Hello there I have been a long time reader of the forums here and have yet to post anything significant or contributing to the site, but please don't take this to heart as I ask for your guidance in making new rig in Japan.

I have been here for a few years now and lived my first year using a macbook while my gaming rig was sitting in Australia gathering dust. A good friend of mine disassembled it and bubble wrapped the parts, stuck them into the lian-li case and sent them over. I then built it again from scratch and overclocked the video card and cpu a little bit as I only had stock fans.

This is my old computer:

CPU = P43.2GHz OC'd to 3.52GHz
RAM = Corsair 3200 1.5GB
MOBO = Gigabyte something or other
CASE = Lian-li 60
GPU = Radeon 9600pro 256mb AGP OC'd to 576Mhz
HDD = Maxtor 120Gb + ext. Buffalo 500Gb
Screen = 32v Sony Bravia LCD

Now that was my first time building a computer and I was still in college then and the funds were a little tight, now I am working fulltime I would like to put together something that I feel I haven't cut corners on.

This is my proposal and also the prices in Japan at the moment for each piece.

CPU - Core2Quad Q9450 @ 2.66GHz FSB 1333 12Mb CACHE = 37,980yen

MOBO - ASUSTek Striker II Formula = 40,480yen

Memory - Twin 2x4096-8500 CEDF XMS2-8500 2GB*2 CL5 (Corsair Dominator) = 17,980yen x 2?

HDD - ST31000340AS - 1TB 7200rpm SerialATA 32MB Seagate = 21,840yen
WD1500ADFD - 150GB 10000rpm SerialATA 16MB = 21,420yen

PSU - Thermaltake W0116-01 ToughPower 750W = 29,800yen

GPU - Galaxy GF P98 GX2 - 9800GX2 GDDR3 1GB - core clock 600MHz - mem clock - 2GHz

Case - OWL-PCCG-10 Crystal Gazer - 23,800yen http://www.ark-pc.co.jp/item/OWL-P [...] e/15200440

or

Zalman ZM-GT1000 = 54,800yen
http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/produc [...] sp?idx=188


Notes:
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CPU
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I chose the CPU because it has a larger CACHE that the Q6600 and I have seen people overclock the Q6600 to around 3.2-3.4, so I thought the extra CACHE might help things along. What do you think or recommend?

Cooling
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I need help with cooling because with the graphics card and the raptor HDD etc the rig will run hot, I was thinking some Zalman CPU fans, but then I heard water cooling is the way to go. I have never installed water cooling before so I would have to research more, but if you guys think it is the better option as far as keeping things cold and quite, then that's what I'll buy.

Mobo
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I chose the mobo because I think the layout of the copper heatsinks looks nice and it is a little cheaper than the striker II extreme by about $100.

Memory and OS
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The memory was an easy choice, 4gigs of dominator ram for under $200, I was thinking about getting 8gigs do you think it is worthwhile? I intend to play games, watch HD movies and that is about it really, any thoughts?

On the note of memory, and I know about the 3.25GB limit of XP, do you think 8 gigs and using vista ultimate would be better than 4 gigs and XP pro SP3? I have an OEM copy of Ultimate that I installed for fun on my current rig and it was really slow, I assume because of the ram and other limitation like my GPU.

Would vista ultimate run fast on the proposed rig? I have the OEM edition and was wondering if x64 is included in it. I heard that ultimate has a seperate x64 edition disc included, and mine was not a store copy if you get my drift.

HDD
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ok so for around $200 I can buy a 1TB HDD that runs at 7200 with a 32mb CACHE I was thinking of getting two of these and partitioning one for the OS. Then I was also thinking of getting the 10,000RPM raptor and sticking the OS on that and any game that I would be playing.

Which is a better option and why? The faster driver might make the system run hotter, if so around how much in temp?

GPU
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I know the new generation chip is coming out in summer and I am actually thinking of holding the build off until the new cards hit the market, but for now the card that I would like to have is the 9800GX2. The main reason is that my screen is a 32 inch Sony Bravia LCD and it has HDMI as well as a PC VGA input, so I thought it would make more sense to run the GPU through HDMI.

Is this correct or not? the max resolution of the screen is 1366x968 so native 720p and 1080i, I know for these resolutions the card is a bit overkill but I have read that HDMI looks comparably better than the VGA.

This build comes to about 2,500-$3000 USD that is including a cooling system between $0-$500.

