final (?) build-- any last changes needed?

[0gab0ga]

this will be ordered late march / early april (new to this... is there any sort of special april sale i should wait for?) my first build, mostly gaming. dont need to run crysis on max but still i would like most games to look better than / as good as ps3/xbox360
here is what i came up with:
mobo:
asus maximus formula 270$ tigerdirect.com, seen it cheaper but not in stock. might be found for 250 later. expensive but has some great reviews + the lcd screen will make it easier for a noob like me to figure out whats wrong if something happens
cpu:
q6600 G0 stepping from clubit.com 255$
gpu:
evga 8800 gts 512 g92 from newegg think ill go for the one with crysis included 300 - 30mir= 270$
case:
coolermaster 690 = 80$ looking for rebates on it, but no luck
hardrive:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM = 70$ newegg
optical drive:
SAMSUNG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM = 33$ newegg
ram:
G.SKILL 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 = 85$ newegg
psu:
Corsair 520W SLI Certified Modular ATX Power Supply 89$ buy.com **will this be sufficient for the current rig?**
OS:
vista 32 or 64 bit home premium = 100$ newegg

grand total: about 1275$

any changes you think i should make. this is my max budget
any ways to make it cheaper without compromising performance (no ATI / amd please)
can i suspect a price drop on the q6600 when the q9450 comes? or with the gpu when 9800 gx2 and the other models coming soon arrive? probably going to overclock cpu to 3 ghz, but i dont need a new cooler for that right?

thank you for any suggestions (please dont copy paste complete builds like i have seen been done in other threads)

 

[amd_fanboi]

looks good, but i would seriously consider upping the power..

also, do you need an X38 board?

 

[chuckm]

If you like the Antec P182 case, here's a good deal;
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0257446

 

[0gab0ga]

so you dont think the 520w is enough? any sugestions for what i should go for instead?
the p182 is nice but its not so nice i would spend 30$ more on it vs. the cm 690, but thanks for the suggestion.
as for the x38 board i like the lcd feature and ease of use of the maximus formula. will it not be more future proof vs. a p35? or does it not make a huge difference?
and just on the side, the dual ethernet, does that mean i can connect two cables from my broadband so i gain speed? or is it used for something else ?

 

[Shadow703793]

Entire system looks good .520 is more than enough. This is mainly because the 520HX is a very high quality PSU. Try getting a 7200.11 drive, its almost as fast as a Raptor. You might want to drop the Maximus Formula mainly because you probably won't use most of the settings + features. A P35-DS3R/P or p5K-x would be more than enough for you. If you plan to OC get a good CPU cooler.

Dual LAN means you can have 2 network connections.For example, you can connect that computer to your modem with 1 ethernet cable, and then hook up another computer to that computer through the extra ethernet cable so it can access the internet.

 

[chuckm]

The P182 is $10 cheaper after MIR. I would have a hard time deciding myself, just thought I'd throw the Antec out there for ya'

 

[massih]

Try a coolermaster 600 watt or higher.
X38 is not an importent thing go for better vga!

 

[betunn]

I think it'll be enough. I have a P4 3.0 ghz and BFG 8800GTOC. on an 500W Antec Earthwatts and have no problems with overheating or insuffiecient power. Also P4's consme more power than Q6600.

 

[0gab0ga]

just to be clear, dual lan will not give me better internet connection, but allow me to connect another computer through this one or transfer data and stuff.
i still like the maximus formula though. hmm?
better vga? do you mean graphics? i dont know what could be much better. gtx or ultra is too expensive for little gain

this hdd is 7200.11
http://clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A3476921
and not too expensive, anyone know any stats to show its worth the extra cash (storage capacity is not big thing, this ones larger than the one above)

 

[fjabad]

I agree with ditching the asus maximus.

What is it about the board that you really need?

A p35 chipset would serve just as good at a much lower cost.

 

[massih]

I think a jetway p35 SLI/CF is enough in under $100.same qualiy and solid capaciters.

