Buying High End PC - Need advice

[Jumzor]

Hey guys I'm planning to build this PC sometime in June.

CPU: Core i7 920
Motherboard: Asus P6T
GPU: GTX295 MSI
PSU: Antec True Power Quatrro 850W
RAM: G Skill 6GB Kit (3x2gb) PI
HDD: Western Digital 1TB Black ed. x 2 (RAID 0)
Case: Antec 900 Gaming Case
OS: Vista Home Premium 64 Bit

I'm not a total newb but im not 100% on the different verisons of cirtain things:
The GTX295 (MSI,Palit,etc)
The MB Asus Pt6 (ive seen a few versions)

Also will there be any price drops in the near future on any of this stuff?

Thanks for all reply's. Criticism welcome

P.S If you dont like my build please suggest your own parts

 

[Hefemeister]

Two of my favorite gpu brands are xfx and evga.

What is the purpose of a 2tb raid0 array?

The asus board you choose is nice. I would also look at the biostars and evga's as well.

If you overclock you would also want to get an aftermarket cooler.

 

[Jumzor]

Hey Thanks for the quick reply!

Whats the difference between GPU brands anyway?

and wont the 2gb Raid 0 make the computer run faster?

 

[Hefemeister]

A raid0 array will add some speed to your computer but with an added risk of drive failure. If one drive fails all data is lost. If you back up regularly or do not have important data on your computer than raid0 is great.

To be honest a 32mb cache 640gb drive will be plenty fast for an operating system. If you want a real fast OS drive you could get a ssd but at this point they are still too expensive for the performance gain.

 

[Jumzor]

One HDD it is. xD
Anything else you would change? the PSU?

 

[Hefemeister]

The 2 most popular psu companies of the forums are corsair and pc power and cooling.

I have had antec,'s in the past and been very happy with them.

I would look for the best deal on either of these 3 brands in the 750 to 850 range. 750 would be fine unless you planned to run dual gpus at a latter point in time.

 

[Jumzor]

Awesome, so far the only thing ill change is 2x HDD's to 1. Thanks for all the help Hefemeister +1 Rep.

 

[Trotter]

If it is going to be 2-3 months before you build, you may want to hold your choices loosely. Who knows what new things could pop up between now and them.

XFX and EVGA both offer lifetime warranties on their cards. Same with BFG. XFX has recently started offering ATI cards and extend the same warranty on them.

 

[Jumzor]

Hey Trotter,
What new items might be popping up in the near future? Because if there is something good ill defiantly wait, i want this comp to last me at least 3 years.

 

[Pinscher]

We don't know of any products that might pop up at the moment. It is always a good idea to recheck your parts before you actually buy just to make sure. Don't wait though. If you start waiting, you will never buy because there is always something right around the corner. I wouldn't count on the build lasting you 3 years if you plan on staying on top of games. Hardware moves so fast. You will still be able to play games fine in 3 years but not at max settings. It just depends on your preference of how you like to play games and what quality you expect.

You will also want an aftermarket cooler. Here are a few good ones

Newegg.com - Noctua NH-U12P SE1366 120mm SSO CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Newegg.com - XIGMATEK HDT-S1284EE 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
w/ Newegg.com - XIGMATEK HDT-S1284EE 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

Thermalright "Limited Edition" TRUE Black Ultra-120 eXtreme CPU Heatsink (Socket LGA 775 / LGA 1366* / AM2 / Xeon*) - FrozenCPU.com
w/ 1366 bracket

For your GFX card, get either XFX or EVGA. Top brands out there followed by BFG