First Build In 5+ Years,

[Dorsalphin]

Okay, so I'm finally upgrading my PIII 500 32mb tnt2 ultra machine. It's been a looooooong time, but I've tried to do my research before posting. So here it goes.

Here's what I'm looking at right now.

AMD 3500+ 90nm
Mobo?? -- Undecided, maybe the new DFI board. Maybe the older Asus A8N? I'm undecided on SLI, but i'm definitely going the PCI-e route.
Ram: I know AMD's run fine on value ram. Anyone see any problem with this
6800gt pci-e (maybe BFG)
NEC 3520 Dvd burner -- everyone seems to be buying these on Newegg, but from what I see, they're all OEM. What software are you guys using and where are you getting it from?
73gb raptor
250 or 300 mb Maxtor w/16mb cache
Hauppauge pvr-150 or 250 (does anyone who uses these care to comment on whether I should go with beyond tv or sage tv?)
Lian Li v1100 or v1200 -- Can somebody help me decide between these two?
PSU -- Don't really know what I want. I understand the V1100 is somewhat limited in what PSU will fit.



I've never overclocked, and probably wont... at least not for a while.

What I really need help with is which of the two cases to go with, and then which PSU to use. Also, does anyone know whether or not Monarch ships retail or OEM lian-li cases?

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

 

[gobucks]

I am using the corsair value ram, and it's fine. However, go for the CAS2.5 versus the CAS3. In fact, at newegg, it's actaully cheaper for the better stuff ($135 when i bought it). Also, overclocking with these new chips is pretty damn safe, I have my 3000+ running at 2.25GHz right now with absolutely no problems. Personally I wouldn't see any reason to buy anything above a 3200+, but maybe that's just me. Oh, and many people, including myself, have had issues with the Diamondmax 10 drives on NF4 boards. There seems to be a compatibility issue, it might be just bios related, i'm not sure. The drives will just dissappear from the bios, and changing ports or cables does not help. I'd just grab the raptor, then wait for 1) the issue to be resolved or 2) Seagate releasing GOOD Barracuda 7200.8 drives with 16MB buffers. Finally, on the PSU, don't skimp. You should make sure you are getting a 24-pin ATX2.0 PSU, preferably with a power rating of 450W-550W. I like my Vantec 520W Stealth, it's only like $90, and i've heard good things about Antec's Neopower and OCZ's Modstream units. Steer clear of the X-Connects. Everything else looks great.

 

[Dorsalphin]

Thanks gobucks. I didn't even realize that I had linked the cas 3.0! I didn't really want to start another "help me with my build" thread, but I'm relieved I did. I'm not sure if I would've caught that if you hadn't pointed it out.

Anyone with either of those lian li cases have any opinions. I'm assuming I can't really go wrong with either one, but I'd like to hear opinions on which to choose and why.