How's this look for a mid-to-high level box?

[Sphexi]

MSI 975X Platinum Mobo
Core Duo E6300
Corsair XMS2 PC26400 2GB
(2) Sapphire X1950PRO (Crossfire)
Highpoint RocketRAID 2300 PCI-Express x1 SATAII
(4) Samsung Spinpoint 250GB SATA 3Gb/s (RAID-5 Setup)
Lite-On DVD+/- DL Burner
Sound Blaster Xi-Fi XtremeGamer Fatality
CM Stacker case
Some sort of 600-700w PSU (multiple 12v rails obviously, hopefully modular cables)


At this point I'm still looking for a TV tuner card, I want something that'll accept HDTV broadcasts, hopefully a dual-tuner to boot, but haven't found one I'm 100% sold on yet. This is going to be my main gaming machine, as well as watching/recording TV a bit. I do some video editing (home movies mostly), and I'll probably OC the 6300 a little bit. What sucks is the stuff I just listed above comes to something like $2400CDN from almost every source up here in Canada, if I order everything but the case from Newegg, get it shipped to someone in the states, have them reship it, and then pay all the border fees, it'll STILL save me like $250US over what I would pay up here.

Any suggestions on the TV card, or anything to change above? I want a mobo with the two PCI slots, as I really want a stand-alone sound card, and a TV tuner, and haven't seen any PCI-Express ones yet. Other than that I'm pretty flexible on options

 

[Gautama2]

Are you sure you want the Fatality version? You can get the same quality sound from the normal Xtremegamer or a Xtrememusic. All the fatality adds is the front I/O panel and X-Ram, which is only used in about 2 games and gives fps gains of a whopping 4 fps in those games.

For PSU, I recommend the 620w Corsair

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: Gautama2
Are you sure you want the Fatality version? You can get the same quality sound from the normal Xtremegamer or a Xtrememusic. All the fatality adds is the front I/O panel and X-Ram, which is only used in about 2 games and gives fps gains of a whopping 4 fps in those games.

For PSU, I recommend the 620w Corsair

I like the I/O panel options, as I may end up plugging a bunch of stuff into it and don't feel like moving that big bulky case around a lot. I also picked the different comps based on what was available from online retailers up here in Canada, there's a LOT less options

 

[acegazda]

First of all, xfire x1950 pro will cost as much as a 8800gts, so just get that.
Second of all, how much ram? 2gb?
Third of all, don't get the fatality, just stick with the xtrememusic
Fourth of all, best buy has the Antec p180 case for $80, not bad. May want to check it out, but this is more opinion.
Fifth of all, You don't need 700w, you don't need 600w either if you go with the 8800gts. Get the enhance 5150gh. Here's why:
?Superior build quality: uses teapo capacitors that don't deteriorate in heat and have good longevity.
?Quiet: 80% efficiancy, so it doesn't produce a lot of heat. Less heat=less fan use=less noise.
?Price: Only $80 shipped from ewiz. Good deal for a 500w psu putting out 35amps on the 12v rails<----sweet
Sixth of all: Since you won't be getting xfire, you can get a different mobo, a superior mobo, a p5b deluxe mobo.
Don't know about tv tuner cards, but doesn't the new theater 650 pro have hd capabilities? I can't find any pci-e ones though...
That shouldn't change your price any... hope this helped!

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: acegazda
First of all, xfire x1950 pro will cost as much as a 8800gts, so just get that.
Second of all, how much ram? 2gb?
Third of all, don't get the fatality, just stick with the xtrememusic
Fourth of all, best buy has the Antec p180 case for $80, not bad. May want to check it out, but this is more opinion.
Fifth of all, You don't need 700w, you don't need 600w either if you go with the 8800gts. Get the enhance 5150gh. Here's why:
?Superior build quality: uses teapo capacitors that don't deteriorate in heat and have good longevity.
?Quiet: 80% efficiancy, so it doesn't produce a lot of heat. Less heat=less fan use=less noise.
?Price: Only $80 shipped from ewiz. Good deal for a 500w psu putting out 35amps on the 12v rails<----sweet
Sixth of all: Since you won't be getting xfire, you can get a different mobo, a superior mobo, a p5b deluxe mobo.
Don't know about tv tuner cards, but doesn't the new theater 650 pro have hd capabilities? I can't find any pci-e ones though...
That shouldn't change your price any... hope this helped!

Actually, two Sapphire X1950PRO cards would run about $370, a 8800GTS is $430 or so currently, and since a CF X1950PRO setup runs just around the same level as a X1950XTX (little higher on some games), I'd have similar performance to a 8800GTS. Plus, ATI has been good to me, so I'd kinda like to stick with them if at all possible.

We don't have Best Buys all over up here, closest one is in Vancouver, which is a $60 ferry ride and several hours from me. I'll end up getting the case/PSU/LCD from NCIX.com most likely, I'll keep the Antec in mind though, I've always liked their products.

ewiz will ship up here, but they charge a LOT, and that's not counting custom/duty fees at the border. Cheaper to get it shipped to a friend, then have it reshipped via USPS.

Thanks for the suggestions

 

[acegazda]

dual gfx is hot, loud and power consuming. That's why I always recommend similarly performing single card solutions. You could always get the x1950xtx for $380 shipped @ zzf. I think they ship internationally for free...

EDIT: nvm, prolly not and it's on back order... point is, there are x1950xtx's to be had for ~the same as 2 x1950pros.

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: acegazda
dual gfx is hot, loud and power consuming. That's why I always recommend similarly performing single card solutions. You could always get the x1950xtx for $380 shipped @ zzf. I think they ship internationally for free...

EDIT: nvm, prolly not and it's on back order... point is, there are x1950xtx's to be had for ~the same as 2 x1950pros.

That's true, I just liked the single slot cards better, and I thought the XTX's were a bit more still. I've already checked, ZZF doesn't ship outside the US anymore, as of like a year ago ....no decent online retailer does, the ones that do overcharge for shipping.

 

[Sphexi]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133154

How about this for a case, anybody have/seen one? I like the full drive bays on the front, giving the option for either type of drive or just faceplates. Likely I'd just have the one optical drive, but I may put a fan controller in there, and I'll have 4+ harddrives more than likely.