1st Build since 1999 - Need opinions

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1st Build since 1999 - Need opinions

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Author	Thread : 1st Build since 1999 - Need opinions

dithwheelon

Profile: stranger

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01-28-2008 at 06:21:58 PM

Sorry about posting yet another new build post. But I need your opinions and suggestions. The last build I did was in 1999 and I'm not completely up-to-date with the new technology. Let me first say that I'm not a huge gamer. I'm planning on trying games like Oblivion and Word In Conflict. I'm also wanting to watch HD movies. I already own a Gateway 24" widescreen HD LCD display and am dieing to see it in its HD glory. Lastly, I'm in a wheelchair so I can't use tower cases because of limited arm reach. That's why I'm choosing an HTPC case. I do a bit of work at home so I need the five harddrives for redundacy. Well, here it goes:

GIGABYTE GA-X38-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard - $199.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 - $219.99
COOLER MASTER CM Media RC-282-KKN1-GP ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - $159.99
SAPPHIRE 100221SR Radeon HD 3870 X2 - $449.00
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GGC-H20L - $299.99
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (5@$104.99) - $524.95
COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro1000 RS-A00-EMBA - $249.99 (Overkill?)
Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 - $110.99
ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink - $44.99
COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 BLUE LED LED Case Fan (3@$9.99) - $29.97

All of the prices are from Newegg.com. Are there any changes I should make? Thanks for your help.

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sprucebr1

Intel all the way!
Profile: member

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01-28-2008 at 07:05:31 PM

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This looks good to me. One thing I question is the RAM. Do you really need 1066Mhz DDR2? cause if not, you could save a bunch on the RAM and just get 800Mhz DDR2. Just a thought, and yeah the Power supply is a little much. You really don't need a 1000watts, try a Corsair or Enermax PSU (like 650 - 800watt). Other than that it looks good.

warezme

Profile: old hand

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01-28-2008 at 07:43:52 PM

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dithwheelon wrote :

SAPPHIRE 100221SR Radeon HD 3870 X2 - $449.00

WOW, 1999, and your still going to get an ATI card, man have you learned nothing...???? :pfff:

LOL!, just kidding, you have done some good research and it looks like a solid system. May I recommend a Q6600 @ 3.2Ghz, 1600FSB, and Patriot Memory. I have grown very fond of this memory as it has out lasted 2 sets of Corsair XMS2 Extreme sets.

I think you will be very happy with all your new goodies, enjoy.

---------------
Evga 780i SLI : Q6600 @ 3.5Ghz :8800GTX x 2 SLI 649/2052 :4GB XMS2 Dominator 4-4-4-12 900 :XFi Fatal1ty :150GB WD Raptor :500GB Seagate 16MB x2 :Eheim + Danger Den :Lian Li PC V1000 (black) :BFG 1Kw PS :37" Westinghouse 1080p 8ms :XP32bit :Vista64bit

WR2

Profile: Faithful Poster

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01-28-2008 at 08:57:18 PM

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dithwheelon wrote :

WD Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (5@$104.99) - $524.95
COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro1000 RS-A00-EMBA - $249.99 (Overkill?)

CM Real Power Pro1000 has a nice $60 rebate at the moment which makes the final price $190 with is LESS than the 850watt model. CM Real Power Pro 750watt also has a nice $50 rebate till 31Jan that drops the final price to $80. At that price it's less expensive than the 650watt model I would have recommended.

Five of the WD HDs is also a bit of "overkill" - you only need 3HDs for a RAID 5 array.
How about getting 4 and using the $105 savings plus a bit of the savings on from the PSU option to get yourself an APC UPS backup power unit $150.

I liked the rest of your choices.

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