Red LEDs LED Case Fan - Retail - $16.45

It would be nice to have an LED with the case fan. Also, I picked this case fan because it had 2000 RPMs and was rated for 77.26 CFM air flow. Obviously the more RPMs and air flow the better, but at some point the case will become noisy enough that it will be annoying.

Question - Look at this snap shot of the above fan from NewEgg. Can I 'daisy-link' all of the 4 fans that I will mount on the side of the cooler-master case to one 4-pin connector from the PSU?

Heat Sink Fan:
Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail - $45.00
I did my research on HSF's for OCing and found a great article over at Anandtech benchmarking HSF's against watercooling. I think the Tuniq Tower provides the best bang for the buck. It's only $45, comes with a fan, and provides exceptional cooling. I know about the Thermal Ultra-120 Extreme, and its performance is amazing. But that HSF is $65 plus another $25 for a fan and then on top of that, everyone at new egg is screaming about the mounting that comes with it being really crappy. I know new egg reviews are to be taken with a grain of salt, but still, looking at the mounting equipment that comes with it is discouraging in the least.

On another note, water cooling is out of the picture for me. I don't want to spend $100+ for a water cooler and am not exactly excited about the noise associated with water cooling.

DVD Burner:
ASUS Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 14X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - Retail - $36.00
The specifications for the DVD burner are as follows:
(1) The DVD burner must be able to write to dual layer DVDs
(2) The DVD burner must be compatiable with Windows Vista
(3) The DVD burner should also burn CDs
(4) The DVD burner should also burn DVD+R and DVD-R

Any critiques with the above is greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance for your help.

 

[attack]

I think you've got a good setup, although I'd change the CPU to something slower to save cash or go quad.
The reason I say this, is for gaming, a slightly faster CPU isn't going to get you any more noticeable FPS (unless you run 480x600 resolution). So why not go for quad core for general multitasking? And if you don't need 4 cores, then save cash and get a lower end CPU, say an E4500, save almost 200, and have that cash set asside to upgrade your video card. or CPU later on?

Also, I'd get a cheaper case, I just can't see spending that much on a case, a 50 dollar case will get you a good case, you just have to look for ones designed with airflow in mind.

As for RAID, it depends on the controller, some can build a RAID 1 array from a single drive if it wasn't pre-existing, some can't. I would say look into the single platter 250gb drives and get 2 of those and setup a RAID 1 or RAID 0 array as they're almost just as fast as those 10k raptors. I have a raptor and I can honestly say it was the biggest waste of cash I've put into a computer, going to RAID 0 is a much better choice.

 

[Evilsizer]

do you plan on sli? cause by the time you might plan to get another card, a card that would equal 2 would be out for the same price... just a thought, i would suggest a sli setup if you plan on going sli when you first do the rig... as well 600's dont oc like p35 does so thats something else to think about.

 

[JamesXP]

I'd wait til' 780i is brought out, is has support for 45nm quads.

 

[Yojo]

do you plan on sli? cause by the time you might plan to get another card, a card that would equal 2 would be out for the same price... just a thought, i would suggest a sli setup if you plan on going sli when you first do the rig... as well 600's dont oc like p35 does so thats something else to think about.

Aren't the P35 Asus mobo's crossfire exclusive though, as in they do NOT support SLI? I may wind up then buying another 8800GT the first moment I see one available. I was planning on waiting till January then just buying it then and figured the price gouging on the new 8800GT's would have subsided.

I'd wait til' 780i is brought out, is has support for 45nm quads.

I would like to, but I want the new computer to play with over Christmas break, so waiting is unfortunately not an option for me.

I have a raptor and I can honestly say it was the biggest waste of cash I've put into a computer, going to RAID 0 is a much better choice.

This is exactly the commentary that is rarely seen on NewEgg reviews, mostly its people screaming the whatever the product it is they bought is the best thing ever and will continue to be the best thing in existence. Or the exact opposite, the product just doesn't work and no one knows why and they can't take the time to list their setup in their commentary.
I guess I might have to put a little more research into whether or not I want the raptor then. Maybe instead I can settle on two 7200 RPM spindle speed HD's in raid 0 then?
Seagate offers this hard drive that has 300 GB, 7200 RPMs, 16mb of Cache at half the price of the ratpor. If I picked up two of them and put them in Raid 0, it would be the same price as the raptor.

 

[Yojo]

620W seems kind of low.
How about this PC Power and Cooling:
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, ULC, CE, CB, RoHS - Retail

This PSU seems pretty sweet. For $170 it's 750 Watts, a 60A,12V rail O.O, 8x 4 Pin Connectors, 6x SATA connectors and 4xPCI-e connectors.