My future rig--Please Comment

[jamesgig]

my future rig:

cpu: amd x2 4000 am2
mobo: asus m2n32-sli deluxe
ram: kingston hyperx 2x1gb ddr2 800 4-4-4-12
gpu: evga nvidia 7950x2
psu: antec 550 watt truepowerII
sound card: x-fi xtreme music
dvd: plextor 18xdvd PX760A/sw bl
plextor 16x dvd 5xdvd-ram PX750A
hdd: wd 250gb 16mb cache
seagate baracuda 80gb 8mb cache x2
case: thermaltake armor
keyboard: microsoft natural 4000
mouse: logitech g5
speaker: logitech z4 40 watt 2.1
monitor: viewsonic 20.1" 1000:1 300cd/m2 8ms
cpu cooling: arctic silver 5
zalman cnps 9500 am2
os: winxp pro

total: $3020

is this a good configuration? will oc. used for gaming/projects. thanks for your help.

[jayb1234]

Check the power supply requirements, that card isn't up on the slizone (http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone2_build.html#certified_powersupplies) list yet , but I would assume it would take more power than the 7900's and that you would want a PSU from the 7900 approved list if you want to add a second card in the future. Be sure to check the Asus QVL list to see that the ram is on it. AM2 boards are very picky about ram.

[Staren]

Looks like jayb1234 beat me to both issues I was going to comment on. You will want a PSU tested for 7900GTXs for sure. I wouldn't risk anything else on a system that powerful. Also double check the QVL for your motherboard and make sure that the RAM you want is listed.

Those are the only issues that might cause a problem to the system. I do have a question though. The two 80GB Seagates, do you already have those? If not, I would get all your hard drives in 16mb cache.

[jamesgig]

the two seagates are for my os. i was going to RAID and mirror it and keep it separate from my other data. Kingston said that the memory is compatible.

One question, with this setup, will I be able to overclock the cpu by at least 500mhz?
thanks for the help

[glc]

There is never a guarantee when it comes to overclocking. What's the matter with running stock and STABLE? A 4000+ is still a VERY fast processor!

Why 2 DVD burners? Why RAID? I'd get a single Raptor over a pair of drives any day.

[jamesgig]

i want to overclock so i can afford the upgraded performance which i have to buy. if it is either overclock and get better memory/gpu, or spend another $400 on a processor, i want the better hardware. I want to go with Plextor for the drives; however, they do not sell a dvd-rom, and the cd burners are only $10 cheaper, so i went with the $100 one for its incresed speed and the $75 ($55 after rebates) one for dvd-ram and everyday uses. just to keep my system running if one of the drives holding the os fails. it does not seem worth the price to go with 2 raptors.

[glc]

Thats why I said ONE Raptor. There's no need to mirror your OS drive - just image it occasionally. It's the data drive that needs to be backed up religiously.

[jamesgig]

how much time would the raptor cut from start up? They seem expensive just to put my os on without a noticable performance gain ($140).

[glc]

I'd rather spend $140 on a single Raptor then on two drives the same size in RAID 1. Mirroring is RAID 1 and does not improve performance at all. RAID 0 is striping - and a single Raptor will still perform better than 2 drives in RAID 0.

[jamesgig]

I'll have to see if my parents will spend the extra money for the Raptor. If i do not add a second 7950x2, would the antec psu be adequate for overclocking(i would like to use an antec if possible)? Is there anything else i need/need to know?

[Staren]

Umm, the 7950x2 is just that an x2, two cards on one PCI-E slot. You arn't getting two of those on a motherboard without some real research on the space between slots, heat, and the power issue. And no, I would not risk the Antec, expecally if you are going to try an overclock. You will really need to go with a high end PSU for that.

[jamesgig]

would the Fortron Source FX600-GLN 600watt PSU be a good choice?

[glc]

Yes, because it's SLI-certified for 7900GTX's.

If you don't want to spend the money for a Raptor, then buy ONE 7200 rpm 16mb cache drive, not 2.