Critique my build?

[aKrippler]

I know you fellas get a lot of this same crap every day but here it goes anyways.
Going for around a 1k box, I'll deal with my moniter some other time prolly use my 19" until I get a 22-24" widescreen in the future.
I'll try to make this simple, and clean.

CASE Lian Li PC-7B

MOBO Gigabyte P35 DS3L

GPU EVGA 8800GT

PSU CORSAIR 520-HX

CPU E6750

RAM G.SKILL (2x2) 4gigs ddr2 800 pc 6400

HDD Western Digital Raptor 10K RPM 150G 16MB Cache

DVDRWLITE-ON

Also a cpu cooler because I plan to do a little bit of OC'ing (not much as this is my first time trying) All I will be doing with this comp is playing games, Old ones new ones inbetween ones.
And probably XP until I cave-in and get Vista. Let me know if you guys see any stand-out issues. Thanks in advance, I look forward to your comments.

 

[engiNURD]

PSU is cheaper here:
$100 - Corsair HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W ($10 MIR)

Ditch the Raptor...
Avg Transfer Rate, Access Time: HDD info, Price
78MB/s, 08.2ms: WD Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB, $160AR
72MB/s, 15.4ms: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB, $65
65MB/s, 13.7ms: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS 320GB, $80
65MB/s, 13.2ms: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3300620AS 300GB, $60
63MB/s, 12.9ms: WD Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB, $90
52MB/s, 14.0ms: WD Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB, $70
112MB/s, 13.2ms: RAID0 'cuda's, 600GB total, $120 (ICH9R on P35-DS3R)

As you can see, the 'cuda is twice the size and half the cost, for nearly the same performance. Stick them in RAID0, and you've got an even more cost effective solution. Though, the seek time of the Raptor can't be beat. If you have cash to burn, do so on a Raptor if you really want it. Otherwise, there are better cost effective solutions depending on your needs.

Ditch the IDE DVD Burner... go for SATA instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...CodeValue=365:6653&PropertyCodeValue=384:6820

For the E6750, I recommend the Ultima90 + Panaflo fan...
$35 - Scythe SCNJ-1100P Ninja Plus Rev.B CPU HSF (optional $7 Thermalright LGA775 Bolt-Thru-Kit; recommended if using w/ quadcore)
$45 - Tuniq Tower 120 CPU HSF
$46 - Thermalright Ultima 90 CPU HS + FBA09A12M - Z ($3)
$55 - Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU HS + Scythe S-Flex Fan SFF21E ($15)

My E6750 @ 3.8Ghz (1.55v) and Ultima90 + Panaflo: 28°C idle, 52°C load, 22°C Ambient
BTW, I got the same temps with my Tuniq, but the Ultima90 is smaller, lighter, and easier to install.

 

[aKrippler]

Thanks for your reply eginurd I apperciate it, really informative.

Doing raid was something I was looking to avoid for the simple fact I've never tried it before, unless you think it's something, that somone like me (pretty good computer experience) can handle.

 

[engiNURD]

Thanks for your reply eginurd I apperciate it, really informative.

Doing raid was something I was looking to avoid for the simple fact I've never tried it before, unless you think it's something, that somone like me (pretty good computer experience) can handle.

Well, even without RAID, a single HDD is pretty fast these days. I just picked up some 320GB Seagates from Fry's for $60, btw.

Anyhow, RAID0 is easy, but the thing to worry about is data backups. RAID0 introduces another point of failure into the mix, effectively doubling your chances of data loss. Setting up the RAID array is easy. Just make sure you have a good backup scheme to protect against data loss.

I typically have more than one drive in a system. My current gaming system has a RAID0 array, along with a storage drive. My storage drive is partitioned, and one of those partitions is basically a backup OS partition -- in case the array goes down. I also have an image of the OS partition, which makes for easy restores. I use an external drive for important data backups.