desktop for college core i7 build

[dixon]

budget is around 1200-1500$
i will be using this computer for gaming and solidworks and matlabs software
i will be buying my computer in indonesia so prices will be a bit expensive(a his ati 4870 512mb is 265 us$)
i intend to use my g5 mouse and media keyboard and my x-fi card from my old computer
i did read some i7 build in the other threads
system will be running at default speeds and everything should be done at the end of this month


all of that aside, i have a few questions.
what are the differences between the gigabyte ud4 and ud5 motherboard?do they really have that big of a difference?
what is the difference between the wd caviar green and black series?
should i get an ati 4870 512mb or the 1 gig version or the gtx 260 216?
if i plan to get another graphics card in the future and adding a few cold cathodes, 650 or 750 watts?
i will be using 3x2gb triple channel set rams

 

[fluffmonster]

the WD caviar green saves energy by spinning down to 5400rpm when idle. It will have higher latency than the black and I believe very slightly lower transfer rates.

the 4870 1 gig or the gtx 260-216...its so damn close, i'd just go with lower price. If you do get the ati, find a model with custom cooling if you can to reduce noise.

750W would give you more room for comfort anticipating dual cards, but either way its important to have a good solid PSU with good amps. PSU is the worst place to skimp.

 

[dixon]

ok..so i went to the local retail shop and did some searching and this is what i came out with
processor:i7 920-300us$
mobo:asus p6t-300us$
ramcz 3x2 gb -175us$
vga:His iceq4+hd4870 1 gig-325us$
psu:corsair 750 watt-140us$
HD:wdc caviar black 1tb:125us$
case:thermaltake soprano DX-140us$(http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/...t.aspx?C=1314&ID=1450)
heatsink:noctua nh-u12 1366-65us$(http://www.noctua.at/main.php?...products_id=24&lng=en)
so my question now is will the cooler fit into the case with everything installed?it seems like a very huge cooler(saw it at the retail store in the show computer)