Going to buy soon - last minute check please!

[Six6siX]

Hi all, just wondering if you could give me some last minute advice on my new build. Spec I've come up with is below, but I have a few questions / things im not too sure about.

1. Which CPU would be better - I dont mind overclocking hence the Opteron 144 but I've been reading that the 3700+ clocks well too. Price difference is negligable so...

2. I have an Audigy 2 Platinum which I will be using but haven't been able to find anything giving me an indication of whether it will fit in cases with a cover over the drive bays. If not, then I could do with a case suggestion...I'll need a new one anyway.

3. I have a monitor already so thats not required, but opinions on the graphics - is there anything better for the price (£150ish). Ive always used ATI and had no major problems, but Im willing to try something different if the price is right...

4. Finally, any suggestions overall of the spec. I would like to keep it around £850-870 in total (including case which is not listed below). Changes etc would be great and much appreciated


Opteron144 or 3700+ OEM (139.77) 143.29 Opteron (CP-141-AM) 3700+ (CP-150-AM)
Thermaltake Big Typhoon 4 in 1 Heatpipe Socket939 CPU Cooler 25.79 (HS-007-TT)
Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra (Socket939) PCI-Express/SATA/LAN 72.79 (MB-088-AS)
OcUK Value 2GB (2x1GB) PC3200 184pin DDR Dual Channel Kit 105.69 (MY-006-OK)
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus10 NCQ 80GB 6V080E0 SATAII 8MB Cache OEM 39.89 (HD-095-MD)
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus10 300GB 6V300F0 SATAII 16MB Cache OEM 88.07 (HD-089-MD)
Compro VideoMate DVB-T200 Digital TV Tuner PCI Retail 41.07 (GX-000-CP)
PowerColor ATI Radeon X850XT 256MB GDDR3 TV-Out PCI-Express Retail 152.69 (GX-037-PC)
Tagan TG480-U01 480W PSU ATX2.0 Compliant PSU 58.69 (CA-000-TG)
NEC ND4550A 16x16 DVD+/-RW Dual Layer ReWriter OEM 29.96 (CD-024-NE)
Sony DDU-1615 DVDROM (Black) OEM 12.87 (CD-020-SO)
Logitech UltraX Media Desktop OEM 35.19 (KB-065-LG)

Current Total: £805.99 (exc. case)

Thanks!

 

[Larok]

I like the look of these, reviews are good also;

Thermaltake VA3000SNA Tsunami Dream SuperMidi Aluminium Tower - Silver (CA-013-TT)

the OCUK 7800GT is a good card at a relatively reasonable price.

I would go with the 3700SD in case overlcocking dosn't work out.

 

[Six6siX]

I like the look of these, reviews are good also;

Thermaltake VA3000SNA Tsunami Dream SuperMidi Aluminium Tower - Silver (CA-013-TT)

the OCUK 7800GT is a good card at a relatively reasonable price.

I would go with the 3700SD in case overlcocking dosn't work out.

Thanks for the reply

I was quite interested in that case looks awesome (although the black version, which is on "this week only"). Reading reviews, it doesnt seem to have a removeable motherboard tray...is that much of an issue? And would it be ok with the front bay on the Audigy?

 

[muckymick]

You might think about changing them maxtor drives for something different,seems to be quite a few people having problems with them.Me for 1,have had 250gig one die at 3 weeks old.the forum is full of them at the mo.

 

[Six6siX]

What would you suggest as far as drives go? I've had maxtors all the time and theyve been ok, had one Western Digital which died on me.

I hear Seagate are good - what about Hitachi or other makes?

 

[muckymick]

I tend to stick with samsung at the moment,i have not had one of these die on me yet !! but have a quick look around on the drive forum for some help.At least all manufacturers are back to having at least a 3 year warranty with seagate having 5 i think.

 

[Six6siX]

I tend to stick with samsung at the moment,i have not had one of these die on me yet !! but have a quick look around on the drive forum for some help.At least all manufacturers are back to having at least a 3 year warranty with seagate having 5 i think.

Cheers,

I think I'll go for the seagates actually - reviews say they are a good all rounder with good reliability. 5 Year warranty is nice too.