Ordering my build Saturday - Please Critique ASAP $2500 Budget

[cfunk]

My tax return is finally here so I now have cash in hand to buy a new system. Please critique my build. I already have a monitor, keyboard & mouse and O/S. I am looking for feedback regarding compatibility issues, performance vs cost, if anything is overkill and unecessary & if the parts listed could be obtained at a lower rate than what I listed.
I will be using this to play Guild Wars, COD2, BF2, EQ2 and Oblivion as well as dvd burning. I would like to overclock (although I need to learn how to do this) and also future proof this as much as possible. My budget for this is $2500.00 US dollars (if you have a completely different build and stay within the $2500 budget I am open to anything).


$149.99 Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window - Retail (will this case be cool enough or should I add any fans? my current computer over heats all the time)
$174.99 ENERMAX Liberty ELT620AWT 620W Power Supply - Retail (is this overkill? If so what would be a suitable replacement)
$160.00 Western Digital Raptor 74GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
$200.00 Western Digital Caviar SE16 400GB 3.5" Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
$73.99 SONY 16XDVD±R,5X DVD-RAM Write DVD Burner With Black front panel Beige E-IDE/ATAPI Model DRU820A - Retail (is this the best performance vs cost in a dual layer dvd burner?)
$139.99 Klipsch Promedia GMX A-2.1 2.1 Speaker - Retail
$121.99 Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic Sound Card - Retail (will having this help performance/sound quality over the on board audio to justify the cost?)
$59.99 ZALMAN CNPS9500 LED 92mm 2 Ball Blue LED Light Cooling Fan with Heatsink - Retail (will this be enough to keep my system running cool? As I noted earlier my current computer overheats and resets all the time)
$214.33 OCZ Gold GX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM System Memory - Retail (is this good for overclocking? Is it a good performance vs cost choice?)
$172.00 DFI LP UT nF4 SLI-DR nVIDIA nFORCE4 SLI CHIPSET SERIAL ATA150 ATX FORM FACTOR 2xPCI-E(X16)/1xPCI-E(X4)/1xPCI-E(X1)/2xPCI/4xDDR W/SATA,RAID,DUAL LAN(Gb),1394,USB 2.0 & AUDIO (CPU TYPE:AMD ATHLON 64 - SOCKET 939) (I want to overclock and heard this was a good brand. I dont plan on having duel video cards so could I go with a lesser DFI board or stick with this one?)

I am having a hard time choosing a processor:
$453.50 AMD ATHLON 64 X2 4400+ (ADA4400CDBOX) RETAIL BOXED W/1MB X 2 CACHE 90NM (TOLEDO) (is this better than the operton 175?)
$504.00 AMD Opteron 175 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor - Retail (Should I get this because of its overclockability?)

I am also having a hard time choosing a video card. Please keep in mind the games I want to play (Guild Wars, COD2, BF2, EQ2 and Oblivion):
$599.00 ATI Radeon X1900XTX 100-435805 Video Card - Retail (If I go with this chipset what is the best card to get? Is the ATI version worth the extra money? Should I get a XTX or XT?)
$369.00 eVGA Geforce 7900GT 256-P2-N565-AX Video Card - Retail (Which card with this chipset should I get? I listed the eVGA but should I get a different one? Is the GTX worth the extra money or should I go with the GT?)
$599.00 eVGA Geforce 7900GTX 512-P2-N575-AX Video Card - Retail (Which card with this chipset should I get? I listed the eVGA but should I get a different one? Is this card worth the extra money or should I go with a GT?)


Thank you all in advance for your time and effort.

[MakeYourslf2012]

Looks like a good build, A couple things worth noting:

You don't need the Zalman HSF, the one that comes with the CPU will provide plenty cooling. I'd say go with the X2 4400+, the Opteron has alot of power, but you don't need a sever chip in a desktop. Once more software takes advantage of dual-core technology, the X2 should be more effecient.

Id say get the X1900XTX - it remains the champ, even with the current release of the 7900GTX

However, I cannot comment on any of your OC'ing questions, it's something that I don't have experience with. Alot of other member on this forum are knowlagable in that area and will help you out.

