Need case advice; and anything else with my component choices before I start.

[Chromeburn]

Great site, and just what I was looking for. I have decided to do my first build after tinkering with all the comps I've had before. I was cruising the forums but didn't see a thread with my particular question. I am fairly knowledgeable with hardware and software, but inexperienced with actual building. So any advice you think you should give, feel free.

Here is my component list. If you see any potential problems, or if you want to say that you think Mushkin ram is overrated and Corsair Dominator of Ballitrix would be a better choice, go ahead. And this will be a Vista system.


Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0ghz, 2x1mb L2 cache, AM2 socket (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773)
-note I will put a Zalman 9700 on it.

Power - Probably and Enermax Galaxy 1000watt for future SLI

Mobo - ASUS Crosshair nForce 590 SLI or would the ASUS M2N32-SLI Vista Edition be a better choice? (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131593)

Video Card - BFG Tech 8800GTX, 600MHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143080)

RAM - Mushkin 240pin SDRAM DDR2 1066 PC2-8500 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146677)

HD - Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136040)

DVD - Lite On DVD/CD burner with lightscribe (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106072)

LCD - Samsung Syncmaster 22" Widescreen 226BW (http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?affid=306&item=M10326)

No soundcard yet. Probably a soundblaster x-fi, but I use headphones. So some 7.1 monster card is not necessary.


Now my dilemma. I can't choose a case. First requirement is that it be able to handle future expansion to SLI with two 8800GTX cards. Also I want good airflow. There will be a lot of hot components and I need a cool case (wel as cool as possible). Third, aesthetics, I don't want a case that resembles something a cat puked up. I prefer minimalist and elegant/smooth, over lights and gaudy. So here are the players I have so far. Oh and it needs to hold a 1000watt power supply like the Enermax Galaxy, which is what I will probably get. Price is not a big deterrent, but I don't want to have to spend $250 when I can spend $120.

Lian Li PC-V1200Bplus II Black Aluminum ATX (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112066)

Lian Li PC-201B Black Aluminum ATX FT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112109)

Antec 900 ATX Mid Tower (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021)

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black FT w/ 25CM Fan (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133021)

COOLER MASTER Stacker 832 Black Aluminum ATX FT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119121)

So there are the choices. If there is one not here you think I should look at go ahead and post it. And thanks for reading. :D

[Jamie Nixx]

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works mate, but you have a much bigger dilemma on your hands, scrap the AMD, get an intel core 2 duo, my personal recommendation is the E6750.


As for cases, i have an Antec 900 and if your looking for future SLI thats your best bet, it offers extreme cooling which is second to none, it is also very roomy inside.

[Chromeburn]

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works mate, but you have a much bigger dilemma on your hands, scrap the AMD, get an intel core 2 duo, my personal recommendation is the E6750.


As for cases, i have an Antec 900 and if your looking for future SLI thats your best bet, it offers extreme cooling which is second to none, it is also very roomy inside.

Actually I have been starting to lean that way the last couple of days with their recent price drop. I put this together early last month and the first things were the processor, after the +6000 drop to $169. Also I have some AMD friendly computer geek friends influencing me.

Not to change gears from the thread title but... I was looking at the q6600 which is $309 and $282 on some sites. Would that be a better option than the e6750 or the e6850, which I would more likely get if I got a Duo core? Wouldn't it be more future proof than a Duo core even if it really isn't a true Quad core? I know the 50's have a 1333FSB as opposed to the 1066FSB on the Quad.
Edit: I see you suggest the Quad in another post so question solved

And what motherboard would you suggest with that. Are the 680I's a lost cause, I read nothing but a ton of problems with them. The new P35 intel boards seems nice, but they are not SLI friendly it seems.
Edit: I see you like the Asus P5N-E SLI with Corsair XMS. Don't want to make you repeat yourself for the 100th time. Seems a solid board with a good price. But still wondering about the 680i boards. Are they not worth the hassle? Can they even work under Vista? Oh and what is your OS with this board?

As for the Antec 900, I think that is where I am going to go. The more I read on it I like, for the price and cooling. I was just worried about it being a dust magnet. But I guess some filters will help with that.

Oh and I am changing to the 850watt Galaxy, 1000 seems overkill and not necessary.

[Jamie Nixx]

Thanks for taking the time to read my other posts, i don't mind mentioning the same components over again, but it does get jarring after a while lol :rolleyes:

The Asus P5N-E SLI mobo is a 650i motherboard, and it supports the 1333 side bus when its available, in my opinion, its one of the best Intel/gaming boards available, which is why i recommend it so much, i don't like the 680i chipset, it can be a bugger sometimes.

As for vista, i have it, but being a gamer, i don't use it, the drivers are terrible and there are so many glitches with the games, especially new games that work fine under XP, so i use XP pro and i'll probably use vista around christmas time when the drivers are better, vista is fine with this mobo, but i wouldn't go with a vista based system yet, not unitl they sort themselves out.

Next onto ram, that Ram is pretty cheap, compared to say crucial ballistix and the dominator series of corsair, but for gaming that ram is second to none.

The Antec 900 is a fantastic case, and yes it can be a bit dusty, but then again i have another gaming comp using a Tsunami case, and thats not really much better.

Can't fault the power supply, i prefer Hipers though.