1st Post, 1st Build, Please Help!

[JTRIP]

Hi All,
Appologies in advance for a long 1st post. I would not even be attempting my own build had I not came across this site. I have put together the following list of components and would greatly appreciate any critique, comments or suggestions you may have. My budget is $2800 or less and will be used primarily for gaming. I would like the most stable rig as possible with abilitiy to upgrade when new hardware becomes available.

Case:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $49.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119068

MB:

ASUS Rampage II Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail = 359.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131352

or

MSI X58 Pro LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130221


PSU:

CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail = 149.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139009

CPU:

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor – Retail = $288.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202

Graphics:

SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail = 249.99

Or

EVGA 017-P3-1293-AR GeForce GTX 295 1792MB 896 (448 x 2)-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card w/ Pre-installed ECGA Backplate - Retail = 559.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130453

MEM:

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail = 94.00 X 2 = $188.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227365


HD:

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS 300GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – OEM = 229.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136322

Or

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM = 109.99 maybe X2 for a raid config.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284

Optical Drive:

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - Retail 29.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106291


Monitor:

ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 1000:1 (ASCR 20000:1) Built in Speakers – Retail = 229.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236052

Key Board:

Logitech G11 Silver & Black 104 Normal Keys 29 Function Keys USB Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail = 58.99

Mouse:

Logitech MX518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB or PS/2 Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming-Grade Mouse - Retail = 39.99

OS

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM = 179.99


Thanks much,
Jeff

[JTRIP]

My current comp is a 6yr old Dell. My new hardware experience is extremely limited. I know the PS is overkill, but wanted one that will handle future upgrades. I also know the mother board is over the top for a first build, but thought I may want to try some overclocking in the future. Again, thanks for any help/assistance you can provide.

Jeff

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCMech.

Your build is very solid. We haven't been recommending i7 builds, because of the extra expense compared to a Core2 build, but if you are prepared for the prices, go for it.

[chuck4456]

If you're going to spend 550 bucks on video cards, go with dual HD4890s.
That power supply should more than handle them.
I'd shop around for monitors - might be happier if you pick up a 32" HDTV to hook up.
Motherboard-wise, just go with the ASUS P6T.
I'd also look at cases more extensilvely. The Centurion 5 is a fantastic case for mid-lower end builds but it has a top mount for the PSU. It will get awfully cramped up there with a big CPU cooler.
You'll do better with a case that offers PSU installation in the bottom.

[JTRIP]

How would 2 GTX 285 compare against your suggestion?

Thought I would go with 1 295 and if needed double them up later.

Will go with the less expensive MB.

Very confusing trying to select parts with limited knowledge. I see NewEgg in my sleep.

Thanks much,
Jeff

[not important]

I'd suggest going with one good video card. As stated above, if you have the money to spend on the i7, do it.

[JTRIP]

How's this for a case?

Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129043

[chuck4456]

Originally Posted by JTRIP How's this for a case? Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129043

More than enough room for drive and cable management, as well as ventilation.
nVidia cards are not my forte - I've been doing ATI for years. I think that my last nVidia card was a 6200. It's been a while!
Just ordered a SAPPHIRE HD4870 Toxic yesterday.
I've had really great results with ATI/SAPPHIRE.

[JTRIP]

My current card is an ATI Radeon 9800pro. I don't know enough about the current GPU's so I was going with the 295. Saw a test that put it at the top of the pile.

Couple additional questions:

Running XP Pro, is there a big difference between the Vista Prem and Ulti? Is the ultimate worth the money?

Is is difficult to configure RAID, either 0 or 1? Thinking of maybe going that route for faster access or maybe reliablity. Suggestions?

Don't want to give the impression that money is no object, but I have always cut back in the past and regretted it later. Wife gave me the green light but said to stay off the autobahn.

Thanks,
Jeff

[chuck4456]

Originally Posted by JTRIP My current card is an ATI Radeon 9800pro. I don't know enough about the current GPU's so I was going with the 295. Saw a test that put it at the top of the pile. Couple additional questions: Running XP Pro, is there a big difference between the Vista Prem and Ulti? Is the ultimate worth the money? Is is difficult to configure RAID, either 0 or 1? Thinking of maybe going that route for faster access or maybe reliablity. Suggestions? Don't want to give the impression that money is no object, but I have always cut back in the past and regretted it later. Wife gave me the green light but said to stay off the autobahn. Thanks, Jeff

I've been using a lot of HD3870s since their arrival. Excellent video cards. That's why I went up to a 4870. ATI has dialed them in for real these days.
VISTA has never impressed me too much. There are others who absolutely love it. To each his own I suppose. This late in the game, if you have a copy of XP PRO that you can use, use it. Windows 7 is on the horizon. You may want to try that.
I like XP/XP PRO overall. As I see it, all you get with VISTA is a fancier screensaver slideshow. There are too many things to disable (like Windows Defender) unless you like getting popups all of the time. Networking VISTA and XP PCs together is a time-consuming PITA.
RAID 1 is good - you can mirror your data. If a drive fails, then you still have your data on the other.
Just my 2 cents on that.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by chuck4456 I've been using a lot of HD3870s since their arrival. Excellent video cards. That's why I went up to a 4870. ATI has dialed them in for real these days. VISTA has never impressed me too much. There are others who absolutely love it. To each his own I suppose. This late in the game, if you have a copy of XP PRO that you can use, use it. Windows 7 is on the horizon. You may want to try that. I like XP/XP PRO overall. As I see it, all you get with VISTA is a fancier screensaver slideshow. There are too many things to disable (like Windows Defender) unless you like getting popups all of the time. Networking VISTA and XP PCs together is a time-consuming PITA. RAID 1 is good - you can mirror your data. If a drive fails, then you still have your data on the other. Just my 2 cents on that.

Well said, ATI currently are the stable way to go. Nvidia has many issues with a lot of the games out there. I have been recommending ATI 4870s to most of my gamer/multimedia customers and they are very happy with them. We built a few with 285s and 295s had customers bring them back with issues, one of our customers complained that his older 8800 Ultra out performed the 295.
I highly recommend you go ATI

[JTRIP]

Very much respect your opinions. Should I go with this or is there better? Is this card easy to configure?


SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail = 249.99

Also,
I'm major confused on the mother board. I really need super easy and super reliable. Deffinately not brand loyal.

Thanks,
Jeff

[JTRIP]

Appologies for the mis-spells, tooooo many beers.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by JTRIP Very much respect your opinions. Should I go with this or is there better? Is this card easy to configure? SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card – Retail = 249.99 Also, I'm major confused on the mother board. I really need super easy and super reliable. Deffinately not brand loyal. Thanks, Jeff

That Rampage is an extremely high end motherboard, well suited for experienced rig builders. It is not simple at all to setup and configure.
Some might disagree with me here but as a first build you really should consider sticking to either the Core 2 Quads or the AMD Phenom II series with a more straight forward motherboard.

It is nice to have best of the best, but the more complex the system you build the more experience it takes to build it and maintain it.

The video Card you describe is awesome.

If you want Core 2 Quad or Phenom II rig, I and others can give you advise on what to get.

[JTRIP]

Please build me a $2500 system with no hold backs. I will consider all.

Thanks for all the input

Jeff