About to pull the trigger on the following build. Please let me know if you see some obvious incompatibilities or if my reasoning is seriously flawed, and help me pick between some alternatives I listed. I realize a lot of it is overkill, but that's fine with me.
Approximate Purchase Date: The sooner, the better.
Budget Range: Less than $3k after rebates,
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (mostly WoW, so SLI/Xfire and dual-GPU cards are of questionable value).
Parts Not Required: Keeping my old 22" CRT, keyboard, mouse until I finish the build, will buy new ones later. Keeping my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 speakers for the new build.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon.com > Newegg.com (pay California sales tax) > FrozenCPU.com
Country of Origin: US.
Parts Preferences: None.
Overclocking: Yes.
SLI or Crossfire: No. (Doesn't benefit WoW. Will be using Thermalright Spitfire or Shaman aftermarket GPU cooler, so 2nd card won't fit anyway.)
Monitor Resolution: Buying a new LCD eventually, at least 1920x1200, possibly 2560 x 1600. Hopefully by that time there will be some 120Hz models available.
Additional Comments: Trying to shoot for a VERY quiet and cool build that will run everything I throw at it in the next 3-4 years. I'm an infrequent upgrader, so would rather pay a bit more upfront than buy new components in a year or two. Yes, it's not cost-efficient, but more time-efficient in my time frame of 3-4 years. Case / PSU / CPU and GPU coolers are overkill, but they will allow me to run all fans at low speeds and reduce noise. Generally prefer to pay more for quality components within reason.
Case:
SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B Black Aluminum / Steel Computer Case
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030MHEJK/
$229.00 w/free shipping
Love the case, unbeatable for low noise and great cooling. Intake filters are a must. Highly recommended at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1015-page5.html). Don't want the side window model, would rather have sound-dampening foam on that side panel too. Hopefully will come from Amazon with newer Silverstone AP181 fans. Will run all 3 of them on low to decrease noise. Will switch the top 120mm fan for a slower / quieter Akasa Apache PWM Fan (see under CPU cooler fans).
PSU:
CORSAIR Professional Series AX850 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003PJ6QW4/
$189.99, $179.99 after mail-in rebate w/free shipping
Fully modular, very quiet, fan doesn't spin at lower loads. Highly recommended at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1073-page5.html). Reportedly fits FT02 better than the Seasonics, could remove the fan grille if it doesn't. Rated wattage is overkill, but the only other option with all the features is AX750, which is only $20 cheaper. Do I need SATA/power extension cables for HDD/SSD drives positioned in the front of FT02?
CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
$329.99 w/free shipping
2500K will probably be fine too, but going with 2600K for longevity.
CPU Cooler:
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WB2LV6/
$62.99 w/free shipping
Overkill for 2600K, but better heat sink performance means the fans don't have to spin as fast and are quieter. Generous spacing between the fins helps too. Push fan might have clearance issues with RAM heat spreaders?
CPU Cooler fans:
Akasa 120mm x 25mm Apache Black Super Silent PWM Fan w/ Hydro Dynamic Bearings - Black
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10345/
$15.95 x3
Prolimatech Megahalems Extra Fan Clips - 25mm Fan
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8890/
$2.99
Akasa PWM Splitter - Smart Fan Cable
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10350/
$7.95
Two fans for push-pull setup on CPU cooler and another one to replace the 120mm exhaust fan on FT02. All three will plug into the PWM splitter cable. They are each rated at 0.3A, so should be OK, since the PWM header is rated at 1A. Push fan might have clearance issues with RAM heat spreaders?
Mobo:
ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131693
$219.99, $8.50 shipping
OR
ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131682
$184.99 w/free shipping
Like the wider spacing of PCI slots and the 2nd PWM fan header on Sabertooth. (I want to run 4 PWM fans: 2 CPU cooler ones, 1 case exhaust and 1 GPU cooler, so the second PWM header will come in handy.) Don't mind giving up Pro's 2nd PCI slot and some external I/O connectors for those.
RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429
$249.99, $5.99 shipping
OR
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315
$249.99 w/free shipping
Yes, 16Gb is overkill. CL9 and 1.5V for stability. Am I going to have clearance problems between X series heat spreaders and the fans on the CPU cooler? If yes, will probably go with the second set, seems to have smaller heat spreaders.
GPU:
EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004B8VL64/
$499.99 w/free shipping
Don't want to SLI/Xfire or use dual-GPU cards since WoW doesn't benefit from them. Noise and heat are also more of an issue with two cards. Will be using Thermalright Spitfire or Shaman aftermarket GPU cooler, so 2nd card won't fit anyway.
