How does this build look?

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mhaskell

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How does this build look? Useage is running engineering programs (CFD, CAD, FEA) around a $2500 budget.

1 Antec Nine Hundred Case

2 Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s

1 EVGA GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16

1 Sony NEC Optiarc Black SATA DVD-ROM

1 SILVERSTONE OP650 650W ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Retail

1 Arctic Silver 5

2 CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel

1 ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

1 Microsoft Windows XP Professional 64Bit SP2C for System Builders - OEM

1 Tuniq Tower 120 Universal CPU Cooler

1 Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80569Q9650 - Retail
 
You don't need the Rampage motherboard. Any P45 chipset would work fine. The P5Q Pro is nice as is the Gigabyte P45 series.
 
With a $2500 budget, I highly recommend that you wait for Intel's Core i7 CPU to be released. It'll actually be about the same price as your current Intel C2D list but offer more performance. The Core i7 is due out this month.
 
Danny Bui said:
With a $2500 budget, I highly recommend that you wait for Intel's Core i7 CPU to be released. It'll actually be about the same price as your current Intel C2D list but offer more performance. The Core i7 is due out this month.
Click to expand...

Can't wait, need this at work next week. Is the motherboard compatible?
 
rhyx said:
You don't need the Rampage motherboard. Any P45 chipset would work fine. The P5Q Pro is nice as is the Gigabyte P45 series.
Click to expand...

You might be right, I liked the supposed extra efficiency and cooling this board offers however, since it will run 24/7. I will look into that.
 
1. You don't need 8GB. 4GB will suffice.
2. I also recommend the PQ5 Pro. Good motherboard and I believe it's on sale.
3. Not sure you need the Velociraptors, let alone 2 of them.
4. What are you using as your CPU heatsink?
 
mhaskell said:
Can't wait, need this at work next week. Is the motherboard compatible?
Click to expand...

Mobo is compatible but horribly overpriced. I recommend taking a look at these other motherboards:
Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L Intel P43 Motherboard - $85
MSI P45 Neo3-FR Intel P45 Motherboard - $110
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Asus P5Q Pro Intel P45 Motherboard - $120
Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P Intel P45 Motherboard - $137
Biostar TPower I45 Intel P45 Motherboard - $149
DFI Lanparty DK X38-T2R Intel X38 Motherboard - $180
Asus P5E Deluxe Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
DFI Lanparty DK X48-T2R Intel X48 Motherboard - $220
Gigabyte GA-EX48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225

Just to help you out: All of these motherboards have PCI-E 2.0 which may be useful for future GPU upgrades. If you don't need RAID, more than 6 SATA ports and only need semi-decent overclocking, check out the DS3L. If you need 8 SATA ports, RAID, 4 PCI slots, and legacy ports, then get the Neo3-Fr. If you need 8 SATA ports but want RAID, firewire, a second PCI-E x16 port, a second gigabit port, support for 16GB of RAM, optional eSATA, x8/x8 Crossfire, and excellent overclocks, then get the UD3R. If you like the UD3R but want a second PCI-E x16 slot, then get the UD3P. If you like the UD3P but want an onboard pre-installed fast booting Linux setup, just support for 8GB of RAM, and don't need a second gigabit port, get the Asus P5Q Pro. If you want a motherboard with excellent overclocking capabilities above all else (feature wise), go with the I45 or UD3P. If you want Crossfire with full x16/x16 bandwidth, get the Lanparty DK X38. If you have cash to burn, need x16/x16 Crossfire, and don't give a damn about getting the most value for your money, get the Asus, DFI, or Gigabyte X48 motherboards. Do note that the Asus website can be slow sometimes.

PSU wise, get the Corsair 750TX instead since it offers a bit more power for not much more.

Case wise, I recommend getting these other case over the Antec 900 due to their equal quality but cheaper price:
Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $50
Antec 300 ATX Case - $50
Cooler Master Mystique RC-632S-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $58
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $78
Antec Solo ATX Case - $85
Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case - $76
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $90
AeroCool Masstige ATX Case - $105

Ditch the Q9650. It is not worth the extra $210 over the Q9550 since it's only ~170Mhz faster. $210 for 170Mhz? Total waste of money. Drop down to the Q9550

Ditch the Tuniq Tower and go with this equal but easier to install HSF:
Xigmatek HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle HSF - $32 & Retention Bracket - $7

Which 4GB Corsair set are you getting? If it's not the $55 set, get the $55 set. The more expensive set is not worth the extra cash
 
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GonzoP said:
Your initial list looked good. You might as well go straight to 8gb considering the work you do. Its super cost effective too.
Click to expand...

See the "2" next to Corsair RAM listing? Sounds like he's already getting 8GB of RAM
PC_User said:
1. You don't need 8GB. 4GB will suffice.
4. What are you using as your CPU heatsink?
Click to expand...
He does need 8GB considering the CFD, CAD, FEA apps he's gonna run.

And he was about to get the Tuniq Tower if you look at his list again.
 
mhaskell said:
Can't wait, need this at work next week. Is the motherboard compatible?
Click to expand...

So, did you get everything? If so, what did you end up getting?

If not... You posted that on the 7th. i7 gets released on the 16th or 17th. If you didn't yet order everything, you might as well wait until next week.
 
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