Originally posted by: karl yen
I went hunting yesterday and found a case with PSU, its the "Ultra Gladiator ULT33181 ATX Mid-Tower Case - Black, Front USB, FireWire, Audio Ports, 500-Watt V-Series Power Supply" for $79.99 at tigerdirect. However the only concern i have is the PSU, is it sufficient if i'm planning to go for a SLI config later?
So we all kind've roll the dice when it comes to non-top tier case builders though Ultra has really made lots of progress in quality and the such. Like others have said, it's all about features. What are the features about the p182 that really draw you in? If it's the size and the separate cooling chambers, you can get similar capacity (drives and board/component space) from smaller cases and equivalent quiet cooling without the separate cooling chambers. I recommend the Antec Solo, a solid case that fits a lot of components in a small case with great cooling. Check Anand's case review archives, and silentpcreview.com which has lots of great reviews on smaller cases, with a focus on quiet cooling.
As far as power supply, amps, efficiency and watts are important figures, but pay attention to sales, power supplies can experience some impressive bargains.
Proc will be Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz ($279.99) from Newegg.
Video Card: EVGA 8600GTS ($144.99) Newegg
The quad will only get you impressive results if you're looking to do lots of encoding and have a need to do it as fast as can be. If you're watching movies (even HD) and doing some occasional encoding tasks, you can afford to have it take more time and get a faster stock proc (if you can afford the q then I'd grab the e6850, or save $100 and get the c2d sweet spot chip, the e6750). You'll be happier with the faster clock speed and easier overclocking potential of the e6750 than the ability to encode a movie in 12 minutes vs. 17 minutes.
The GTS is a pretty big underperformer for that cost. You should move your money into an 8800GT, but wait till it sits in the $200 range and not the high prices it's flying at right now. Whatever you do though, don't buy an 8600 class or an 8800gts unless it's a big bargan.
What do you guys say about: MoBo: EVGA 122 680i LT ($159.99) from Newegg.
HDD: Seagate Barracuda SATA 250GB ($64.99) Newegg
DVD: LITEON SATA ($33.99) Newegg.
KB/MSE Kit: Logitech 920 wireless ($79.99) Newegg
Speakers: Logitech THX Z-5300e ($139.99) Newegg
You spends your money where you want, I wouldn't splurge on the wireless keyboard or the speakers, probably aiming instead to spend more on a better display and a good head set. Whichever way you go, enjoy the build and let us know how it goes!
$0.02,
tno