A few questions before I pull the trigger

[Loop2kil]

I'm planning a new system build soon and the following parts are what I'm thinking of getting:

OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)- $279.99

ZALMAN CNPS9500 - $47.99

ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP Socket T (LGA 775) Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard $269.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz - $180.00

SAPPHIRE 100189L Radeon X1900GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 - $195.00

Main question is about the motherboard itself. I've noticed this board's popularity in a few posts and was wondering if that was due to
it's many extras or is there something 'special' in its abilities to O/C? I want a board that o/c's decently but i dont necessarily
need all the extras this board has to offer. Is there anything cheaper that can O/c as well as this board?

Other parts that already have:
Antec p180
Ultra 600w
150gb Raptor
Aopen 16x dvd


Any other input or critique is welcome

 

[lobbyone]

I don't know much about that particular motherboard, but other than that, looks sweet man.

 

[kwo]

It all sounds nice.

Memory - is it on the 'compatibility list' for your motherboard? I'm seeing more and more of these lists lately....

I'm not as keen on the attachment mechanism of the Zalman's as..say my SI-120, but that's more a matter of preference.

ATI vs. Nvidia.....again, a matter of preference.... but the X1900GT is a very workable video card. Any reason to go ATI vs. Nvidia?

Nice case - almost bought one of those for a friend's system, but it sounds like there were still some designs issues with the "upside down" case and a number of motherboards (especially with cable lengths and such...) so I decided against.

Be sure everything can reach all the way from the PS down below and all the motherboard and peripheral connections....

Raptor..well..they're fast, that's for sure, but not quiet.

Ultra PS's - well, I'm not sure I'd get one myself, I'm sort of sold on Seasonic's and Fortran's..but again, a number of people have had good experiences with them. But..a number haven't...... so be sure of yourself here, as the PS, IMHO is one of the MOST IMPORTANT components, even moreso than the MB/CPU for a good stable system.