I need another set of eyes to check compatability/completeness

[markfi]

After doing a lot of research I've come up with a list of components for my build. I will be doing a lot of Photoshop CS4 work (along with some 3d modeling), video editing, some gaming and other odds and ends. I know this is a more of a system than I currently need but I want the system to last a few years before tackling another build. I'd like another set of eyes to see if I've missed a component I need or any incompatability issues that I may have missed.

All components are from Newegg since they will deliver to an APO address (I work for department of defense in Italy). Tiger Direct is another option but their prices were a little higher overall. Note: the PSU is a combo deal with the case making it almost free.

ASUS P7P55D-E Deluxe LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #7P55D-E Deluxe

Intel Core i7-870 Lynnfield 2.93GHz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80605I7870 - Retail
Model #:BX80605I7870

EVGA 01G-P3-N981-TR GeForce 9800 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Retail
Model #:01G-P3-N981-TR

LG Black 8X Blu-ray Burner SATA Model WH08LS20 - Retail
Model #:WH08LS20

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:RC-932-KKN3-GP

COOLER MASTER UCP RS900-AAAAA3 900W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Power Supply - Retail
Model #:RS900-AAAAA3

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M4A1600C9 - Retail
Model #:CMX8GX3M4A1600C9

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD1001FALS

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Model #:WD3000HLFS

LG 22X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH22LS50 LightScribe Support - OEM
Model #:GH22LS50

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
Model #:FQC-00765

Scythe KS01-BK "KAZE SERVER" Advanced Fan Controller - Retail
Model #:KS01-BK


Thanks in advance for your help

 

[MadAdmiral]

RAM: You can probably save a lot of money by buying separate 4 GB kits. I highly recommend the G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1333 mhz CAS Latency 7 (2 will cost $200).

HDD: VelociRaptors are pointless. Either shell out the big bucks for an SSD or leave it out.

Ditch WD and get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB. It's cheaper and better in every way.

Opticals: Do you really need 2 drives that can burn DVDs? Or do you just need 1 that can do BluRay and burn BR/DVD?

Case/PSU: 900W is overkill. There's a Newegg combo with the HAF 922 (big enough for your uses) and an OCZ StealthXStream 700W for $100 after rebates. This PSU is large enough, and it's a good brand. This will save you quite a bit.

GPU: Do you really want/need a nVidia card? ATI's 5xxx series is destroying them...

 

[dpaul8]

Nice build. Here are a few things for you to consider:

The i7-860 overclocks very well so I would suggest not paying a premium for the i7-870.

Get an ATI 5750 graphics card. It is the latest generation, fast, low power consumption, supports DX11 and up to three monitors. Consider upgrading to the 5770 if you plan on doing any serious gaming.

The newer hard drives such as the Samsung F3 or Seagate 7200.12 are slightly faster than the WD Caviar Black, so switch these out if you can get a good price.

Solid state drives have come down in price, and are much faster than the Velociraptor drive. Consider switching.

I don't know anything about the Cooler Master power supply, but the fact that it is 80 plus silver certified is encouraging. I would still opt for an Antec or Corsair PSU.

The rest of your build looks really good.

 

[markfi]

RAM: You can probably save a lot of money by buying separate 4 GB kits. I highly recommend the G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1333 mhz CAS Latency 7 (2 will cost $200).

HDD: VelociRaptors are pointless. Either shell out the big bucks for an SSD or leave it out.

Ditch WD and get a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB. It's cheaper and better in every way.

Opticals: Do you really need 2 drives that can burn DVDs? Or do you just need 1 that can do BluRay and burn BR/DVD?

Case/PSU: 900W is overkill. There's a Newegg combo with the HAF 922 (big enough for your uses) and an OCZ StealthXStream 700W for $100 after rebates. This PSU is large enough, and it's a good brand. This will save you quite a bit.

GPU: Do you really want/need a nVidia card? ATI's 5xxx series is destroying them...

Thanks for the advice

HDD: I wanted more drive space for my boot drive than SSD's can provide. I'll look at the Samsung 1TB

Optical: just wanted a second drive for making copies of Cd's/DVD's figured $30 wasn't too much to fork out

For the Ram, I eventually want to max the system out with 16GB but was waiting until the prices came down a bit to do this. I hate having to burn ram because I want to upgrade.

I know the 900W is overkill but I don't like the HAF 922 case as well as the HAF 932. Last week there was a combo offer on the PSU and case so it made the price competitive. I'll need to look for an alternative this week...Suggestions?

I wanted to go nVidia because of working with Adobe. There are some things nVidia does with photoshop better than others...especially with CS4

 

[markfi]

Nice build. Here are a few things for you to consider:

The i7-860 overclocks very well so I would suggest not paying a premium for the i7-870.

Get an ATI 5750 graphics card. It is the latest generation, fast, low power consumption, supports DX11 and up to three monitors. Consider upgrading to the 5770 if you plan on doing any serious gaming.

The newer hard drives such as the Samsung F3 or Seagate 7200.12 are slightly faster than the WD Caviar Black, so switch these out if you can get a good price.

Solid state drives have come down in price, and are much faster than the Velociraptor drive. Consider switching.

I don't know anything about the Cooler Master power supply, but the fact that it is 80 plus silver certified is encouraging. I would still opt for an Antec or Corsair PSU.

The rest of your build looks really good.

Thanks for the help. I wasn't planning on overclocking (right now), especially in light of the Foxconn socket problems. I wrestled with paying the premium on the CPU but the benchmarks were just too good to ignore. If the socket issues get resolved I can overclock this and get more out of it.

I'll look at the ATI cards again. I chose the nVidia because of the way they work with Adobe.

The problem with SSD's is they are so small. I wanted more than a 150 GB boot drive (I can't believe I'm saying this). A 160 GB SSD is over $500 the velociraptor is only $200, slower but a lot cheaper. Maybe I'm missing something here.

I have not been a fan of Seagate for a number of years...I had serious issues with their drives before. Maybe they have changed but once burned is enough for me. I'll look at the Samsung since they seem to be garnering high praise.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Foxconn sockets are only a problem for massive overclocks. If you're not trying for a record, you'll be fine.

The VRs are slower than the Samsung Spinpoint F3. That's what your missing. Basically, you get a standard drive that's faster at 1/3 of the price. The only drive that's faster than the F3 are SSDs.

Seagate has changed. The 7200.11 had a lot of problems, but the new 7200.12 are excellent.

 

[markfi]

Foxconn sockets are only a problem for massive overclocks. If you're not trying for a record, you'll be fine.

The VRs are slower than the Samsung Spinpoint F3. That's what your missing. Basically, you get a standard drive that's faster at 1/3 of the price. The only drive that's faster than the F3 are SSDs.

Seagate has changed. The 7200.11 had a lot of problems, but the new 7200.12 are excellent.

Thanks, I'm researching the Samsung drives now

Any suggestions on who makes the best ATI 5xxx card? HIS and Diamond seem to get good reviews is there a better one out there?

 

[MadAdmiral]

I don't think it really matters. Lots of people like XFX because of the double lifetime warranty, which means that if you sell it, the warranty covers the second person as well. I would just go with the cheapest one, through there isn't a big difference in price.