GPU Cooler:
Thermalright Shaman Eight Heatpipe Universal VGA Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12301/
$79.95
Not ideal for vertical mounting in FT02 due to resulting heat pipe orientation and not being a slot cooler with exhaust outside the case. Nevertheless a lot quieter than the stock cooler and quieter than Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme Plus (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12188/) according to SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1131-page5.html). Downside is it blocks 3 and maybe even 4 PCI slots on the mobo, only leaving the bottom PCIe 2.0 x4 and maybe PCI above it, so I'm limited to a sound card at most.
OR
Thermalright Spitfire Universal Copper VGA Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10236/
$74.95
PLUS
Thermalright GF-100 Spitfire Bolt-Thru Kit
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11055/
$9.99
PLUS
Thermalright TR TY-140 140mm x 160mm PWM Fan - 900R~1300PM
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11677/
$14.99 (OOS, so might get it from HeatsinkFactory.com)
This is a "make your own Shaman" kit. Spitfire has correct heat pipe orientation for vertical mounting in FT02. It won't outright block any PCI slots, but might have clearance problems with wider PCI cards. Will have to plug the fan into Sabertooth's 2nd PWM header, since it has a regular-sized PWM 4-pin connector and the one on the video card is a mini-4 pin. I'm already splitting the 1st PWM header to 3 Akasa Apaches.
Thermalright VRM-G2 VGA Voltage Regulator Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11666/
$34.95
Might be overkill for GTX 580's VRMs, but couldn't hurt. It's designed for GTX 480, but apparently can be easily modded to fit GTX 580 by removing one screw. Will use it in passive mode w/o a fan. Heat pipes are oriented correctly for vertical mounting in FT02 and it's compatible with the Spitfire in either orientation. Hopefully, it won't interfere with CPU cooler/fans.
SSD:
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX120G 3.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590
$214.99, $194.99 after mail-in rebate and free shipping
OR
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NE5JCO/
$223.57 w/free shipping
OR
Wait until February.
Crucial RealSSD C300 2.5" 128GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348) is faster, but doesn't seem to be such a good value at $264.99. Don't own any laptops I could ever put this into, so seems like buying the 3.5" version of Vertex 2 is a better deal. Any downsides to the integrated 3.5" enclosure? Not sure how well it will fit into the FT02 HD caddies. (It will go into 5.25" bay if I remove the caddies.) The 2.5" SSD will mount elegantly on the side of 5.25" cages using the adapter included with the FT02 case. Then again, maybe I shouldn't get an SSD right now and wait for the new generation coming out in February?
HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245
$99.99 w/free shipping
OR
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U3S5S0/
$60.61 w/free shipping
F4 is a 5400 rpm drive, so slower than the 7200 rpm F3, but great as a quiet media storage drive. SSD will take care of the OS/programs. Great reviews at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1076-page5.html). On the other hand, F3 is not much louder than F4, also gets great reviews at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article843-page3.html). Smaller capacity, but better overflow alternative if I fill up 75% of the 120Gb SSD.
Akasa HDD Cooler / Anti-Vibration Suspension Set
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11757/
$10.99
Will probably remove the 3.5" HDD caddies and mount the HDD in 5.25" bay.
Optical drives:
LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181
$99.99, $4.99 shipping
Quiet BD burner, good reviews on CDRLabs (http://www.cdrlabs.com/Reviews/lg-wh10ls30-super-multi-blue-10x-blu-ray-disc-rewriter/Conclusion.html).
LG Black GH24LS50 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136178
$19.99, $4.99 Shipping
Quiet cheap second drive, can use as a second DVD burner in a pinch.
Sound card:
ASUS Xonar Essence ST 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Audio Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UVME88/
$214.16 w/free shipping
OR
ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OV789U/
$189.59 w/free shipping
Need a card with a good headphone amp to drive my Sennheiser HD600 headphones. The only other option is Auzentech Bravura, which has a lot of reliability issues. The PCI version of the Essence is actually better since it doesn't have the PCI/PCIe bridge chip and can be connected to an ASUS Xonar H6 daughter card, providing 7.1 speaker connectivity. PCIe version is more future-proof though, but I would have to use mobo's on-board audio for my Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 speakers.
TIM:
Arctic Cooling MX-4 Super High Performance Non-Conductive Thermal Compound
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12125/
$11.99
Non-conductive, no curing, easy to apply.
Wrist strap:
Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005
$6.99, $1.99 shipping
OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NGJO4M/
$99.99 w/free shipping
Total: $2750ish.
