New System Build Please Rate/Advise

Hi there, I've been swaying back and forth lately a ton about buying a system vs buying two systems (lower quality) or what to do... and I haven't really figured anything out.

Here's what I'm currently looking at getting:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 534 RC-534-KKN2-GP Black Aluminum & Mesh bezel / SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6811119106
$49.99

GIGA BYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6813128050
$129.99


EVGA 256-P2-N615-TX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6814130062
$89.99

Antec NeoPower NeoHE 550 ATX12V 550W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6817103941
$99.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 Allendale 2.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E4400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6819115014
$125.99


G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6820231098
$88.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6822148140
$74.99

M icrosoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black USB Ergonomics Keyboard Mouse Included - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6823109156
$21.99

A cer AL2016WBbd Black 20" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6824009108
$179.99

LITE-ON Combo Drive Black SATA Model SHC-52S7K-05 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6827106040
$24.99

A SUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/product/prod [...] 6827135143
$19.99

Total: $906.89
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Her e are a few questions I have:

1. How does the Coolermaster Centurion 534 case compare performance-wise to the Antec 900 series or the P180.
2. Is that PSU overkill?
3. If I upgrade to an 8800GTS 320 would that PSU be enough?
4. There's a 430W Thermaltake on Newegg for $40 that has 1300+ reviews which looks appealing... would that sufficiently power this build?
5. If I got that 430W psu would it power an 8800GTS 320 on top of that? (If I upgrade)
6. Is there any way to reduce cost without reducing quality?
7. Overall do you see any flaws in my thinking for this build? I have nothing like kb/mouse/opticals or anything to add to it, so I do need to purchase them all.
8. Will the CPU/GPU selected be enough to run the games I play (Listed below) at a good framerate, if not a good resolution?

I'm pretty set on Intel for the CPU type, I want to be able to get a Quad core in the future, and the board I've chosen will allow for that.

The RAM I'm pretty set on as well, I don't really want to spend more on memory, and that stuff gets good reviews.

Here's a short list of some of the games I play (Or will play):
1. Oblivion
2. Battlefield 2
3. Half Life 2
4. CS:S
5. WoW
6. C&C 3
7. SC2 (Wishful thinking... knowing Blizzard it'll be 2010 before it hits shelves)
8. Titan Quest - Immortal Throne
9. Various other older games, and whatever cool new rpg/rts titles seem to come out in the near future.

Another note, I do love having two optical drives, but didn't know if the second DVD was necessary... I just figured for the couple extra dollars it cost (above a regular CD drive) it was worth it.

As for the total cost, it may seem high given the components, but I do have to purchase a monitor and that's something I don't really want to skimp on too much.

Budget for this is kind of whatever... I wanted to keep it close to 900, which I did, I can't really see spending an extra $200 just to get an 8800 video card.

Anyways, thanks for looking, if I left anything out let me know, and also if I was unclear about something please ask.

I feel real bad for making so many posts asking for build advice when I can't seem to just buckle down and buy a system, but better safe/well informed than un-happy with my purchase... right?

Also forgot to add that all this has to be from Newegg, because I don't like multi-site ordering, and also because they've given me a hefty financing allowance with 6 months no interest

1. How does the Coolermaster Centurion 534 case compare performance-wise to the Antec 900 series or the P180.

I'd suggest giving your card some room and get a full tower case. But the Centurion and the Antecs are good cases.

2. Is that PSU overkill?

No, stick with that 550. The GTS requires a min of 400 watts so stick with that 550.

3. If I upgrade to an 8800GTS 320 would that PSU be enough?

I'd suggest upgrading to that GTS now and save you from inevitibly doing it a few months down the line anyways. And yes, that PSU, the 550, will be enough

4. There's a 430W Thermaltake on Newegg for $40 that has 1300+ reviews which looks appealing... would that sufficiently power this build?

For reasons i stated in question 2, stick with the 550.

5. If I got that 430W psu would it power an 8800GTS 320 on top of that? (If I upgrade)

Refer to question 2

6. Is there any way to reduce cost without reducing quality?

Hmmm. 1st off axe that second optical drive. It reduces how many devices you have that PSU powering and you don't need two drives that do the EXACT same thing. I can understand if you had it for specific work reason but it just seems a waste of bay space and power. Take that saved cash and get a E6550 CPU instead of that E440.

7. Overall do you see any flaws in my thinking for this build? I have nothing like kb/mouse/opticals or anything to add to it, so I do need to purchase them all.

If you bumped your budget to about $1100 you can add a few better things. Get a bigger case, maybe a Thermaltake armor, and get that GTS 320. Or go wireless with your opticals instead of corded. Or imporantly beef up your cpu to a E6750 or a E6850. Up to you.

8. Will the CPU/GPU selected be enough to run the games I play (Listed below) at a good framerate, if not a good resolution?

CPU should be good but look into bumping it up to something above 2.30 maybe. Look into how you can get a GTS and you should be fine. DONT get a 8600GT. Waste of cash as they are budget cards and will perfom like budget cards.