building a game machine

[sedka]

Hello guys,

I need a little help on what to buy for a gaming system. What I have already bought are:

Samsung 215TW monitor
Microsoft Natural keyboard
Logitech G7 Laser Cordless Mouse
Hitachi 500GB SATA Hard Drive
Seagate 200GB IDE Hard drive
Samsung 18x DVD+-R burner w/ 12x DVD-RAM, LightScribe
Nvidia EVGA 7900gto 512mb PCIe

What I'm looking for are the other main parts. Also, since the computer will be in my room, i don't want it to be loud. I'm thinking about water cooling the CPU and GPU. And of course overclocking.

CPU: I think I'm going for the E6600 core 2 duo. Hoping to OC it between 3.4-3.8 GHZ

Motherboard: What is a good one for this chip? I'm looking for one that has 2 PCIe x16 (for future SLI, once it gets cheaper), and heat pipes/heatsink (instead of fans) that cools the chipsets.

Memory:2gb ddr2 800 (a good one that can help over clock)

PSU: SLI and quiet. A 500-600W one. Maybe one with Active PFC. Oh and no neon light. If I'm running it at night, i don't want the light to blind me while I sleep.

CASE: One that is Liquid cool friendly (either holes in the back for the tubing or enough room inside for everything, If I decide on liquid cooling). I don't care much on how it look, just that it doesn't keep the heat in. And no lights either

Main HardDrive: how quiet are the raptors? I'm looking for a quiet one. I don't need a large one since this is mainly for the OS and other programs like adobe and the 500gb one I have, for games and other stuff.

Lastely Liquid cooling: Are the pumps quiet? I've read some articles on water cooling but none talked about the dBA of the pumps. If I do go with liquid cooling, do I need another fan in the case to draw the air out the back?
Is liquid cooling worth the extra $250+ cost? vs quietness and vs air overclocking ability?

Budget: Around $1200, the less the better. I can wait for another month or two for better pricing on these.

Thanks.

Edited * Pulled another 200 together for a good system.

 

[Ronnie]

get some crucial balixtix ram
antec true power 2 550watt psu
asus p5w dh (crossfire but will work with sli with hacked drivers)

 

[sedka]

Is this a good PSU for SLI? the site does not state SLI certified.
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=269997

 

[NosBoost300]

it doesnt say how many amps it is.. being seeing as its antec, i would think 19 amps each rail, and its 3 rails.. soooo 57 amps, sounds very nice to me.. no doubts in my mind.. it will handle sli fine.. as long as its not 7950gx2 kind of sli

 

[sedka]

How about this one? Antec TruePower TRIO 550
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=273506
or this? Thermaltake W0101RU ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153029

Does thermaltake make good PSUs?

 

[NosBoost300]

when looking for a psu look for the watts (in your case 550+ is good), effeciency 70% (at least), and then look out for

+3.3V@30A,+5V@28A,***+12v1@14A,+12v2@15A ***,-12V@0.3A,+5VSB@2A

and as for amps, look for the +12v(number here) @ (number here)A (which is the amps)

then add the two together( or 3 or 4 in some cases).. i'd say you want at least 30

ya, just pay attention to whats inbetween the stars there

 

[sedka]

Ok, thanks, I think I'll go with the Antec TruePower TRIO 550. and when I do go SLI it'll be the 7900gto (almost a 7900gtx)

Is a mid tower good for a water cooling setup or a full tower?

 

[sedka]

well, I decided to go the "silent" way and got these:
Antec Performance I P180B case
Antec Phantom 500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply
OCZ Platinum EPP Edition 2GB OCZ2N9002GK

What is a good motherboard for these combination? with E6600 CPU and 7900 GTO video card.
I'm thinking about about getting the AW9D-Max
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813127011
or the asus p5w dh
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131025
If I use one card and not SLI, do I still need the hack drivers?