About to pull the trigger...Gaming Build

[senun]

Any and all input is appreciated. I am looking for ease of build and compatibility the most with this build. I just want something plug and play thats why I focused on parts that seem to have a good reputation. A few questions...
Is everything compatible?
Anything with these parts that I should know about such as an outstanding problem or support issue?
I chose the nvidia card because from my experience and quite a few reviews it just performs better for gaming. Also, I am willing to spend a few extra bucks for better performance (for example the velociraptor).
Thanks for looking!

■VIDEO CARD: EVGA 896-P3-1255-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130434

■RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

■STORAGE: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136260

■MEDIA DRIVE: SAMSUNG Black DVD Burner with LightScribe Recently Sold Out, Any recommendations?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

■PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor – Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036&Tpk=E8500

■MOTHERBOARD: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128358&Tpk=Gigabyte%20GA-EP45-UD3P

■POWER SUPPLY: PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI NVIDIA SLI Certified (Dual 8800 GTX and below) CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703009

■CASE: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

■SOUND CARD: HT OMEGA STRIKER 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001

■CPU COOLER: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

■OP. SYSTEM: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

 

[alcattle]

From what you said, I believe you do not want to overclock the CPU. The RAM you chose is meant for people with higher than normal FSB. The brand is excellent though, look for PC6400 800 mhz.

I am not a fan of Lightscribe. They take longer to burn if you use the labeling (lightscribe) and the Media costs more. When used,it helps with the clutter of non-labeled CDs.

The HD is small and not that much faster than a current SATA HD so think about that when you decide. Some speed or more space for same money.

With those little things all your parts work together and will make a very nice system. GL

 

[senun]

What would you recommend for a media drive. I burn very few cd/dvds and I use it mostly for games.
Also would this be a better choice of ram?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731

What if I did want to overclock the CPU? Would I be ok?

Thank You.

 

[WR2]

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin Cas4 DDR2 800 $45
ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 CPU Cooler $44 before $30 rebate A review here: ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W $110 before $40 rebate rebate ends 12/31

I don't know anything about that sound card but I've heard good things about the Asus Xonar DX

Lite-On 20x SATA LightScribe DVD burner

 

[shortstuff_mt]

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin Cas4 DDR2 800 $45
ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 CPU Cooler $44 before $30 rebate A review here: ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W $110 before $40 rebate rebate ends 12/31

I don't know anything about that sound card but I've heard good things about the Asus Xonar DX

Lite-On 20x SATA LightScribe DVD burner

+1

You also might as well get the UD3R instead of the UD3P since you can't take advantage of the crossfire capability of the board with an Nvidia GPU. I personally would just pick up a 4870 1GB card since they are almost the same speed. You'd have the option of adding another card later if you went with an ATI GPU.

SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801 $239.99 - $15.00 MIR

 

[WR2]

You're in very good shape for possible future OC'ing.
The Gskill PI Black is a little better spec RAM (CL4) than the Mushkin (CL5).
CPU and motherboard are excellent OC'ing.
Add a more robust CPU cooler and you're in even better shape.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I personally just got a set of the G.Skill PI Black RAM and it's awesome! I highly recommend it.

 

[senun]

G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin Cas4 DDR2 800 $45
ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 CPU Cooler $44 before $30 rebate A review here: ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120
PC Power & Cooling S75CF 750W $110 before $40 rebate rebate ends 12/31

I don't know anything about that sound card but I've heard good things about the Asus Xonar DX

Lite-On 20x SATA LightScribe DVD burner

I took your advice on the ram and power supply and media drive. Will I need to buy any cables or anything for that dvd burner?

 

[alcattle]

all the cables you should need come with the motherboard package. It is rare you are short any, more likely you will have some left over

 

[aevm]

You should change to eVGA 750i or some other SLI motherboard. Otherwise there's no future-proofing and the 750W PSU is not going to help much.

Or you could leave the P45 Crossfire MB you have picked and change the card to HD 4870 1GB. That is a faster card than the GTX 260 Core 216, and would allow you to add a second card when needed.

Either way, Crossfire MB + nVidia card doesn't make sense. It would work but it's a waste.

I'd also change the cooler to Xigmatek HDT-S1283.

The sound card is probably unnecessary. Are you an audiophile? Specifically, are you the kind of guy who listens to mp3 256 kbps or wav and can actually tell the difference? If not, try the onboard audio first.

 

[WR2]

Xigmatek HDT-S1283 is a great CPU cooler. But to get the most out of it you also need to order the retention bracket / backing plate. Thats about $7 more and you'll pay extra to have the cooler shipped.

The Zen cooler is almost as good, it already has the retention bracket / backing plate included in the package. AND it has free shipping and that $30 rebate.

 

[senun]

What do you guys recommend for a SLI motherboard then, because I want to stick with the 260?

 

[aevm]

I was thinking of this one:
EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i, $140 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026

 

[Guest]

nice setup

 

[senun]

I was thinking of this one:
EVGA 123-YW-E175-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 750i, $140 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188026

Ok thanks. I switched to that motherboard. Anything else guys before I put the order in?

 

[WR2]

Luckily, PC Power & Cooling extended the $40 rebate period so you can still qualify for that.

However the ZEROtherm ZEN FZ120 CPU Cooler $30 rebate expired. It still has free shipping, and the included backing plate.
You'll want to compare that to a few other CPU coolers before you make up your mind:
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120mm "Core Contact Freezer" CPU Cooler $40. No free shipping and no backing plate.
Sunbeam 120mm "Core Contact Freezer" CPU Cooler $35 @ CrazyPC Be sure to check total tax & shipping costs too.
XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler and XIGMATEK ACK-I7751 Retention Bracket $37 and $8.50. Free shipping on bracket only.
You can also mount the Xigmatek without the bracket. But we like to recommend the back plate bracket for 2 reasons: (1) slightly better cooling performance and increased stability. (2) Easier installation than the stock intel push pin mounting.

Read the FrostyTech reviews and go over the Customer Reviews @ NewEgg till you figure out which one is right for you.

 

[senun]

What about this heatsink?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Or this one?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118223

 

[WR2]

Or the COOLER MASTER 92mm Hyper TX2. It's also comparable to the AC Freezer 7 Pro 92mmand the Zalman 9500A 92mm coolers. They're all medium sized and medium performance coolers. They're quite a bit better @ cooling than the stock intel coolers and they're OK for mid-range overclocking. For example, your E8500 from 3.0Ghz to ~3.6Ghz without running too hot.
The Zalman is a bit more expensive but it does have the bolt through kit included. The other two use the stock type push pins. A bit tricky and a bit harder, but no real problem.

The bigger 120mm coolers Core Contact Freezer and HDT-S1283 would let you get in the ~3.8-4.0Ghz at about the same overclock temps.

 

[WR2]

Coolermaster HyperTX2 performance review. You'll see the Zalman 9500 close by. AC Freezer7 Pro isnt shown but would also be in close vicinity. The stock intel Core2 Duo cooler is down toward the bottom.

 

[senun]

I decided to go with the ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019