Need another set of eyes...

[Phragm3nt]

Hey guys,

I am putting together a new pc and would like a few other sets of eyes to go over my build / thoughts.

I intend to use this pc for occasional gaming (would like to play Battlefield 2) but mostly software development. As you will notice I picked some more high-end items and some lower end items to upgrade as necessary.

My list will be excluding optical / floppy / peripherals / software as I have these items already.

Here's what I was thinking:

Asus A8N-SLI Premium w/ DualDDR400, 7.1 Audio, Dual GB Lan, 2 x PCI-E x16 SLI, Cool-Pipe
AMD Athlon 64 3700+ w/ 1MB Cache (Retail Box)
Corsair 2048MB TwinX PC3200 CAS 2 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 1024MB)
Western Digital 250GB Caviar SE16 7200rpm SATA II w/ 16MB Cache
eVGA e-Geforce 6800 GS 256MB PCI-E GDDR3 w/ DVI, TV-Out
Thermaltake VA3000BNA Tsunami Dream Tower, Black
Antec TruePower 2.0 550W

I would like to have something that is going to last a few years. In the not too distant future (summer time) I see myself adding possible 2+ more hd's down for a RAID configuration. Also when the FX chips drop in price I'll probably upgrade to one of those.

Feel free to call me crazy and offer up any suggestions / ideas. I'm pretty open to criticism, regardless of what my co-workers might tell you :P.

Hope I didn't forget anything.

Thanks,

Phragm3nt

[kosova]

My list will be excluding optical / floppy / peripherals / software as I have these

monitor, keyboard, mouse, OS?
you could get a RAPTOR (really fast HDD's). They are also made by Western digital, right now im using a Maxtor (very quiet). You could downgrade from 3700 to the 3500 to save some cash..wat is uer overall budget?

[Phragm3nt]

I have my OS and monitors / keyboard / mouse (peripherals).

My budget is ~1500 CDN which is around 1300 USD..

[jfk]

I'd save some money by dropping down to 1 gig of memory, and, unless you're overclocking, I'd save even more on the memory by getting Corsair ValueSelect instead of the XMS. Nothing out there other than intense video work REQUIRES 2 gigs of memory, though you do get a little better performance in a couple of games. You can always add more later, and it's easy to do. With the money saved, I'd spend a little more on the video card and upgrade to a 7800GT card, it's the best value out there right now for performance/cost. Plus, in a year or so they will be even cheaper and then you can utilize the SLI aspect of your mobo. I would also consider upgrading to a SLI approved power supply now, so that you have that option without having to upgrade it later. Antec makes a SLI approved 550 watt PSU that is just a few dollars more than the one you have picked out. Just my thoughts...............

[blue60007]

You can only use the OS on one computer. So if that copy is on another computer, you'll have to buy another copy.

Do you really need to go with SLI? It's really only for hard core gamers. As jfk said, drop to regular Corsair Value Select. You won't notice the difference.

I'd drop SLI and the fancy RAM, and then upgrade the video card to at least a 6800GT.

[Phragm3nt]

The OS isn't an issue, I have a universal MSDN subscription.

I am open to other alternatives for the motherboard. I am not stuck on SLI, just want a higher end board that will last. The way I see it I could drop the SLI board to the A8E and save ~80 bucks. Anyone have experience with the A8E, I have read many reviews of unhappy owners, suppose you are always going to find that.

I would love to get up to the 7800GT, but I can't justify spending CDN450$ on a video card for occasional gaming.

The latest versions of SQL Server and Visual Studio will require 2 gigs of RAM. I don't want to fill up my box with 4x512 and getting 2 1gb sticks of valueselect isn't much cheaper (alteast at the sites I have been looking at) than the twinx kit I had already picked out. The memory prices on newegg are great compared to ncix.com / memoryexpress.com (here in western canada). The problem is if I order from newegg I'm going to get a nice fat "handling" fee on anything I order. So I might as well just buy the stuff here. It'll be a little more expensive but I wont have to deal with shipping / taxes / handling fees. Call me crazy

Guys I do appreciate the feedback!

Thanks!!

[jayb1234]

Other than getting one of the A8N non-Sli motherboards if you don't want SLI, It looks like a pretty solid build to me. Should give you a few years of good use, and allows pretty good upgradability.

[jfk]

I have the A8N-E and have had exactly zero problems with it since I put my system together. A LOT of the gripes you hear were about the chipset fans failing on the early boards. ASUS has since replaced these on the Rev. 2 boards with a different fan that has given no one problems. If you are going to go with a non-SLI option, this is a great mobo.

[Science_guy]

I also have an A8N-E, and if I were going to be building another computer tomorrow, I'd pick the same board again. Absolutely no problems or complaints.