My new rig, ready to be ordered!

[UrbanSmooth]

This is my second post on XS. :woot:

I am originally from EOCF (Extreme Overclocking Forums), and would like you XS guys' input on the new rig that I plan on ordering within the next week or two:

http://hyperpcz.sebszhost.com/buildtemplate.html

A little history on the planned build:
Originally, I was going to go all out: AMD FX55 San Diego and two 6800 Ultras in SLI. However, I read that there were issues with SLI, and that SLI really wasn't necessary to run high and even ultra settings with well over 60 frames per second in certain games.

Also, I found out that the 3700+ San Diego can easily oc to FX55 stock speeds! So, I saved even more money there. By switching up the FX55 to a 3700+ San Diego, and by switching from two 6800 Ultras in SLI to one 6800GT (sufficient), which can be overclocked to Ultra speeds, I saved well over $1,000!

I recently switched from 1GB of RAM to 2GB of RAM, though, I'm not sure whether to go 2 x 1024MB or 4 x 512MB. Also, would I need to get a [2 x 1024MB] or [4 x 512MB] kit, or can I get two or four sticks of the same module, so I can save money?

I'm thinking about doing the PSOne LCD mod and using Samurize to display HD, fan, and case temps, as well as the weather, time, current Winamp song, current Windows Media Player movie clip, etc.

I'm thinking about getting a 7800 GTX, but, I don't see much of a performance leap in early benchmarks and tests (gaming). I may wait for the 7800 GTX to mature a little.

I looked into dual core benchmarks and tests, and they seem to score lower than or to equal my 3700+ San Diego in the things I plan on doing with my rig (gaming, multimedia, general web browsing and chatting).

I am looking into getting a larger hard drive. One Raptor will probably not cut it. Even though I've been on a 16GB hard drive for about 6 years, I may go all out with game and mod installations on my new rig. I'm thinking about the Maxtor MaxLine III 300GB hard drive. UrbanFox74 from on here and EOCF recommended this hd to me.

I don't need a 5.1 surround sound speaker system to fill the whole room with sounds from the PC. All I need is a nice local-sounding speaker system, so the 2.1 will probably be more than enough.

A friend at EOCF recommended the headphones. He claims to be an audiophile, or whatever they're called.

The Dell 2005FPW or 2405FPW is my new monitor of choice. I've been using a 17" CRT (15.9" viewable) for the last 6 years. I don't need all of the space that the 2405FPW provides, however, future screen resolutions will probably play out better on the larger 2405FPW. The 2005FPW runs at an odd 1680 x 1050 resolution (smaller than the popular 1600 x 1200).

I'm thinking about switching the PSU to the Seasonic S12 600W power supply. Dave From Daytona on here, AKA DavidHammock over at EOCF, tagged it as 'very quiet,' which can only be good!

Originally, my rig was going to be over 3,000 (tower only). Now, it's under 3,000, and I plan on getting a new widescreen LCD monitor, keyboard, gaming mouse, gamepad, speaker system, and new headphones!

Any critique is welcomed. I plan on building this rig mostly for gaming and multimedia, with some of the usual web-surfing, chatting, and website/web art development thrown in there. :woot:

[perkam]

Everything looks A-OK....just get a better case lol That one does not do justice to the rest of the system ;)

Perkam

[UrbanSmooth]

LOL, why does everyone put down the case? It's because of how it looks with the front window closed. I plan on taking it off, or putting more stuff in the bays to make things look more techy.

Here are some much better views of the ASPIRE X-Infinity case that I plan on purchasing for my new rig: http://www.overclockinghq.com/articles/xinfinity.php

[Direkt]

No offense to the guy that reccomended the headphones to you, but I cannot see a pair of $22 headphones satiating an audiophile in the least.

[Major_A]

Here's an option. Save yourself $100 and buy a 7800GTX, which seems to perform as good or better than an SLi 6800GT setup. Then down the road when the prices drop and you have money burning a hole in your pocket pick up another one. 6800GT SLi vs 7800GTX (http://www.nvnews.net/previews/geforce_7800_gtx/page_3.shtml)

Does the San Diego revision still have the issue when all 4 DIMMS are used it defaults to 2T instead of 1T timings? If that is the case then definately pick up the 2 1GB sticks.

For a few dollars more you can pick up an older DVD-RW instead of just a player. BenQ 16X DVD Burner = $43.99 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827101632)

[Hombre]

- I would get a 4400+ X2. Every review is different, yes, but if you samurrize it up you'll see that the 4400+ X2 are matching it's Single-Core brothers, and the performance difference is really tiny.
- If you're going nVidia, GET a 7800GTX, it has many improvements, it it's almost comparable to 2x6800GT's SLI'd!
- There are few new models of HDD's out, that it's worth checking out: Seagate's new Barracuda, featuring 500GB, 3GB/s SATAII, 16MB C. WD has a new HDD with same specs, but it comes in 300GB too.
- I would go with OCZ's Powerstream 600W (It has more than enough power to handle highly OC'd SLI system...)

[UrbanSmooth]

http://hyperpcz.sebszhost.com/buildtemplate.html

Updated the plan. I'm not going SLI, yet, however, I decided to switch over to a 7800GTX today, after seeing all of the tests and benchmarks that came out. I'll definitely need one since I plan on going with a widescreen LCD monitor. Updated the hard drive selection to a Maxtor MaxLine III 16MB SATAII!

I'm going down the list updating prices, and taking out stuff that I do not need. What do you guys think about fan filters? Are they needed?

[Major_A]

Fan filters add noise and lower the fans airflow. If you dust out your system once every few months you'll be okay.

This company, http://www.bestbyteinc.com has every fan, grill, and heatsink you have listed cheaper. They are located in a suburb of Houston and have treated me right every time I've done business with them. I ordered a XP-90 and 92MM fan from them one morning, like 1AM. They called me the next afternoon and said they were sold out. I told them the XP-120 with the same fan in 120MM would be fine. When they got here a few days later, I live on the other side of Houston and don't want to drive over an hour to save a few bucks, the shipping list showed they charged me the same price as the XP-90. I didn't ask and they just did it, good business practice if you ask me.

[UrbanSmooth]

Thanks for the input, still updating and adding on. Here's what I have so far: http://hyperpcz.sebszhost.com/buildtemplate.html