Planning new build - opinions welcome

rickster70 · 09-29-2008, 10:47 AM

I am planning a new build for use as a business computer. Needs to be a Real Good multi-tasker and run dual LCDs. I will be using XP Pro. Although I don't have a set budget, I was thinking that I'd try to keep it under $1000. I'm trying to build smart, "Bang for Buck". I won't do any gaming, but am conscious of the performance boost of having a quality video card. Does not need large hard drive as storage will be kept on external drives. I like the idea of keeping it small for space reasons, but will go the size I need to get the required performance. I would also like to keep it relatively quiet. I've configured this thing dozens of ways and just can't decide which way to go. That's where you all come in. I've looked both AMD and Intel and keep coming back to AMD for performance versus cost. I will moderately overclock for performance boost as long as I can keep it cool enough to not sound like I'm living next to an airport. I have been considering the Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Black Edition. I have bounced around the Phenom, but am not sure it is needed or would be beneficial. The current incarnation looks like this, but I am willing to scrap it all and start over, so let the ideas fly. Thanks.

AMD Athlon 64 XP 5400+ Black Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289

MSI K9A2VM-FD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130174

MSI R3450-TD512H Radeon HD 3450 512MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127377

Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220227

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703015

ZALMAN CNPS8700 2 Ball CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118030

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106

LG 20X DVD-RW SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041

Total $617.38 plus shipping.

The MSI board with the 780v chipset and Radeon HD3450 video card was because I was looking into the AMD business platform and Hybrid crossfire, but I've never used an AMD chipset before and I have always used NVIDIA cards in the past.

What do you all think?

**wrench97** · 09-29-2008, 04:49 PM

Have a look over this I think you would be just fine using 2gig on windows xp.
Why do want crossfire on a business pc?
The PC power&cooling is an excellent PSU but just a tad small even with a 3450 if your looking at a pc running 8-10hrs a day or even 24/7 a seasonic may be a better choice
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151034
If your looking to overclock you'll want to go higher but then I wouldn't do that on a business platform.
Link ........................................................................................Disc. Cost Rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...5052&Tpk=E7200 E7200 $119.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128337 GA-EP35-DS3L $84.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2KIT25664AA80A 2 x 1Gig $95.99 $40.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127377 HD3450 $39.49 $10.00
http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cm...x~7CSMC05F.htm 650tx $86.38 $20.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118012 DVD burner $22.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073 WD 500Gig $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129041 Case P180 $159.95

$679.77 $70.00

$609.77

rickster70 · 09-29-2008, 06:03 PM

I very much like the Gigabyte board, they are top notch and all solid state caps is nice. That's an ATX board and won't fit that case, but that's easily enough rectified. I chose the PC power & cooling PSU for 2 reasons, 1.) the straight through air design as I was worried that the large, top/bottom mounted, 120mm fan on most PSU's of this caliber would not breath well in that case and 2.) single 12v rail. The case will have to change anyway if I decide to use a full ATX board. I really like the Corair PSU for the single rail design. Other than having more Amps on each rail, what else would I be looking for to tell me this PSU may hold up better? I've learned alot about power, but always like to learn more. Is the HD3450 a good choice for this application? SLI/Crossfire is certainly not a priority. I just thought the hybrid version may give a performance boost.

Thanks

**wrench97** · 09-29-2008, 06:43 PM

The biggest thing to look at is the temperature they're rated at cheaper ones will be rated at 20-30c so when it real world use will never run that cool and put out less amps while better units are rated at 50c, also you see some saying 600w peak while others say 600w continuous so the 600w peak rating is really about 400w continuous.
There is also the Efficiency ratting with 80 plus being the better units.
Active over volt protection and the MTBF rating which gives you an idea of the design life of the unit.

For nongaming the 3450 will drive 2 displays as long as you not doing intense graphic like 3d animation or Cad animation which would be better suited to a Quadro or FireGL card.

rickster70 · 09-29-2008, 08:02 PM

Thanks for the input wrench97! Anyone else have any ideas? I'd like to know your thoughts.

