Homemade gaming machine! Need help though :[

[Bravetoaster]

I want to build my own gaming desktop! But I can't do it without some help. I have a budget of about $1200. And it's not enough for me to buy a PC. I want the experience.

Anyway, I have a list of parts that I have been tweaking and such for about 10 hours. And I think I have a setup that is compatible.. I have looked at the "Guide to Choosing Parts" and I hope I didn't miss something important. Something that would make the below unable to work properly. I have shopped mostly on newegg, but I have been checking for noticeable deals on a few other sites. Nothing is beating newegg.
Anyway, this is what I want to do. EDIT : I plan to purchase this in a matter of weeks really.. assuming everything's a go.

CPU and Motherboard
Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.252980


Graphics card
ASUS EAH4870 DK/HTDI/1GD5 Radeon HD 4870 Dark Knight 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121291

RAM
Crucial 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148247

Case, power supply and extras
The case and power supply are below
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.238970

I also will have a creative sound blaster sound card, 750GB WD hard drive, an optical drive, and will be adding a few more fans more than likely.

What I need to know is, is this alright? Are these parts compatible? Will that power supply suffice? Will the performance be as good as I keep dreaming? After my research I answer these questions with "yes."
But I am a complete newb with this. You aren't.

I plan to do as much overclocking as I can (if I can, as it will be my first attempt at overclocking anything,) AFTER I have fully understood how it's done. I still need to do my homework there. I have xp, vista business 32-bit, as well as 64-bit. I plan to use the 64-bit vista in the new machine, but I kinda want windows 7. Is all of that a good idea?
Thanks for taking the time everyone!

 

[FallenSniper]

Oh that motherboard again. That motherboard is by no means bad; Gigabyte makes great boards. I personally don't like it, I think having 4 RAM slots when it's designed for triple channel sets it's just weird. I can't really get over that.

I'm not much of an expert on RAM cooling, but I'll point this out so someone else doesn't miss it. That memory doesn't come with a heat spreader. I remember reading once that heat spreaders were just a ploy to try and get people to pay more and to make it look prettier, but I'm not sure. Just wanted to bring that up though.

I'm not familiar with Seventeam power supplies. It is 80 Plus certified, but unless someone knows Seventeam is a really reliable brand and whatnot, I would recommend that you consider the Corsair 650W.

Some cases are better than others, but usually I leave up to the buyer to decide because usually they pick one that they like. I would highly recommend another 120mm fan for the front though.

Beautiful video card choice. I'm a huge fan of the 4870.

As for your other questions:

Yes it's not bad; They are compatible; read my other comments about the power supply; yes the performance will be great! ^_^

 

[Bravetoaster]

Thanks for your speedy reply! I will drop the case and power supply (I didn't like them much anyway) and will look into better ones. :] I definitely want to get some more fans in my case. I really appreciate your input.
And if anyone else has any suggestions, I'll be checking back at a more reasonable hour. :]

 

[Twoboxer]

Good decisions on most of your parts, and grats for taking a step back on the case and psu. After some research I found that Seventeam isn't a bad outfit, but their PSUs aren't of such high quality that the brand name alone is sufficient. And there were no reviews of this specific model, so I wouldn't recommend it.

Only one day (today) left on this deal at Newegg for a Corsair 750W:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006

Other quality PSUs would include Antec (Earthwatts models), PC Power & Cooling, and Seasonic. If you look at any other brand of psu, please google the specific make and model for reviews by qualified folks who disassemble, test, and comment on more than the number of cables and the color of the wires.

As for cases, there are many, but I just thought I'd toss one out that might appeal to you:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119196&Tpk=coolermaster%20storm%20scout

It reviews well. But again, there are many.

 

[Bravetoaster]

Those were the exact two I was looking at! It was also the first case I wanted for this machine. I will go ahead and get them.

I also changed a couple other parts as well. Including the motherboard.

Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.251091

RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144357

Thoughts? Comments?
Thanks. :]

 

[JackNaylorPE]

FWIW, if you run in trouble, it's kinda nice to have the MoBo and VidCard from same manufacturer.... eases those Tech Support issues when the MoBo TS wants to blame the problem on the video card and visa versa. All of the 3 brands you looked at have solid entries in both categories.

 

[Bravetoaster]

FWIW, if you run in trouble, it's kinda nice to have the MoBo and VidCard from same manufacturer.... eases those Tech Support issues when the MoBo TS wants to blame the problem on the video card and visa versa. All of the 3 brands you looked at have solid entries in both categories.

Well, since it's my birthday here in a couple days, I'll spend a little extra and get

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365. :] Buy some corsair RAM instead of geil, and that should be it. I can't wait to order it! Thanks for your input everyone. :]

Do you think I should get myself some thermal paste while I have my CPU and such out of the case and all shiny? :] That's a dumb question, of course I should.

 

[FallenSniper]

Yeah. Most people would recommend the Arctic Silver thermal compound (the one that has like 2000 reviews on newegg), but i personally like the Tuniq TX-2 and TX-3. Any will do fine though.

 

[stecman]

Have you already got the creative sound card? I would say you really don't need that sound card unless you are going to be playing blu-ray movies with optical/digital audio through incredibly high quality speakers (BOSE or equivalent).

As this board comes with an onboard realtek 8 channel configuration, it is really unneccessary to get a PCI sound card. Having experience as a recording engineer myself, I know that it is near on impossible to tell the difference between 96,000Hz sample rate (Optical quality) and 48,000Hz sample rate (DVD Audio quality)/41,000Hz (CD audio quality) on a PC speaker system (unless your audio system is optical, it won't be able to play at 96,000Hz anyway).

It is important to know that buying a "flash" sound card will NOT make your audio quality better! Almost all MP3s/M4A/AAC have a sample rate of 41,000Hz because they are ripped off CDs (I have some MP3s at 96,000Hz but only because I took them from the high sample-rate originals) - in fact, any audio ripped off a CD will have a (maximum) sample rate of 41,000Hz, so even if you play it on an audio setup that can play 192,000Hz or 96,000Hz, it will sound EXACTLY the same.

There was a time not long ago when it was neccessary to buy a sound card in order to have more channels than the basic 2 channel or 5.1 onboard soundcard. Nowdays however, PCI sound cards are sneaky ways that companys make money - telling you that it will sound better. The only difference in "quality" may be the software audio processors the card includes.

In short - stick with your onboard sound. The creative sound card cannot make your audio any better quality. Invest the money in a decent speaker system if you want good sound.

 

[Bravetoaster]

Done. I trust you. :] I like the money you're saving me. And I can always get one. But I may have one sitting around anyway.
Thanks :]