Approximate Purchase Date: The sooner, the better.
Budget Range: Less than $3k after rebates,
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (mostly WoW, so SLI/Xfire and dual-GPU cards are of questionable value).
Parts Not Required: Keeping my old 22" CRT, keyboard, mouse until I finish the build, will buy new ones later. Keeping my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 speakers for the new build.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon.com > Newegg.com (pay California sales tax) > FrozenCPU.com
Country of Origin: US.
Parts Preferences: None.
Overclocking: Yes.
SLI or Crossfire: No. (Doesn't benefit WoW. Will be using Thermalright Spitfire or Shaman aftermarket GPU cooler, so 2nd card won't fit anyway.)
Monitor Resolution: Buying a new LCD eventually, at least 1920x1200, possibly 2560 x 1600. Hopefully by that time there will be some 120Hz models available.
Additional Comments: Trying to shoot for a VERY quiet and cool build that will run everything I throw at it in the next 3-4 years. I'm an infrequent upgrader, so would rather pay a bit more upfront than buy new components in a year or two. Yes, it's not cost-efficient, but more time-efficient in my time frame of 3-4 years. Case / PSU / CPU and GPU coolers are overkill, but they will allow me to run all fans at low speeds and reduce noise. Generally prefer to pay more for quality components within reason.
Case:
SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT02B Black Aluminum / Steel Computer Case
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030MHEJK/
$229.00 w/free shipping
Love the case, unbeatable for low noise and great cooling. Intake filters are a must. Highly recommended at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1015-page5.html). Don't want the side window model, would rather have sound-dampening foam on that side panel too. Hopefully will come from Amazon with newer Silverstone AP181 fans. Will run all 3 of them on low to decrease noise. Will switch the top 120mm fan for a slower / quieter Akasa Apache PWM Fan (see under CPU cooler fans).
PSU:
CORSAIR Professional Series AX850 850W ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003PJ6QW4/
$189.99, $179.99 after mail-in rebate w/free shipping
Fully modular, very quiet, fan doesn't spin at lower loads. Highly recommended at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1073-page5.html). Reportedly fits FT02 better than the Seasonics, could remove the fan grille if it doesn't. Rated wattage is overkill, but the only other option with all the features is AX750, which is only $20 cheaper. Do I need SATA/power extension cables for HDD/SSD drives positioned in the front of FT02?
CPU:
Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
$329.99 w/free shipping
2500K will probably be fine too, but going with 2600K for longevity.
CPU Cooler:
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev.B CPU Cooler
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WB2LV6/
$62.99 w/free shipping
Overkill for 2600K, but better heat sink performance means the fans don't have to spin as fast and are quieter. Generous spacing between the fins helps too. Push fan might have clearance issues with RAM heat spreaders?
CPU Cooler fans:
Akasa 120mm x 25mm Apache Black Super Silent PWM Fan w/ Hydro Dynamic Bearings - Black
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10345/
$15.95 x3
Prolimatech Megahalems Extra Fan Clips - 25mm Fan
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/8890/
$2.99
Akasa PWM Splitter - Smart Fan Cable
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10350/
$7.95
Two fans for push-pull setup on CPU cooler and another one to replace the 120mm exhaust fan on FT02. All three will plug into the PWM splitter cable. They are each rated at 0.3A, so should be OK, since the PWM header is rated at 1A. Push fan might have clearance issues with RAM heat spreaders?
Mobo:
ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131693
$219.99, $8.50 shipping
OR
ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131682
$184.99 w/free shipping
Like the wider spacing of PCI slots and the 2nd PWM fan header on Sabertooth. (I want to run 4 PWM fans: 2 CPU cooler ones, 1 case exhaust and 1 GPU cooler, so the second PWM header will come in handy.) Don't mind giving up Pro's 2nd PCI slot and some external I/O connectors for those.
RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBXL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429
$249.99, $5.99 shipping
OR
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBRL
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231315
$249.99 w/free shipping
Yes, 16Gb is overkill. CL9 and 1.5V for stability. Am I going to have clearance problems between X series heat spreaders and the fans on the CPU cooler? If yes, will probably go with the second set, seems to have smaller heat spreaders.
GPU:
EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004B8VL64/
$499.99 w/free shipping
Don't want to SLI/Xfire or use dual-GPU cards since WoW doesn't benefit from them. Noise and heat are also more of an issue with two cards. Will be using Thermalright Spitfire or Shaman aftermarket GPU cooler, so 2nd card won't fit anyway.
