Hows this for a sub $1500 system?

[Boney]

Case - Sonata II (nice and quiet + good looks)
Mobo - Asus A8N SLI Premium (passive heatpipe)
Ram - OCZ Gold Series 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR400 [2.2.2.5] (quick and cheap)
Video Card - XFX 7800GTX (mid priced 7800 but easy oc)
DVD/CD Burner - Samsung H552U (very quiet)
Sound Card - Audigy 2 ZS (reusing from old system)
HDD - 74gig Raptor and 180gig WD (both reusing from old system)
CPU - Either 4200 or 4600 X2, havent decided yet / leaning towards 4200
Heatsink - Zalman CNPS7000B

Im looking something that can run games very well, multi-task very well, but most of all be NICE AND QUIET and if it runs cool as well thats a plus because powerful comp. + small dorm = a 24/7 heater.

It will only cost me around $400 after i sell my old computer and whatnot.

Any comments or suggestions?

 

[theMan]

get a thermalright xp-90 instead of the zalman. that looks really sweet. why not get a 4400+? you will have extra cash, and be able to overclock it past 4600 easily.

 

[gnumantsc]

Not a bad setup. So you're going to install Linux on it?

 

[Boney]

Thermaltake and Zalman is like comparing Intel vs AMD, Im an AMD guy and a Zalman guy so thats not gonna change there.
As for the 4400+ - I have read MANY MANY reviews that the extra $150 for a little extra cache is just not worth it reguarding the X2's. It is like a 2-5% increase in some applications. and i am trying not to overclock this system to keep it running as cool as possible (but maybe i will be "slightly" tempted in the future) because i want to keep the 24/7 heater effect down.

and no, no penguin for me =(

 

[Boney]

And here is a question maybe someone could answer...... IF i do decide to overclock this a little bit, would it be easier/better for me to get say - DDR500 or some other faster ram that would make overclocking easier or should I stick with the ram i have and hope it does well at faster speeds?

 

[NatePo717]

OCZ is good overclocking ram. If you do plan on overclocking I would go with the DFI nF4 Ultra - D or Epox's nF4 Ultra board. You could also save some money and go with the MSI 7800GTX. It's only 47X at NewEgg too.

 

[Boney]

I have had a little experience with the DFI's before and they are good for major overclocking but I like the Asus ease of use for everything else and I dont plan to go crazy with the overclocking on this system.