First Time Build! Let me know what you think.....

[CRH7386]

I just ordered everything I need for my new build. This will also be the first complete build I've ever done. I'm very excited! Let me know what you think of my setup. And if you have anything to share that you think is important for me to know when building, all thoughts are welcome

Here is my build:

Thermaltake ArmorPlus VH6000BWS Black Aluminum / Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 120mm 2-ball UFO Bearing / Transparent CPU Cooler (w/ ZEROtherm ZT100 Thermal Grease)

XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Intel Motherboard

Crucial Ballistix 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)

2 x MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB

Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM SATA 1.5Gb/s Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad (Red) EPS12V 750W Power Supply

HT OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound

Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black

LITE-ON 52X CD Burner Black

Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium

Logitech G11 Silver & Black USB Standard Gaming Keyboard

Logitech G5 2-Tone 7 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Laser Mouse

SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor

I also got 2 free copies of The Witcher with the graphics cards

 

[litlrabi]

I like what I see. I would change the HSF to the Xigmatek HDT-S1283, or the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, plus a fan.

Also, think about changing at least the second drive to a WD 640GB (WD6400AAKS). Performance rivals that of the raptor. You could change both to the 640GB, and have that much more space.

 

[CRH7386]

I think I'm happy with the HSF I picked, but I'll check those out. As for the hard drive, I'm fine with 500GB storage right now. I got the 150GB 10,000 RPM drive for programs and games cause it will load a little faster. I also have an external hard drive so I'm not too worried about space. Even 500GB seems like a lot to me right now. And I can always add another drive later too. Thanks for the advice

 

[litlrabi]

There is still more benchmarking to be done, but the WD 640GB so far is right up there with the Raptor in terms of performance. Also it is very quiet and cool, not to mention $20-30 cheaper than the Raptor. If those attributes aren't important, stick with the Raptor.

I've heard some scuttlebut that a new Raptor will be coming out, so you might want to investigate that, especially if you have time before making your build.

 

[CRH7386]

I've looked around and the WD 640GB seems to have some really nice performance from the reviews I read. Even better than the Raptor for most things. I don't really want to wait anymore considering I've been planning this since like October of last year, so I took your advice and I'm getting 2 640GB WD drives to put in raid 0. Thanks again for the advice

 

[hc5831]

lol, scuttlebut. That has to be the 1st time I've seen that word actually used.

I've heard some scuttlebut that a new Raptor will be coming out, so you might want to investigate that, especially if you have time before making your build.