Advice/Suggestions for New Build List

[zQ]

I am building my first system. Here's a list of the parts I'm thinking about:

Definites
DFI Lanparty SLI-DR Expert
AMD Opteron 165
Antec P180

Can't Decide
G.SKILL Extreme Series 2x1GB PC-4000
---Or Mushkin, OCZ
ASUS/Sapphire Radeon X1900XT
---Or eVGA 7800GT CO (470/1100)
Enermax Liberty
---Or anything that would fit the P180 at about the same price?
Western Digital 250GB WD2500KS
---Or are there better non-raptors with 250-300GB?

Decide After Those^
DVD-RW Drive (Model/# of drives)
Floppy Drive w/ Multicard Reader
Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Music
---Or Onboard...
TT Big Typhoon
---Or TR XP-90/120

The video card is a hard decision. The X1900XT has so much power at such a great price that it's hard to give up without some consideration. The biggest thing I'm worried about is the service and quality. I can't find many experiences with ATI/ASUS/Sapphire service, and it seems like their warranty doesn't last long. I've heard a lot of great things about eVGA though. Should I get a X1900XT to last me a long time or get a 7800GT now and then a 7900 down the line?

Now we come to the PSU. I really like the Enermax Liberty. It seems to have all the plugs I need plus modular cabling--really comes in handy for the P180 case. However, I don't see many people who have it. It seems like a coin flip when it comes to its reliability...some people have boot-up problems, while others think its flawless. I need a PSU with long cables for the P180 case, enough power for my components and something in the price range of the Liberty.

I've seen some good reviews of the WD HD...but was wondering if there are any better ones you might know.

Other less important things include getting a CPU cooler or using the onboard sound vs. X-Fi. Maybe the CPU cooler is the only one any important.

Should I change the fans that come with the P180?

Sorry for the lengthy post. I just really needed to get all this outta me and start to decide. Any advice or suggestions are most appreciated!

 

[Bobthelost]

Looks like you know what you're doing.

The liberty is fine imo.
A non stock HSF would help with OC and noise, but that's your choice as to if it's worth it.
I don't know about the warranty for ATI cards, but the X1900XT is a great card. We just don't know what the 7900 would do in comparison.
DVDRW BenQ 1640 or 1655, wonderful burners. NEC are a close second, 3540 is a good burner when flashed with cracked bios.
Fans on the P180 are fairly good, but you can't control them through the OS, try them out to start with.
Sound is all up to you i'm afraid, i prefer PCI to onboard myself.
Oh and the WD 2500KS is a very fast drive, the hitachi 7k250 is almost identical in terms of performance.

 

[mwmorph]

performance ram? why?
x1900xt is faster if both are same price, get x1900.
fsp 450w is $50 and has a huge load of amps on all rails and fsp reliability
I prefer samsung but wd s great too. There realyl isnt any better ro worse in hdd arena, just opinions. WD is faster but samsung has slightly above average speed for class leading quietness and coolness.

dvd drive: nec 3550a or benq. flip a coin.
opteron stock cpu cooler is on par with most performance coolers. just use the opteron stock cooler.
p180 fans are fine, quiet.

for sound card opinions, what is yuor speakers?

 

[Bobthelost]

Performance RAM does offer a good few % improvement, and if you can afford it then it will boost FPS etc.

FSP is not the way here, not for a P180 case and not for what looks like a quiet computing build.

 

[LukeD]

Hey your on the wrong forum asking these questions.. go to http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/index.php">DFI FORUM</a> and ask these guys about your list... That board is a very comlicated and picky piece of machinery. Do some research before buying those components. I just ordered that G.Skill because I heard a lot of good things about it, especially on the Expert board.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
Performance RAM does offer a good few % improvement, and if you can afford it then it will boost FPS etc.

FSP is not the way here, not for a P180 case and not for what looks like a quiet computing build.

with the money saved(ram,psu), he could get a better video card(x1900xtx), which would offer a much much much larger improvement.

there is a memory matrix on the cpu foorums that shows memory adds anywhere from 0-5% performance in most games, the msot was 7% in ut2004 which meant the difference between 160 and 170fps. Ram si tthe worst upgrade dollar for dollar a person can make for a amd 64/opty system.

as for rthe fsp, the 450w has a quiet 120mm fan.