My new build (OR: Am I on something?)

[tiraides]

Long story short: I returned from my deployment and over the past month used the money that I saved there to buy a car, get a HDTV, and build a new computer (in that exact order). But since I've built the computer, I have had this nagging sense that it needed a little more oomph. Here are my specs:

Case: Antec CS200B Black mini-tower
PSU: Antec TrueBlue480 (planning to swap with NeoPower 480)
Mobo: Abit AG8 (LGA 775, Intel 915P)
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 630 (3.0GHz Prescott)
RAM: 2x 1GB Corsair XMS DDR400 (CL2)
Hard Drive: 300GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 SATA (planning to add a 400GB drive)
Optical Drives: Lite-On DVD-ROM (SOHD-16P9S) and DL DVD burner (SOHW-1633S)
Video Card: Saphire ATI Radeon X800 PRO x16 PCI-e
Sound Card: SB Audigy 2 ZS (planning to upgrade to Platinum)

I was planning to make this a "power-user" PC but I've been thinking that:

1) I should have purchased a 925XE-based mobo and DDR2 memory.
2) The video card should have been Radeon X850-based.
3) I should have went for a Prescott 540 or 550 instead of the 630 (or, more power over more "features").

(And for those who are wondering why not AMD and/or nVidia -- to prevent a possible flame war -- I'm just going with what worked for me in the past. "If it ain't broke....")

Am I going overboard for nothing (the computer works just fine now), or should I have made those changes beforehand? Any suggestions (for now and/or next time)?

 

[mrweasel]

That looks pretty good to me...what's so wrong that you're second guessing yourself?

 

[Megadeth_Guy01]

What kind of voltages are you getting on your TrueBlue, I must have got a dud my +12v has been 11.72v ever since I bought it. Seems very low to me considering the minimal load my outdated hardware puts on it.

 

[Dillusion]

Ya ide go with a 925XE based board, it gets rid of allot of limitations of OCing, as it does 1066FSB guarnateed on the mobo. You dont NEED an ati X850 based card, an X800, X800XL, or X700 Pro are all good for gaming, but each obviously has its strengths. I had a PCI-E X800 Pro and it was awesome, stick with it and OC a bit.

The 630 is a great processor and will do 4ghz out of the box with good RAM and cooling, ide stick with that too.

Look @ the Epox 925XE board at newegg, its only like 160$ and looks nice, and has allot of features.

 

[tiraides]

To answer everyone's questions (so far)...

mrweasel: The only problem with me was that I felt like I should have used the top-of-the-line stuff when I built this computer. Like I said before, it works fine and I have had no problems on the hardware end of things, but it felt like I cutted corners on a few areas when I didn't have to. Oh well...

Megadeth_Guy01: My voltage is pretty stable... I'm currently running about 12.06v on my +12v. The only reason I'm considering the NeoPower is only because the detachable power cords will enable me to reduce clutter inside my case.

Dillusion: Thanks for the suggestion on the 925XE board. I'll have to save that recommendation for when my folks start building their new computer -- my next plan is to build a SFF gaming box (mostly retro games, but also for LAN parties) sometime within the next 12 months. I think that, in the end, the chipset (915 or 925) was nagging me the most.