GPU Cooler:
Thermalright Shaman Eight Heatpipe Universal VGA Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12301/
$79.95
Not ideal for vertical mounting in FT02 due to resulting heat pipe orientation and not being a slot cooler with exhaust outside the case. Nevertheless a lot quieter than the stock cooler and quieter than Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme Plus (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12188/) according to SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1131-page5.html). Downside is it blocks 3 and maybe even 4 PCI slots on the mobo, only leaving the bottom PCIe 2.0 x4 and maybe PCI above it, so I'm limited to a sound card at most.
OR
Thermalright Spitfire Universal Copper VGA Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10236/
$74.95
PLUS
Thermalright GF-100 Spitfire Bolt-Thru Kit
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11055/
$9.99
PLUS
Thermalright TR TY-140 140mm x 160mm PWM Fan - 900R~1300PM
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11677/
$14.99 (OOS, so might get it from HeatsinkFactory.com)
This is a "make your own Shaman" kit. Spitfire has correct heat pipe orientation for vertical mounting in FT02. It won't outright block any PCI slots, but might have clearance problems with wider PCI cards. Will have to plug the fan into Sabertooth's 2nd PWM header, since it has a regular-sized PWM 4-pin connector and the one on the video card is a mini-4 pin. I'm already splitting the 1st PWM header to 3 Akasa Apaches.
Thermalright VRM-G2 VGA Voltage Regulator Cooler
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11666/
$34.95
Might be overkill for GTX 580's VRMs, but couldn't hurt. It's designed for GTX 480, but apparently can be easily modded to fit GTX 580 by removing one screw. Will use it in passive mode w/o a fan. Heat pipes are oriented correctly for vertical mounting in FT02 and it's compatible with the Spitfire in either orientation. Hopefully, it won't interfere with CPU cooler/fans.
SSD:
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD3-2VTX120G 3.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590
$214.99, $194.99 after mail-in rebate and free shipping
OR
OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003NE5JCO/
$223.57 w/free shipping
OR
Wait until February.
Crucial RealSSD C300 2.5" 128GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148348) is faster, but doesn't seem to be such a good value at $264.99. Don't own any laptops I could ever put this into, so seems like buying the 3.5" version of Vertex 2 is a better deal. Any downsides to the integrated 3.5" enclosure? Not sure how well it will fit into the FT02 HD caddies. (It will go into 5.25" bay if I remove the caddies.) The 2.5" SSD will mount elegantly on the side of 5.25" cages using the adapter included with the FT02 case. Then again, maybe I shouldn't get an SSD right now and wait for the new generation coming out in February?
HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245
$99.99 w/free shipping
OR
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U3S5S0/
$60.61 w/free shipping
F4 is a 5400 rpm drive, so slower than the 7200 rpm F3, but great as a quiet media storage drive. SSD will take care of the OS/programs. Great reviews at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1076-page5.html). On the other hand, F3 is not much louder than F4, also gets great reviews at SPCR (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article843-page3.html). Smaller capacity, but better overflow alternative if I fill up 75% of the 120Gb SSD.
Akasa HDD Cooler / Anti-Vibration Suspension Set
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11757/
$10.99
Will probably remove the 3.5" HDD caddies and mount the HDD in 5.25" bay.
Optical drives:
LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181
$99.99, $4.99 shipping
Quiet BD burner, good reviews on CDRLabs (http://www.cdrlabs.com/Reviews/lg-wh10ls30-super-multi-blue-10x-blu-ray-disc-rewriter/Conclusion.html).
LG Black GH24LS50 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136178
$19.99, $4.99 Shipping
Quiet cheap second drive, can use as a second DVD burner in a pinch.
Sound card:
ASUS Xonar Essence ST 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Audio Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UVME88/
$214.16 w/free shipping
OR
ASUS Xonar Essence STX Virtual 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Express x1 Interface 124 dB SNR / Headphone AMP Card
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OV789U/
$189.59 w/free shipping
Need a card with a good headphone amp to drive my Sennheiser HD600 headphones. The only other option is Auzentech Bravura, which has a lot of reliability issues. The PCI version of the Essence is actually better since it doesn't have the PCI/PCIe bridge chip and can be connected to an ASUS Xonar H6 daughter card, providing 7.1 speaker connectivity. PCIe version is more future-proof though, but I would have to use mobo's on-board audio for my Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 speakers.
TIM:
Arctic Cooling MX-4 Super High Performance Non-Conductive Thermal Compound
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12125/
$11.99
Non-conductive, no curing, easy to apply.
Wrist strap:
Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005
$6.99, $1.99 shipping
OS:
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NGJO4M/
$99.99 w/free shipping
Total: $2750ish.
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