Any suggestions and all advice, comments are welcome and appreciated, thankyou in advance for the knowledge, help and guidance.

Gargamel

That is quite a nice configuration.

My thoughts :
If you want to overclock the Q9450 beyond 3.2GHz go for an ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA. You will loose SLI but you might not need it with GTX 280 / HD4870 and 1366x768. The NVIDIA chipsets have some issues that still need to be resolved so if you wait a bit it might be a good pick anyway.

Your RAM choice is perfect for high FSB overclocks. I would go for 8GB as Vista is a memory hog. But it's useless to go for 8GB if you don't have the 64bit edition.

CASE : this is quite simply the "most silly" choice you made. (IMO)
Keep your LIAN-LI case. Both other cases are rubish compared to it. Depending on price you could also get something new from LIAN-LI.
If you want a cheaper alternative check out the Cooler Master RC-690.

HDD : With a front 120mm intake fan my 2 Raptors are around 30°C (not hot at all) so no worries there. Your backup/storage drive choice is as good as it gets (I'd buy two for RAID1, data redunancy).

Cooling : You need good airflow (120mm front intake, 120mm rear/top exhaust (top for PSU if it's mounted above the motherboard). A good graphics card exhausts the heat from the case so no worries there.

A good CPU cooler is a must : http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 for great value (~$37/33EUR).
Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme + Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F (~$75/70EUR).
You can probably pick any one from the left list and be happy.
If you still want watercooling a Swiftech H20-220 Compact kit or the like would be a cheap entry and would be enough for upto 4.0GHz on the CPU. If you want to spend more consider DIY (D-Tek Fuzion block, Laing DDC pump, ThermoChill PA 120.2 radiator). For more info read this : http://forums.extremeoverclocking. [...] p?t=282232

Your LCDTV will limit SLI benefits so I'd go for a cheaper card or wait until GTX 280/260 or HD48x0 comes out. The 9800GX2 is utter overkill and a gigantic waste of money.

That's about everything I have to say.

Thankyou very much for the insightful reply, I was a bit iffy on the case because the lian-li, however simply it may be, it really great with thumb screws and mounted sliding mobo panel. I will have to try and get a lian-li case over here somewhere.

Graphics card is my main concern, I was wondering if the two entry models of Nvidia's will have HDMI input, I don't like using a dongle from DVI. Thanks for the reply again, I hope I can get some tips on water cooling and weather it is quieter and or better for this build.

My advice is on watercooling is simple.
It's higher maintenence than aircooling. If you don't want the extra hassle of draining purging and refilling your system every 3-6 months go with air.

If you are a "tweaker" and need to play around with your system (I am) you could give watercooling a try. It's quieter with the right components.

But if you are careful with picking a case it's not that big of a difference.
I hear my all-but-CPU passive cooled system (coil) whine under load over the 4x1200rpm Scythe fans.

I've also updated the first post with another link on watercooling parts.

You can get cheaper cards with HDMI adapters (the 2" short ones).
Some manufacturers also make models with HDMI ports but they are harder to find in some places (say backwater Europe).

I was thinking about gettingsome after market heatsinks for the CPU and GPU, the dominator set of ram comes with it's own set of fans (will this be sufficient for overclocking?)

As for the CPU heatsink, I was looking at the new Thermaltake dual orb, it looks pretty and seems to do a decent job, what do you think?

Also I am a wondering about case choices, I know the lian-li is a great case but I was thinking about having something more visable this time around. Any thoughts on something that keeps tempretures down, has thumbscrews similar to the lian-li and has a glass or perspex panel and or entire casing?

Thanks Andrius for your guidance.

Well if you want "bling" try the Antec Nine Hundred (midtower ~$120) or Twelve Hundred (a big monster at ~$220). I'm not sure about thumbscrews but they have windowed sidepanels. Then there's the Coolermaster RC-690 (optiona windowed sidepanel), the NZXT Tempest

Some links : (the CM 590 and 690 have an optional windowed sidepanel)
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews [...] turion_590
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NZXT/Tempest
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sigma/Luna_WB
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Thermaltake/XaserVI
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/CoolerMaster/RC_690

EDIT: I posted a link about the best performing/most silent coolers above.
Here it is again in case you missed it : http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm
The left is "performance" the right is "silence".
Since you want to go with an overclocked quadcore I'd pick one from the left.
The XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 has a "RedScorpion" edition with a red fan that looks flashy. It's an excellent cooler and quite cheap ($37). I have one on an older socket939 Athlon 64 and it's cooled passively.
http://www.xigmatek.com/product/ai [...] ns1283.php
The successor : http://www.xigmatek.com/product/air-achilless1284.php (costs $45).