[786ARS]

go for the 7900GT or GTX, that way you can go sli later, and increace your graphics quality noticably.

[MakeYourslf2012]

Thats one thing I overlooked, If your getting an SLI mobo, then go with the 7900GTX. ATi doesnt support SLI.

That also means your going to have to get a qualified PSU off this list:
http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_build.html

[Staren]

Before I offer my advice, I have a genral question. Why do people insest on asking for advice three days before they plan to buy? Yes building computers isn't so hard but it does take some know-how to do well, and you can't even do proper parts research in a week. That isn't even considering using a DFI motherboard.

At least you picked out one the right RAM brands for DFI, but you need to check the model number. The current gen of high end DFI boards, while very good for overclocking, are rather picky about what can be attached to them. Before ordering anything, you should go over to: www.dfi-street.com and read I'm planning to go with a DFI SLI-DR Expert myself.

[jfk]

go for the 7900GT or GTX, that way you can go sli later, and increace your graphics quality noticably.

No. You might see an increase in frame rates, but you will not increase quality, UNLESS you have a low end single card struggling to run the game. If you can play it on high settings with a single card, you WILL NOT improve "graphics quality" with two cards.;) :rolleyes: All you will do is increase your frame rate at the same settings with the second card. Trust me, a quality single card can play ANY game currently available or expected to be available in the next 12 months at high settings without issue.

[blue60007]

Actually, you can take advantage of higher Anti-aliasing (AA) and Anisotropic Filtering (AF) which in theory would increase the "eye-candy", but I honestly doubt there is too much improvement. 2x AA definitely looks better than no AA, and 4x looks a little better than 2x, and 6x doesn't really look any different than 4x (at least too me) then I doubt 8x or whatever's else looks any better...a good example of diminishing returns.

About your build - I wouldn't use the Sony drive. I'd look at something from LITE-ON or NEC.

One other thing, I would really avoid SLI/CF with a 7900GTX or X1900XTX - they really suck the power and there are reports of even $160+ power supplies not being powerful enough. Just a thought.

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=154025

[jfk]

Blue, my point was if you have a top end card, you can run at those settings anyway, so there is no quality difference. I run with AA and AF maxed in every game I play. There will be no difference with 6X AA with one card OR two. That was what I was getting at. Too many times I see SLI sold as some magic pill that improves quality, speed, headshots, etc. LOL

[cfunk]

Thank you to all who contributed their thoughts. After reviewing the feedback from this and a few other boards I posted on I have chosed to go with the following. The prices listed include shipping and the total ends up being $2479.10 which is just under my $2500 budget. Please review my final list for any error or incompatibilities (I am concerned my power supply might not be enough). Once I get the feedback I am going to order tonight or tomorrow. Thank you.

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8000BWS $149.99 http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A1311303&cmp=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r
DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR Expert $189.00 http://www.clubit.com/product_detail.cfm?itemno=A4808603&cmp=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r
PC Power & Cooling 510 SLI-PFC ATX12V 510W Power Supply $226.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817703001&ATT=17-703-001&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r
eVGA Geforce 7900GTX 512-P2-N575-AX Video Card $602.25 http://www.atacom.com/program/print_html_new.cgi?cart_id=1728820_67_183_58_240&Pagecode=SEARCH_ALL&Item_code=VIDR_EVGA_79_AC&USER_ID=www
AMD Opteron 165 Denmark 1GHz HT Socket 939 Dual Core Processor Model OSA165CDBOX $328.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103588&ATT=19-103-588&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r
OCZ Platinum Edition 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 500 (PC 4000) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model OCZ5002048EBPE-K $284.65 http://www.atacom.com/program/print_html_new.cgi?cart_id=1774597_67_183_58_240&Pagecode=SEARCH_ALL&Item_code=MEDD_OCZT_BG_V8&USER_ID=www
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $95.00 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101220-12&affiliate=pricegrabber
2 x HITACHI Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380 -0A30356 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (raid 0) $109.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822145082
Microsoft Natural 4000 Black Wired Keyboard $54.99 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=211297&affiliate=pricegrabber
Logitech G5 Laser $49.99 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=211158&affiliate=pricegrabber
NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A $38.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card $127.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188&ATT=29-102-188&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r
THERMALRIGHT XP-90 Multiple Heatpipes Cpu Heatsink with Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound $44.27 http://order.store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/wg-order?unique=e5328&catalog=xoxide&et=441e5a30&basket=b%3D5C3e42bfd100c7d1441e5328822d83c42bfd1f03ab743f3cb882439d23e81a296%26l%3D%26s%3DeltcJqPwCk kDYNLTLWOgSA6Sdzk-
ZALMAN FB123 92mm Sleeve Cooling Fan $11.95 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=371007
Logitech THX Z-5300e 280 Watts RMS 5.1 Speaker $121.22 http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=360413&affiliate=pricegrabber
Razer Mantis Control Mouse Pad $30.98 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817114325
NEC Black Internal Floppy Drive Model FD1231H-302 $11.88 $http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16821152005

