Critque this before I buy?

[mightygerm]

Hey all. Been using a 2.4c/9800 for far too long and I got that itch to upgrade. Been researching over the past couple weeks and I think I got something down. My budget was $1500 and it would be used mainly for gaming, I like to multitask/video edit a lot too so I went for the dual core.

Opteron 165 OEM: $270
DFI Ultra-D: $119
2 GB g.Skill ddr400: $140
Scythe Ninja HSF: $39

EVGA 7900GT: $319
Raptor 150: $275
WD 320G: $130
BENQ DVDR 1655: $45

Antec P150: $113
OCZ Powerstream 520: $135

That comes to about $1600. A little over budget, but I wanted to get a top notch PSU since it seems the DFI's are pretty finicky about it. I hope to hit get a decent OC on air with this.

A couple quick questions:

There's spots for 2 92mm fans in the front of the P150. What brand should I go for? Noise isn't a huge issue, but I don't want a hair dryer blowing in my room.

I haven't really been keeping up with the latest thermal greases. What kind of paste should I go for?

 

[burningrave101]

You can save $275 if you just skip the raptor and go with the Western Digital 320GB 16MB. I didn't even consider a raptor in my new build because they're too expensive for the small gain in performance. Yes they are faster at 10,000rpm but you dont get that much storage capacity and most users dont do anything very disk intensive to need the higher performance drive.

 

[discochan]

I personally love my raptor, but I dont know if I would get the 150gb one. The 74 plenty

Use the extra 150 you save and get a 7900 gtx

 

[burningrave101]

I personally love my raptor, but I dont know if I would get the 150gb one. The 74 plenty

Use the extra 150 you save and get a 7900 gtx

Yeah i would get the 74GB or skip the raptor all together. The extra performance gain isn't that noticeable unless your running disk intensive applications. I'd opt for the 7900 GTX or ATI X1900 XTX. I dont know what games you play but if your planning to play Oblivion then i suggest the X1900 XTX.

And as far as thermal paste goes they all perform about the same but Arctic Ceramique or AS5 are about your two best choices. I use Ceramique because it performs as well as AS5 and its a lot cheaper. Its also easier to remove and makes less of a mess.

 

[quadnad]

Looks to be a great build.

My only suggestion is actually going to save you money! *gasp*

Instead of that OCZ power supply, I'd pick up this Enermax. It'll only save you ~$25, but hey, thats still $25! That powersupply is extremely reliable and is recommended not only for sli but also your motherboard specifically in [H]'s own PSU section.

Also, have you thought about a 120mm fan for that ninja yet?
Check out the Overclocking section here and search for 120mm fans and you'll find a billion results as to what you should look for. Currently I've got this fan strapped to my Ninja. Remember, 25mm thickness or less, otherwise you'll need to fashion some paperclips or bands to strap it on there. Same goes for the 92mm fans, search in the overclocking section and you should find some suggestions.

 

[burningrave101]

Instead of that OCZ power supply, I'd pick up this Enermax. It'll only save you ~$25, but hey, thats still $25! That powersupply is extremely reliable and is recommended not only for sli but also your motherboard specifically in [H]'s own PSU section.

I would stay with the 520w Powestream myself. I believe its a little more solid unit and the OCZ power supplies work very well with the DFI boards and is the PSU most recommended for them on the DFI forums. They also carry a 5 year warranty. I also dont think its recommended to use a dual +12V rail PSU if you should ever decide to run SLI. You can max out one of the +12V rails and the power wont distribute properly. Its recommended to have a single strong +12V rail or a PSU that has 3-4 +12V rails for SLI.

 

[quadnad]

I would stay with the 520w Powestream myself. I believe its a little more solid unit and the OCZ power supplies work very well with the DFI boards and is the PSU most recommended for them on the DFI forums. They also carry a 5 year warranty. I also dont think its recommended to use a dual +12V rail PSU if you should ever decide to run SLI. You can max out one of the +12V rails and the power wont distribute properly. Its recommended to have a single strong +12V rail or a PSU that has 3-4 +12V rails for SLI.

alrighty, well I just went by the recommendations the psu section had to offer.