Newb sytem build; what do you think?

[ThaIronChef]

I'm sure everyone is getting a little sick of these by now, so I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out (and reading this far). I am new to this forum but not forums in general. I am well aware of using the search button for info. This computer will be used for gaming, movies, and music mostly. I would like to try my hand at overclocking as well. With that said, let me list my prospective components for you guys to give me some feedback on:

Speakers: Logitech Z5500
Headphones: AudioTechnica ATH-A500
Keyboard: Logitech G15
Mouse: Logitech G5
Case: Silverstone TJ06
Power Supply: OCZ Powerstream 520W - Should I go higher voltage? Different brand?
GPU: Saphire X1900XTX
Motherboard: ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe - Not planning on going dual GPU's ATM, would A8R32-MVP be better because it was designed for ATI? I want good OCing potential that is newb friendly.
CPU: Opteron 170 - Opty 165 a better choice? Are there any steppings I should consider/stay away from for either one?
Sound Card: X-Fi Platinum - Fatal1ty worth the extra cost?
Main/Boot Hard drive: WD 150GB Raptor
Storage HD: WD Caviar 320GB SATA 3.0GB/S
Optical Drive: Plextor 16x DVD Burner PX-740A
Monitor: Alreay purchased (NEC 20wmgx2)

I need some reccomendations on RAM. Not really sure whether to get DDR400 or DDR500, not to mention whether or not to go value ram.

Are there compatabilitiy issues with any of my components? Something that I am missing (like misc. cables etc.) or that I should do differently/better. Once again I appreciate all of the feedback immensely. This is going to be a big step up for me. I'm coming from an el cheapo E-machines. It is quite a bit of money, but I think it will be worth it. This seems like a great forum. It's refreshing to see that not every thread gets turned into a flame war. Thanks again everyone.

-Josh

 

[pkme2]

You've gone with some good items, so going with either Corsair, OCZ, Geil for memory. Don't do the value RAM way. You going to have that computer for a while. The prices are coming down on the best RAM. Go for it.

Since PSU prices are coming down, Fortron, Enermax or Seasonic. Seasonic S-12 600W is around $150. That's a good deal. I believe if you putting that much in your computer deserves the best PSU for the money. I believe more is better and the 600W won't hurt matters.

 

[alimoalem]

i would say go with g.skill extreme ddr500 or corsair XMS ddr500 ram.

i can't say anything about speakers, headphones, keyboards, mice, and sound cards, but for the rest here's what i think:

power supply: seasonic s12 500w, enermax liberty 500w, or a fortron 500w would be better but the powerstream isn't bad
gpu: i would go with the x1900xt. there's isn't a huge difference between the two and the xt can overclock to xtx speeds
motherboard: both are fine. if you don't mine an older board, the epox 9npa+ Ultra is good for sub-$100. but i would say your asus choices are just as good
cpu: good choice but if it's more than $50 more than the 165, i would stick with the 165
main hdd: good choice
storage hdd: good choice
optical: i don't know how plextor is but nec is good too.

your choices are all just as good as my recommendations. these are just other components to consider

enjoy your build and good luck overclocking

 

[LOUISSSSS]

an a8r32 for ati gpu would be better

 

[Ricemarine]

Mmm yeah, for power supply I'd get like a Seasonic S12 500w or a Enermax Liberty 500w...

As in case, make sure the wind tunnel can fit for the mobo.

For steppings on the cpu, there's an opteron thread, or google to find the worst steppings to avoid...

My stepping in my sig is known to be a good ocer.

 

[tropic]

Those are pretty good choices all the way around. The only one I really disagree with is the PX-740A. It's a good drive, but it's just a rebadged BenQ DW-1640 with a prettier faceplate and a x3 price hike. The BenQ DW-1650 is going for $34 at NewEgg right now.

 

[ForumMaster]

good build, but what's the point of buying an Nvidia SLI mobo if you're going to use an ATi card? get a crossfire mobo then. the A8N32-SLI mobo is good, but is designed for nVidia cards.
if you are buying all of this through the egg, check out the combo packs. for example, your mobo gives you a $25 rebate on XMX DDR433 ram. i suppoes you want DDR500 tho...
maybe get two 7900GT's in sli. it'll beat the x1900x you want.

 

[ForumMaster]

good build, but what's the point of buying an Nvidia SLI mobo if you're going to use an ATi card? get a crossfire mobo then. the A8N32-SLI mobo is good, but is designed for nVidia cards.
if you are buying all of this through the egg, check out the combo packs. for example, your mobo gives you a $25 rebate on XMX DDR433 ram. i suppoes you want DDR500 tho...
maybe get two 7900GT's in sli. it'll beat the x1900x you want.

 

[jesusfr3ak4evr]

I agree with all your choices, except the Plextor drive seems a bit over the top.

As for RAM, you can get 2GB of Patriot memory for $130 shipped A/R. There are other hot deals on ram now also.

 

[ThaIronChef]

I just wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who replied; it is a big help! I am planning on ordering either tonight or tomorrow, so if anyone has any other last minute pointers for me feel free to post. Thanks again

 

[Operandi]

Looks good but....

Change the PSU to the Seasonic S12 430 or 500; much better PSU.

Change motherboard to the A8R32-MVP. It?s a slightly better board overall in my opinion, and doesn?t rely on heatpipes to cool the chipset, which tend to not function as well when inverted in a case like the TJ06. It?s also an appropriate match to the 1900XTX.

Change the case to the Lian Li V1100; just a better case.

 

[ThaIronChef]

I am leaning in the direction of the A8R32-MVP due to all of the comments on it. The lian-li case is beautiful indeed; I am just unsure if I want to spend that much. The Seasonic PS also looks very promising. Thanks for the input. Decisions, decisions....

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: ThaIronChef
I am leaning in the direction of the A8R32-MVP due to all of the comments on it. The lian-li case is beautiful indeed; I am just unsure if I want to spend that much. The Seasonic PS also looks very promising. Thanks for the input. Decisions, decisions....

Unless you consider yourself a hardcore gamer you should consider dropping the X-Fi. Integrated audio is has improved a lot recently from a sound quality perspective; especially with some of the recent HD offerings.

As for the V1100 it is expensive but you seem to be going all out so why stop at the case? Another case with promise would be the WaveMaster II which is significantly cheaper yet is all AL and has a very nice feature set.