I'm not sure about the TT dual orb's performance but I wouldn't put form over function on a "hot" quad.

I checked out that XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 Red Scorpion edition and I must say I like that and being red it would go well with the Spider case. I like how the pipes directly touch the CPU, it looks really well made too better than the spinning orbs hehe.

Will I need extra fans for the GPU with the Armorsuit PC-80R?

What else do you recommend me putting in the case? Do you think sound dampening is a waste? Maybe some red cathodes so the Spider glows?

This what I am thinking after taking in the advice above:

CPU - Core2Quad Q9450 @ 2.66GHz FSB 1333 12Mb CACHE = 37,980yen

MOBO - ASUSTek Rampage Formula = 35,980yen

Memory - Twin 2x4096-8500 CEDF XMS2-8500 2GB*2 CL5 (Corsair Dominator) = 17,980yen x 2?

HDD - ST31000340AS - 1TB 7200rpm SerialATA 32MB Seagate = 21,840yen - Storage use
WD1500ADFD - 150GB 10000rpm SerialATA 16MB = 21,420yen - OS use

PSU - Thermaltake W0116-01 ToughPower 750W = 29,800yen

CPU HS - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 Red Scorpion edition = 4,800yen

Case - Armorsuit PC-80R = 70,000yen or so (not sure about this case, it is perfect but the price is stretching my budget.)

Without the case it costs me 187,780yen just under 2k and the case pushing it to 2.5k oh I forgot the GPU lol. One second,

GPU - I agree that the 9800Gx2 is a bit of overkill and will go for the GTX 280 / HD4870 when they come out next month. So I am estimating that they will cost under $500 here in Japan so I need to add another 50,000 yen hmm this is getting expensive when I think about that red case.

So the balance comes out to exactly $3k

I checked out the site for the motherboard and it has a great number of overclocking functions, it's great!

That case is one of a kind in many ways.
I personaly like the A77 more but I'm not really a bling person so that's that. Red cathodes are cheap so you can add them if you like. They won't impact budget alot (about $15 for a quality kit with a switch and two cathodes). I like my case not glowing or at least being able to turn it off.

Make sure you get the backplate and screw mounting kit for the XIGMATEK cooler (~$7).
Crossbow-ACK-I7751 for the Red Scorpion HDT-S1283
http://www.xigmatek.com/product/ac [...] -i7751.php
or
Crossbow-ACK-I7753 for the Achilles HDT-S1284
http://www.xigmatek.com/product/ac [...] -i7753.php

That motherboard(Rampage) should take your Q9450 to about 3.6GHz on stock settings without much tinkering. With the ATI/AMD graphics cards you can also use CrossFire on that board. The GTX 280/260 will likely not be cheap.

PSU: I would get a Corsair, Seasonic, PC Power & Cooling 750W unit.
The TT 750W is good enough for quality but I trust those above more.

Budget:
It's a high performance rig so it costs alot of money. It's the same here in backwater Europe. $3k buys you about what you are getting.
~$500 Q9450
~$360 Rampage Formula
~$375 8GB Corsair Dominator
~$250 150GB WD Raptor
~$300 1TB Seagate 7200.11
~$225 Corsair TX-750W PSU
~$300 Large Quality Tower Case (not Lian-Li).
~$700 for a high level graphics card.
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~$3000 Total. Expensive!

Thank You! I have been looking for this kit for a while an no body seems to know what I was talking about or didn't now about it. Now I can get rid of those cr@ppy pins.

@Shadow703793
I just found it on their website a few days ago after reading a review of the Achilles. I saw that it uses a different mount kit and checked the product web page and there it was in the accessories. It's also been on newegg for a few days.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] back-i7751

I thought it was compatible with other socket 775 screws and backplate kits if you removed the pushpins. I guess I was wrong.

lol, didn't check it a few days ago. Last time I checked was ~2-3 weeks ago. lol, it's out of stock @ newegg. I guess all the XIGMATEK owners bought it out.

I'm still happy I bought a TRUE!
All those pushpin fans(like the reviewer on Toms) make me laugh.

Backplate, springs and screws FTW!