[Staren]

Thank you for holding off on ordering. Rushing into spending that much money after a few days is a mistake I don't like seeing people make.

The only thing I would say is that your power supply will work just fine, but I think you're over paying. Since you are going with a DFI motherboard, check out the power supply list here: http://www.dfi-street.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10854 Your power supply is on their "A" list, but you might want to compare prices on a few other options,

[blue60007]

Avoid Hitachi drives, they've gotten a bad name for reliability.

You could get your heatsink here (http://www.svc.com/xp-90-21.html). Should be the same thing, but if shipping's the same as the other it's about $10 cheaper after adding in AS5.

[glc]

Doesn't the retail Opteron come with a heatsink/fan?

I'm not condemning Hitachi SATA drives any more, it looks like they have their act together and they do bench up with the best. However, if you are out for absolute best performance, get Raptors.

[Kareeser]

Why do people insest on asking for advice three days before they plan to buy? Yes building computers isn't so hard but it does take some know-how to do well, and you can't even do proper parts research in a week.

Because two heads are better than one, and most of the time (and I'm speaking from personal experience here), having another opinion often makes us feel less nervous before going out and spending money buying parts.

I believe that being 90% sure a part will fit would be better than being 70% sure, isn't that right? :)

[Parker03GT]

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card $127.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102188&ATT=29-102-188&CMP=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r

I would recommend going with a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102178
It's just fine for gaming & multimedia for a fraction of the price of the Blaster X-Fi.
I'm also a Klipsch supporter ;)

[Staren]

Because two heads are better than one, and most of the time (and I'm speaking from personal experience here), having another opinion often makes us feel less nervous before going out and spending money buying parts.

I believe that being 90% sure a part will fit would be better than being 70% sure, isn't that right? :)

I was more complaining about the time frame then anything else. These threads can last at least a week or two and sometimes longer, just clearing up needs and swapping parts in & out. It just kind of floors me when people ask about a parts list when they think they are going to order in two or three days, or even worse, the next day or that night.

If you are asking about the best price for an item then that time frame isn't so bad, but when you are asking about basic compatibility and giving the board members no time to really respond, you are really hurting yourself.

[Kareeser]

Hehe, that's very true.

A misunderstanding on my part, sorry about that.

If it's any consolation, I don't intend to buy the parts for my computer for another month or so...

[blue60007]

I would recommend going with a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS card. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102178
It's just fine for gaming & multimedia for a fraction of the price of the Blaster X-Fi.
I'm also a Klipsch supporter ;)

I would keep with the X-Fi. It supports extra sound quality in games like BF2 that no other card supports...It's not that much more to go for the X-Fi. I recall another one of the members here saying he even noticed a quality increase between the X-Fi and the Audigy2 ZS (I think).

[Parker03GT]

I would keep with the X-Fi. It supports extra sound quality in games like BF2 that no other card supports...It's not that much more to go for the X-Fi. I recall another one of the members here saying he even noticed a quality increase between the X-Fi and the Audigy2 ZS (I think).


Fair enough, I just knew that he was on a budget and the Audigy is a good card for almost half the price.