Need some feedback on my high end computer build rig. (will be ocing)

[moomoopro]

Parts can be found here: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=12183967

MOBO- ASUS P5Q Deluxe LGA 775 Intel P45 Intel Motherboard
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
PSU- CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V
CPU- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core
CPU COOLING- XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler+ XIGMATEK ACK-I7751
CASE- COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower
Monitor- BenQ G2400WD Black 24" 5ms, 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD
OPTICS- Pioneer 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model DVR-115DBK
HARDRIVES(4)- Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
HARDRIVES(boot) - Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
RAID CONTROLLER- 3ware 9650SE-4LPML PCI Express Lanes: 4 SATA II Controller Card WITH 3ware BBU-MODULE-03 Battery Backup Unit for 3ware 9650SE SATA II HW RAID Controllers
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound

A few notes. I will be overclocking and will either be using RAID 5 or RAID 10 for the 4 hardrives and then just 1 single to boot the os. I will be getting a 4870x2 so I will not be using 2 cards in crossfire. I do not care for crossfire.I have a few questions though:
1. Is my PSU sufficient?
2. I'm really not sure about my motherboard and my ram. Are they good for overclocking? Anything other products I should think about?
3. Are all my parts compatiable?
4. Does my case need any extra fans?
5. Are there any other quieter, cooler(temp) cases that are decently priced?
6. raid 5 or raid 10? i could either get 1.92 tb with raid 5 because some decreased write speeds or 1.28 tb with better read and write speeds.
7. is the cpu cooler a good choice? I just want something that is not too loud and cools well.
8. What are the thoughts on the VelociRaptor? It seems kinda pricey. How much of a performance difference is there between that and the 640gb drive? I heard these wd 640gb drives had some really good speeds and were close to the VelociRaptor. Any other cheaper alternative? I guess I could get another 640gb and use that for a boot drive.
9. any other componets I need? oh yeah I need a good keyboard with a volume and play/pause controler. but anything else?
10. should I install vista?
11. will i need to buy any additional cables?

 

[sanjiwatsuki]

1. Is my PSU sufficient? Yes.
2. I'm really not sure about my motherboard and my ram. Are they good for overclocking? Anything other products I should think about? I highly doubt you'll even top out your RAM in OCing.
3. Are all my parts compatiable? I think so, but I would use a SATA DVD drive instead.
4. Does my case need any extra fans? Doubtful.
5. Are there any other quieter, cooler(temp) cases that are decently priced? N/A
6. raid 5 or raid 10? i could either get 1.92 tb with raid 5 because some decreased write speeds or 1.28 tb with better read and write speeds. I'm personally not a big fan of RAID.
7. is the cpu cooler a good choice? I just want something that is not too loud and cools well. Be sure to get the retention bracket!
8. What are the thoughts on the VelociRaptor? It seems kinda pricey. How much of a performance difference is there between that and the 640gb drive? I heard these wd 640gb drives had some really good speeds and were close to the VelociRaptor. Any other cheaper alternative? I guess I could get another 640gb and use that for a boot drive. I personally don't see the price to performance ratio with the VelociRaptor, and would spend my money elsewhere.
9. any other componets I need? oh yeah I need a good keyboard with a volume and play/pause controler. but anything else?
10. should I install vista? At this point, I'd highly recommend it.
11. will i need to buy any additional cables? Most retail motherboard packages come with all the cables you need.

 

[moomoopro]

thanks for the feedback. someone said that

"The P5Q series sucks ****.

I hope you like getting "Chassis Intrusion" errors on boot, because they like to randomly give them to you. It doesn't matter if the jumper is on the chassis intrusion detection pins, it turns out, they just don't like it when you plug certain cables into the board - like IDE drives on cable select.

Lol, who knew? Certainly not tech support."

 

[shadowduck]

Why do you need 4 hard drives? In gaming RAID helps you zip. zero. nadda.

Unless you are doing large drive writes, RAID will not help you. Avoid the extra heat and power requirements.

4870x2- I would recommend moving to a x38/x48 chipset motherboard. Use the money you saved from those hard drives and look at the P5E Deluxe x48.

Raptors are a waste- the VR is ok. Like RAID but opposite- unless you do a lot of reading from the drive (gaming does not qualify) the Raptor will not be a huge benefit to you. Certainly not to justify $1/GB.

 

[galta]

First, it does not sound like a high end rig. No ofenses, it's a very good system, but not high end.
Loose de 4 HDDs and the RAID controler, you don't need them. Buy only one HDD, or two for safety reasons, with all the space you need and save money.
Up-grade your mobo to x38/x48.
Depending on your OCing intentions, you might want to consider a faster memory. The one you have chosen should get you to 3.6Ghz, a respectful 20% increase, if everything goes right.

 

[moomoopro]

but would i really need to upgrade to x38/x48 if im not going to crossfire???

isnt that the whole point of going to those boards? or do they have more/better features than the one I have chosen?

do they oc well?

i dont even undersatnd the difference between x38 and x48?

 

[shadowduck]

X48 will better serve the 4870X2 which is basically 4870CF on a single card.

P45 will be fine though if money is an issue. You are looking at around $100 difference. P45 does limit you to never going Crossfire.

 

[moomoopro]

I don't understand why it will serve me better though. From what I've heard, the 4870x2 ACTS as a single card unlike previous setups so therefore is NOT using crossfire.

 

[moomoopro]

bump anyone know about this?

 

[jpbg]

It doesn't matter(since you can even run the 4870 in sli board like the 680i) really but it will be a better and faster board in general but otherwise get the p45.

but just to let you know you wont be able to do anything until you get a graphics card because the p45 doesn't have integrated