Home-Theater Workstation - Final Revision

[Pacal]

I've probably posted these system specs enough times now that I should be able to make a confident purchase; but there are a couple questions I'd like to finalize.

H T W S v 2 . 0
Sharp AQUOS 42" LC-42D64U LCD
Lian Li PC-C32-B Case
Seasonic M12 SS-700HM 700W PSU
Asus Maximus Formula Intel x38 Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4Ghz CPU
Corsair XMS2 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR2-800
EVGA GeForce 8800GT@650Mhz 512MB HDCP Ready Video Card
Seagate Barracuda ES.2 4TB (4 x 1TB)
LG GGW-H20L Lightscribe 4x Super Multi Blueray Disc Rewriter w/SF&BD RTL
Creative Labs X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1
MS Windows Vista 64-Bit Ultimate
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF
Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse
Looking for best Wireless and Ergonomic Keyboard + Mouse


A) Looking for the fastest stick of 2GB DDR2 I can find with good timings from a reputable company using quality components. Here's a list from Newegg to get an idea of what's available:

CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 #TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX
Timing: 5-5-5-18
$230

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 #PDC24G6400LLK
Timing: 4-4-4-12 @ 2.2V
$240

G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2-1000 #F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ
Timing: 5-5-5-15 @ 2.0-2.1V
$169.99

GeIL 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2-1066 #GX24GB8500EBPDC
Timing: 5-5-5-15
$229.99


The Patriot has better timings and price-tag but I don't know anything about the company or the quality of products they churn out. G.Skill and Geil's DDR2 1000 and 1066 look awesome but there price is less than or equal to the DDR2-800 variety which makes me suspicious.

B) AMD/ATI's RV670 as discussed here at DailyTech. Is AMD's RV670 worth waiting for (Debuting Nov ~19) ? Or will a single 8800GT be enough to drive my 42" display? Its my understanding that the Intel x38 does not scale well with nVidia SLI but benefits greatly from Crossfire due to software/licensing issues with nvidia. I'm concerned that a single GPU won't be able to refresh the large-format screen fast enough to keep up with video games now and tomorrow.

C) I need a secondary optical device or a cheap substitute until the LG's are in-stock. I've heard a lot of bad things about Lite-on, is Samsung the better alternative? Looking for something relatively quiet without throwing compromising on reliability.

Thanks guys-- really.... Been waiting a long time for another personal computer and as everyone here, I just want to be sure my money fetches the best value/performance combination.

~Pacal

 

[DSF]

I don't see why you need a 700W PSU. Even a Corsair 520HX is probably more than you need, and it's half the price of that M12.

 

[jkresh]

B. I would wait for rv670 because while it probably wont be faster then the 8800gt you can run crossfire on the x38 board, and sli has to be hacked to run (also a new nvidia chipset for intel will be out around then and you might want to consider it for sli). So rv670 in crossfire might be a good option (and probably will be less then a 2900xt or 8800gtx).

C. Samsung has some good cheap dvd burners that would be good while you are wiating for the LG.

 

[Pacal]

DSF

I need a PSU that will accomodate this system in full spread, meaning:

6-8 1TB Hard Drives
2 Optical Drives
2 Power Hungry GPU's
Quad-Core CPU

What would you estimate is a more appropriate wattage for this kind of setup?
When I use the various PSU calculators out there, I get some really crazy power requirements and product advice. I thought the Seasonic M12 700W was a good compromise between a lot and too little.

Thanks for stopping by DSF


jkresh

I've waited this long, what's 11 more days... I can't find any good information regarding nVidia's next-gen chipset, but that would be ideal for me. The x38 looks fantastic, but I would expect nVidia to offer atleast that much and then some for their 4th quarter holiday boom.

Have you any information to share on the next gen nvidia chipset...

Thanks for stopping by jkresh