Top-End first time build. Aimed at FSX.

[awalke23]

Hello fellow builders,

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and/or help. I've owned several systems over the years, but this will be the first one I do myself. I've been gathering info for a month or two, and this site has been invaluable.

Putting this rig together mainly for gaming; I Play WoW and MS Flight Sim X (and hopefully Starcraft II when they finally release it a couple decades from now >.< ).
I'm shooting for a budget cap of about $2,000.

Case: Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

PSU: Antec TPQ-850 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371009

Motherboard: EVGA 132-YW-E180-A1 nVidia nForce 790i Core 2 Duo Socket 775 1600 MHz DDR3 1333MHz ATX Motherboard
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10009486

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo e8500 3.16GHz
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007605

RAM: 8GB (4x 2GB) Crucial DDR3 PC3-10600 1333 1.5V
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=nForce+790i+SLI+FTW+DIGITAL+P WM+(132-YW-E180-A1)

Graphics card: 2x SLI EVGA 01G-P3-N880-AR GeForce 9800 GTX+ 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130429

Sound card: Unsure.

Hard Drive(s): 2x RAID-0 Western Digital Caviar 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache SATA
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=101259

Optical Drive(s): Unsure

Monitor: Samsung 2253BW 22" 2ms LCD
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008054

Speakers: Unsure, will buy these later.

Operating System: Windows Vista 64-bit Premium
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488



Everything above encompasses the research I have done thus far, but I am by no means an expert. So If any of those components are junk or not worth the price tag please feel free to tell me. What I haven't been able to figure out at all are the following things:

1. Is setting up a 64-bit system going to be a total pain, or are drivers usually available for semi-new devices?

2. Do you guys think the Antec 900 case will be sufficient? The customer reviews on Newegg are iffy about room, but ecstatic about the cooling. I'm concerned about both considering the SLI and the RAID-0.

3. Any suggestions for a decent blu-ray drive that has good drivers for 64-bit? Newegg was recommending an LG drive that had some scary reviews concerning software, so I'm thinking something else.

4. Is my SLI too much? There always seems to be a debate about spending money on this wherever I look. I read through your gaming forum looking for FSX builds, but don't recall reading any threads where people haven't needed to compromise with this game somehow. I also read through your SLI sticky. I guess what I'm asking is, where will my bottleneck be?

5. I have no idea what to look for in a sound card.

6. Is my RAM too much?

7. Is my PSU too much? Too little? Might get a flight yoke, rudder pedals, and throttle quadrant later, so I'm sure that will tax the PSU even more, I just have no idea how to add all the USB power usage up.

8. Am I missing any random components besides the BD/DVD/CD, Sound Card, and speakers? (i.e. any mystery cables for the HDD's, DVI, or SLI... or any major component at all for that matter, lol)



Total price so far without the BD/DVD, Sound card, and any applicable shipping is $1929.37. Any suggestions to help bring the final price back down to under $2k using comparable products would be appreciated.


Thanks again,
Drew


Edit: Current subtotal @ $1859.37 with MIR's.

[IceHot]

Hey, that looks like an awesome build. I was wondering if you gave the new intel i7 processors a look? They run with a new x58 chipset motherboard that got rid of the front side bus so it reads right from the memory. Its a new technology but its much faster and in the end will probably only cost you maybe another 100 dollars (as an estimate might wanna look more into it). I just put one together without a sound card and a 24" monitor it ran me just over 2,000 with the 280gtx video card which cost about 400 when I ordered it. This is the processor and motherboard I got which I would recommend if you went with the x58 chipset (listed below along with the ram) . You would also need to go from DDR2 to DDR3 ram as the x58 chipset will only read triple channel ram, vista 64 bit should be fine with drivers. You might run into a few extra problems but its worth it. Also 8 gigs of ram? You might wanna look at only getting six, I personally think for a gaming comp you wont notice a difference between 6gigs and 8gigs of ram when building such a powerful machine like you are. The antec 900 case should be fine, everyone raves about it and a-lot of builders use it. If you are worried about it and have the extra cash then check out the antec 1200. These are just suggestions and ideas, in no way am I trying to swing your decision as the build you've come up with is a great idea. My only thought is in a year or two when you wanna upgrade and processors are only using the x58 chipset and DDR3 ram you will run into more than just upgrading a video card...I've got links listed below for items to check out. As I said you still have a great build!

Processor: Intel i7 920 Quard Core 2.6ghz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=intel+i7+920&x=0&y=0

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA x58-UD5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128362

Ram: Here are a few suggestions as they will be great picks
Corsair Dominator (3X2GB) DDR3 1600 (pc12800):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224 (ram I purchased)

Corsair Dominator (3x2gb) DDR3 1600 (pc15000)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145224

For a little bit cheaper and not quite as good a performance but will still do what you need it to do I would check this out

Crucial 6gb (3x2bg) DDR3 1333 (PC10600)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148247

Also, I noticed your power supply is 850watts. I was recommended this power supply by the guys on this site, even though its only 750 watt it'll give you all the power you need and at the current price I feel like I stole it

Power and Cooling 750 Watt:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

Good Luck!!

[awalke23]

Thanks for the feedback Icehot,

I will definitely take those things into consideration. Most likely will downgrade the PSU and the RAM. One question though, will I be able to install 3x 2GB sticks of RAM on either of those motherboards or do they require pairs?

And will my onboard sound be ok for most things? I don't know how optional soundcards are, or what would require me to actually get one.


Going to place my orders before the weekend.. starting to get excited :D

-Drew

[IceHot]

I know for sure the motherboard I recommended can take 3x2gb of DDR3 just have to follow the instructions on installation as some require you to insert them in a certain order. I am not sure about the one you selected. I personally feel unless you are a profesional gamer or are into audio editing you dont really need a sound card. I've always used onboard sound and didnt buy a soundcard for my new build. I personally think its really not needed. However, it all depends on personal preferance. I am a hardcore casual gamer. Meaning I play alot but just for fun and dont use a sound card. I think they are the most optional piece of a build as you dont need to get one if you dont want too. Its up to you. Any more questions I'll try to help out. Hopefully you get some feedback from more people so you have more than just my opinion.
Good Luck!