I like the setup you decided upon. I think it should work fine. I also agree with the person who mentioned they picked up a larger power supply. I think I will do the same. My old power supply was a good one and its lasted me through two systems and its probably approaching 10 years now. I think I got my money’s worth out of that one, but I don’t think I could have used it in my last system if it had been just sufficient for the first one. That being said, I was thinking 550w to 600w is a good starting point. In case it wasn’t stressed already, a good power supply is worth the price. If anyone reading is considering a cheap one, reconsider!

I also think the Artic Silver and Zalman cooler were worth getting, although it has been my experience that the GPU is a greater concern when it comes to cooling. My friends had issues with their computers when playing 3D intensive games, but the cases and video cards they were using probably contributed to the problem. You should be fine.

heh, I already have the same HD on hand ready to either install in my current setup, or for use in a new one. Good choice! No one said much about the case, but perhaps in the big scheme of things that isn’t important. I’m still using my first case, but its time for a new one. Cases are much nicer now and there are a lot more options to consider. I like some of those Antec cases, especially when they are on sale! :p

My research was turning up similar results to what everyone else was commenting here, and it looks like you already had a pretty good handle on it. A second and third opinion for reassurance never hurts though! =)

Thanks for sharing, Douglas

but… no pics?

Luckbeast is functional and in need of driver updates. With only the video card driver update, it got an Windows Experience Index score of 5.9. I’m hoping the latest drivers and bios will get that to an even 6.0 for looks.

That said, I think I got a comparable deal directly through dell on their XPS Studio M45 machine. I have 2GB more RAM and no velociraptor drive for about the same money and I bought mine at Christmas time so it’s bound to be cheaper now.

As for the video card, I’m partial to ATI under Windows Vista because of NVIDIA’s early issues with getting working drivers out there for Vista. ATI seems to have a great bargain in the 4K series and I wouldn’t care about SLI because you’ll end up upgrading the card to a bigger one before you add another small card. You can even get one of the X2 cards if you’re that hell bent on dual video cards that 90% of games don’t really use.

Enjoy the i7. I think it was the right choice for me and I’m sure you’ll see the same value for you.

a half-pea sized dot of the Arctic Silver dead center on the CPU is more than enough assuming you drop it on their semi-perfectly. if you can twist the cooler after you mount it solid, see if there’s a way to either bend the mounts (not too much) so they apply more pressure, or if there’s some way to throw a spacer or something in there between the mount and the heatsink to get slightly more pressure (yes, you’ll have to un-mount it, if you care). it won’t get you much, probably only a 1-2c difference, but you’ll ensure that it has proper contact.

You’ll probably want to mount the cooler before mounting the mobo.

As for the cooling, Defect 9 pushed me back over the fence. I ordered a Zalman cooler and some Arctic Silver 5. The instructions on Arctic Silver’s website make this look much easier than I remember (I used to clean the CPU and heatsink with with rubbing alcohol, rub a tiny amount of thermal paste on the heatsink and rub it into the pores with a coffee filter, then use a razor to cover the entire die of the CPU with a paper thin layer of thermal paste… Now apparently you can just clean them off with rubbing alcohol, put a small strip on the CPU, drop the heatsink on and twist it a few degrees to ditch the bubbles, and you’re done).

Sure, I’m not going to overclock, but keeping everything cool will extend the life of the computer.

I admit, even if not overclocking, i probably would have still gone aftermarket cooling, but that’s only cause low noise is important to me. Other than that tiny difference, I say you put together a solid system.