high end system... need help/advice

[andrew77jw]

Ok, so i've decided to build a new rig, and i'm looking for help and advice! My primary goal for this new PC is for a really nice gaming PC. I have several other pc's/laptops for other stuff, so my main concern is just gaming.
also, i'm missing a power supply atm and need help with that... I've seen options that have 6 pin and 8 pin PCIe connectors, and not sure what i'd need. Also, i may upgrade to SLI in the near future, so please keep that in mind when helping me with picking a good PSU. (I have no clue what wattage to look for)

Oh, also, I'd like a good way to keep this stuff cool. The case has decent fans, but any suggestions on a non stock CPU fan (Such as ASUS Arctic Square 92mm Vapo Bearing CPU Cooler or anything else?) or anything else I could do to keep this cool, esp if I decide to overclock it one day.

Case
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

Motherboard
ASUS P5N32-E SLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX

CPU
Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775

RAM
Patriot eXtreme Performance 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit

Video Card
MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP

Hard Drive
Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD 150GB 10,000 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150

DVD Burner
Black LITE-ON 20x DVD +/- R / RW / DL with Lightscribe

Power Supply
????

Additional Cooling
????


All help and suggestions are appreciated! Thanks much!

 

[emp]

SLI PSU GOD:

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Black) EPS12V 750W Continuous @ 40°C (825W Peak) Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, ULC, CE,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

It's also available on "Copper" color, but I prefer the black. This is pretty much THE ****.

And CPU HSF:

Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001&Tp k=tuniq%2btower%2b120

Another item that can only be described as THE ****.

Two things I don't like about your setup, the Raptor X and the Ultra

On the raptor X, it offers the same performance as the Raptor (EXACTLY the same) except that it has a transparent window, why would anyone pay even $1 more for this is beyond me.

On the Ultra, it's pretty much an OC'ed GTX, which you can do yourself and save around $130-150 on that one. Yes, even the shaders.

EVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130072

 

[andrew77jw]

Do you think that power supply will be enough watts for my rig? Even if shortly down the road I add another ultra + physics card in SLI and OC my Q6600?

Oh, and as a side note, I plan to get the 64bit vista home premium... any thoughts on that instead of the 32 bit?

 

[baddad]

If I were going to be sticking an 8800 GTX in a case I would use this one for more room and better cooling.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133020

I would use this power supply because of the modular wiring.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153038

And I would use this CPU cooler until you go SLI then I would Water cool.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

 

[Onus]

I agree with everything Emp said. There might be "alternatives," but nothing I would claim to be "better" regarding the PSU.
Since you're stressing cooling, to o/c the GPU yourself makes more than just economic sense. That case looks great for cooling.
Since you're not planning on an initial overclock, you might go for a e6850 CPU instead.
As to the O/S, get WinXP Pro64. You'll need a 64-bit O/S to use all of your RAM, and Vista isn't ready yet.

 

[GenericName]

I ordered the same motherboard as you - should be in today with all the rest of it. Anyhow the customer comments are RAM is picky on this board. I do see Patriot on the Asus QVL list but the part number is "PSD21G5332" 1024 Stick and its verified to work up to 4 Gigs.

I chose (2) OCZ Titanium 1T 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) EPP Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2T8002GK


Also reviewers are finding the Ultra isn't so Ultra afterall. Save some money and get the Superclocked EVGA GTX:

EVGA 768-P2-N835-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SUPERCLOCKED HDCP Video Card


For Powersupply you should go SLI ready since your board supports SLI when you are ready to get a 2nd graphics card

I chose the Tagan TG1100-U96 ATX12V / EPS12V 1100 Watts Power Supply

 

[GenericName]

Here's a case with removable tray and SLI ready as well:


COOLER MASTER Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Review Link:

http://www.modders-inc.com/reviews-story--126.html

 

[vertigo_2000]

Do you think that power supply will be enough watts for my rig? Even if shortly down the road I add another ultra + physics card in SLI and OC my Q6600?

Oh, and as a side note, I plan to get the 64bit vista home premium... any thoughts on that instead of the 32 bit?

Save your money on the physics card... it's not worth it... not enough games support it's use and the ones that do aren't exactly flying off the shelf.

 

[andrew77jw]

awesome.... thanks much for everyone thats replied.

But since i'm spending over 2k on this... i'll gladly accept more suggestions! =]

 

[skittle]

pick a different brand of DVD burner... lite-on makes them loud and obnoxiously faulty.. coasters here and there.

Try a pioneer, samsung or well sony is good but im no longer a sony fan.

 

[grieve]

I would get a 1000W PSU, not only can you run two 8800gtx but in the future should you get two more power hungry gfx cards youll be ok.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/psu/429/