A Conroe Build to be able to take around

[zrawas]

Hi,

I go to college in the U.S. but i live abroad, so i would like to have a build that I can take around when i go back home. This will mostly be used for college work, occasional gaming. I was thinking of something like this (budget around $2k):

APEVIA (ASPIRE) X-QPACK Case with PSU
ASUS P5B-VM Socket T
eVGA 256-P2-N615-TX Geforce 7600GT
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600
Patriot 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 CAS 4
2* Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB in RAID 0.
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1
Arctic Silver 5
ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU
Logitech Z-5450
LITE-ON Drive with LightScribe
SAMSUNG 225BW Black 22" 5 ms

Here's what I want to make sure: Will all these components fit into that tiny case or am I asking for too much?

Is there a better MicroATX case that is still portable (maybe take it on the plane) or am I doomed to only using laptops?

Thanks.

 

[zrawas]

Thanks for the reply. I know what you're saying about the PSU and I had the same worry, i wasn't sure if a normal PSU would fit into that case... would it?

 

[zrawas]

Alright. How about this for a PSU: Antec TRUEPOWERII TPII-550 ATX12V. It's kinda pushing the budget but i won't skimp out on the PSU.

 

[zrawas]

Thanks so much for the responses. Apparently, the PSU that comes with the case has two 12V rails: 14A and 16A. I think that should be sufficient. I was actually having second thoughts about this but now i think i'm gonna go for it. Have a good weekend.

 

[rwaritsdario]

I couldnt find a mATX PSU that was powerful enough to hold you off. But a modular PSU would be the best for a mATX. This Antec NeoHE 430W is a very nice PSU with triple 12v rails. The NeoHE series comes in lower wattage if im breaking your budget but I think this would be better for future upgrades.
EDIT: You should check the dimensions of a standarn compared to a regular PSU. Check if it fits in the case without much trouble too.

The problem with this motherboard (wich seems to be the best for C2D mATX) doesnt allow alot of overclocking. Only some light to mid OCing.
Therefore the HSF and the high end memory youve picked would go to waste.
Given that you wont be able to overclock alot I would drop the memory to 667 CL4 and drop the aftermarket HSF for now (you would have some trouble with it anyways because things are closer together in mATX mobos). With this money I would get a E6700 and try some light OCing, youll will hit 3Ghz with some luck on stock cooling.

Another problem is that the motherboard doesnt support RAID configurations for internal drives, just one external and one internal. Download the mobos manual to get some info on this. It can simply be fixed by getting a controller card but better check twice before spending on that.
Getting a single 500GB or 750GB would solve this but it would be more expensive and without the performance boost of the RAID configuration.

I would consider the GA-965GM-S2 too. If it offers better overclockabilty and two internal HDD in a RAID config ild go for it.