 

[0gab0ga]

i basically chose the maximus formula because of these reasons:
it is x38 so it is generally more futureproof with its pci-e 2.0, 1600mhz fsb etc. planning on upgrading graphics in a year or two and maybe cpu after the nehalems come so i can get the q9xxx series cheap (if it proves to give significant performance gain over the q6600. what other cpu's will come over the next year?). i hope this system will last about 3 years before it needs a total redo.

and to that the fact that it is top of the line with a low failure rate and the extra features, like lcd screen, cmos reset button, e-z flash bios updater should i need bios update before i get the build up and running, this makes me feel better about using it for a first time build since i know i will be able to figure out what is wrong myself. (dont really know any experienced builders that can help me)

the gigabyte p35 ds3L is cheap, but its getting old and while it is sufficient now, i was thinking it might not be in 2-3 years. 170$ extra seemed like a good idea to invest. as for the pci-e 2.0 vs pci-e 1.0, i know it wont make difference today, maybe not with the 9800 series either, but i suspect the one after that will need 2.0..?

however, i see your points and the 170$ are well saved, but if thats the reason why the buidling process becomes a nightmare, i dont know.
my fear is that the 170$ i save now will have to be spent later anyway, but i dont know exactly what the next couple of years will bring with them of technology

also i think ill go with the 620w version of the psu for 30$ more, just to be on the safe side and too add to the future proof-ity of the build. is this worth the cash?

 

[Shadow703793]

I think a jetway p35 SLI/CF is enough in under $100.same qualiy and solid capaciters.

NEVER. JetWay motherboards are of poor quality.

Try a coolermaster 600 watt or higher.
X38 is not an importent thing go for better vga!

NEVER. CoolerMaster is of low quality too. Listed in Tire 4 (Not Recommended) here:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

Why do you recommend such low quality products?

 

[Shadow703793]

i basically chose the maximus formula because of these reasons:
it is x38 so it is generally more futureproof with its pci-e 2.0, 1600mhz fsb etc. planning on upgrading graphics in a year or two and maybe cpu after the nehalems come so i can get the q9xxx series cheap (if it proves to give significant performance gain over the q6600. what other cpu's will come over the next year?). i hope this system will last about 3 years before it needs a total redo.

and to that the fact that it is top of the line with a low failure rate and the extra features, like lcd screen, cmos reset button, e-z flash bios updater should i need bios update before i get the build up and running, this makes me feel better about using it for a first time build since i know i will be able to figure out what is wrong myself. (dont really know any experienced builders that can help me)

the gigabyte p35 ds3L is cheap, but its getting old and while it is sufficient now, i was thinking it might not be in 2-3 years. 170$ extra seemed like a good idea to invest. as for the pci-e 2.0 vs pci-e 1.0, i know it wont make difference today, maybe not with the 9800 series either, but i suspect the one after that will need 2.0..?

however, i see your points and the 170$ are well saved, but if thats the reason why the buidling process becomes a nightmare, i dont know.
my fear is that the 170$ i save now will have to be spent later anyway, but i dont know exactly what the next couple of years will bring with them of technology

also i think ill go with the 620w version of the psu for 30$ more, just to be on the safe side and too add to the future proof-ity of the build. is this worth the cash?

Note that YOU WILL NEED A COMPLETE CPU and MOTHERBOARD overhaul if you plan on getting any Nehalm chips. Nehalm will be different socket,etc. It should be released end of this year and should become mainstream next year and after.

 

[0gab0ga]

looking at reviews/forums all over the place. i must say people seem to be having alot of problems with the Ga p35 ds3l paired with q6600 and e8400. i dont know if this is because it cant handle the power or the bios isnt good enough, but when it only has one pci-e slot too, and no raid, thats just not good enough for a system intended to last three years with a few updates. in 3 years time i will have to buy another mobo as you say if i have the need to upgrade to the nehalem. so i am thinking i should try to find something in between the two. any sugestions? is 750i an option (even though i am not going sli , at least not this year)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131232