** New Build ** i7 - Need your help building.

board - 329
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

cpu - 295
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

RAM - 246
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

case/psu combo - 360
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Vido card - 400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

HD - 90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

combo drive - 23
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

dvd burner - 25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Don't know if you need an OS or not, but if you do, you can pick on of your choice. I would probably go with whatever you can get your hands on cheap for now, then switch to windows 7 when it comes out. Total of this system is $1768, so it leaves you well within your budget. You could add another HD for more space if you like, or add another one and run RAID 1 for data security. There is some room to play...

Thanks for the advice. Any other suggestions?

If you wanted to spend the money, you could upgrade to the i7 940. I don't know if it's worth the extra, but you would still be close to budget. If you have any sensitive data, you should probably buy the extra HD and run a RAID array that provides a mirror or parity backup. This will protect against a HD failure and complete data loss. One other suggestion would be, if you don't need a lot of HD space, buy the 300Gb velociraptors instead of the cavair black. It is more expensive for less storage, but they are faster. It all depends on what you want to get out of it.

You can save a few bucks and go with ...

COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($80)
SILVERSTONE ST70F 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS - the modular design is nice for case clean-up and airflow improvement ($125)
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard ($260)

Doing so will bring you down closer to $1500.

I also second using a RAID (1 mirror) for data security.

Question on the RAID setup. I have a new computer that is ready to have the OS set. Can I add the extra hard drive in a week and use my machine today?

This build includes two gtx 285's running in SLI. Decent aftermarket HS will allow you to overclock it. Case has plenty of room, and great airflow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $169.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $299.99
SILVERSTONE OP1200 1200W ATX 12V 2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $259.99 ($239.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD4P LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $288.99 Free Shipping*
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $39.99
Scythe SCMG-2000 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $109.99 Free Shipping*
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $79.99 Free Shipping*
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $24.99 Free Shipping*
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $339.99 ($319.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $339.99 ($319.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate) Free Shipping*
EVGA 01G-P3-1281-AR GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Total: $1953.90

Going of topic a bit here but i have been looking for pc parts for a number of months, i just noticed that that rig is very decent and for a good price. I was looking at a similar build but i live in Australia and the prices are much higher.

If i remove one of the 285 nad replace the ram with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $139.99
OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory

and the Motherboard with this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... $299.99
EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

The total price now comes to: $1673 USD or equal to $2586 AUD but i am unable to get such a god price in AUS is there anyway i cloud get newegg to ship to Aus

to OP,

Definitely go with the OCZ Platinum the way it's price right now -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

The timings are outstanding and it will be nice to have RAM rated at 1600 if you plan to OC (which you should)

I +1 the Coolermaster 690 case as well.

for the PSU, I would suggest the Corsair 750w if you plan on going with a GTX295 or 4870x2. It's on sale for a great price right now too. -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...