DRAM, SSD, HDD, And ODD
System RAM: Mushkin Enhanced 993988S
Looking for a great price on a 16 GB quad-channel kit? After spending over half my budget on the CPU and graphics cards, I sure was. Mushkin’s Stealth DDR3-1600 CAS 9 appeared to fit the bill.
Read Customer Reviews of Mushkin's Enhanced 993988S
Rated at 1.35 V, I’m hoping that a little extra voltage will go a long way towards my overclocking goals.
SSD: Mushkin MKNSSDCR240GB-DX
A far lower price once again made Mushkin’s 240 GB DX-series the top pick over Samsung’s similarly-sized 840 Pro.
Read Customer Reviews of Mushkin's MKNSSDCR240GB-DX
Were I to choose an SSD today, recent price breaks for Samsung’s 250 GB EVO could have put it into this system. My consolation is that, for an extra $10, the EVO barely outpaces competing SandForce-based drives.
HDD: WD WD30EZRS
Read Customer Reviews of WD's WD30EZRS
Western Digital’s Caviar Green drives are designed for economy, which allowed me to choose a model with 3 TB of capacity. Though the 5400 RPM spindle speed also reduces power consumption, currency is the green that I’m hoping to save.
BD-RE: Pioneer BDR-2208
Read Customer Reviews of Pioneer's BDR-2208
I usually add optical drives for convenience, and one of the conveniences that I appreciate most is optical media backup to a hard drive. Writing BD-R at rates up to 15x is another benefit for Pioneer’s moderately-priced BDR-2208, even if I do rarely use it. The retail box also includes CyberLink Media Suite 8.