Hardwarenerd · 09-30-2008, 04:29 AM

I like the choice on proc/mobo/psu, excellent bang for the buck, my only suggestion would be to change to a phenom, for one reason alone, you can use faster memory, but it does draw more power, so that would be a consideration, another consideration, what about a mobo with 790GX chipset, it has an integrated 3450 card onboard, and if you dont really plan on using high end graphics, the 3450 integrated would be more than enough... here is a link to the proc/mobo i am talking about...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131331
for the mobo, it is middle priced, but i am big fan of Asus, but if you like msi or gig more, they have the same, but for what you are looking for, as for proc, i suggest anything that would be AM2+, just because u get to use faster memory... but that is just my suggestion, let me know on what you decide... but make sure that the mobo does support 2 monitors, which as far as i can tell, the Asus does...

rickster70 · 10-01-2008, 08:25 PM

Ok, I've adjusted this build based on your suggestions and further research. I've been trying hard to keep it in a mATX case even though I like alot of the larger boards I've looked at. I don't think I want to go phenom just yet, but, on the other hand it wouldn't be bad to have that option left open. Here's what I've got now.

Still sticking with the 5400+ Black Edition (for now). I've always used AMD and I can't seem to find a board I like for intels.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289

DFI LP JR 790GX-M2RS AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI AMD Motherboard - I have no experience with DFI at all. Reviews are good and it was the only 790GX micro I could find.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136056

SAPPHIRE 100255L Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - worst thing in reviews is the loud fan, so I may fix that with an aftermarket cooler. I like the Zalmans, but let me know if you know of any good ones.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792

PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V 80 PLUS Active PFC Power Supply - upgrade in wattage, still think the rear fan will work better in this case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005

Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit - NICE Rebate!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148212

ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - The performance is bordering on legendary from what I've read. A little worried about it fitting on board and in case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - still no need for larger drive, external storage drives.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106

LG Black 20X 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech - I have never had a SATA optical before.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Yes, I'm stuck on this case, I just like it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041

Well, I think that cover's it. Jump in with your thoughts.

Thanks

Hardwarenerd · 10-08-2008, 12:31 AM

so if you arent going to be doing any gaming, i dont see why you are getting a GPU? the 790GX has integrated graphics, which will run 2 monitors comfortably... it has 512 dedicated video memory, which is more than enough for non-gaming applications

rickster70 · 10-09-2008, 08:02 AM

That is exactly how I am now configuring it. The mATX DFI only has one video on board (unless you can use an adapter to run a monitor off the HDMI), so I have caved on the micro ATM. I am currently looking at the selection od 790gx boards available, MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, Biostar, etc. To this point I have only been considering boards with all solid state capacitors. I am probably leaning toward the MSI or Gygabyte, thoughts on 790GX boards would be appreciated. In theory, I could then drop the video card and still have a machine that will run 2 monitors handedly and be a VERY good mutlitasker. I often run with 2 to 3 browsers, email client, multiple office applications some occaisional odds and ends all open at once. So, do you think it is worth going to a Phenom? Is it then worth the extra cost to go with 1066 RAM? Is the stock cooler with the 9950 enough? I would probably keep the AC FReezer Pro, it seems to be a great cooler for a great price.

Thanks for the reply, I was just about ready to update the plan and bump this thread.

rickster70 · 10-18-2008, 11:29 AM

Thank you for all of your posts to this thread. After your input, a lot of research and a constant re-evaluation of my real needs balanced with future scaleability. Here is the final build, it is together and I am currently setting up the OS, other software and BIOS.

Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025

GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128352&Tpk=n82e16813128352

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103272

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075

LG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149

Total: $565.03 - $20 Rebate = $545.03 (plus shipping, which was $21.23, but I also purchased a few items not related to this build)

So far it runs very snappy, it is not completely set up and I don't have both monitors on it yet. I'll post new updates later.

Again, Thank you all.

09-29-2008, 10:47 AM	#1 (permalink)
rickster70 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 44 OS: XP Home SP3 My System	Planning new build - opinions welcome I am planning a new build for use as a business computer. Needs to be a Real Good multi-tasker and run dual LCDs. I will be using XP Pro. Although I don't have a set budget, I was thinking that I'd try to keep it under $1000. I'm trying to build smart, "Bang for Buck". I won't do any gaming, but am conscious of the performance boost of having a quality video card. Does not need large hard drive as storage will be kept on external drives. I like the idea of keeping it small for space reasons, but will go the size I need to get the required performance. I would also like to keep it relatively quiet. I've configured this thing dozens of ways and just can't decide which way to go. That's where you all come in. I've looked both AMD and Intel and keep coming back to AMD for performance versus cost. I will moderately overclock for performance boost as long as I can keep it cool enough to not sound like I'm living next to an airport. I have been considering the Athlon 64 X2 5400+ Black Edition. I have bounced around the Phenom, but am not sure it is needed or would be beneficial. The current incarnation looks like this, but I am willing to scrap it all and start over, so let the ideas fly. Thanks. AMD Athlon 64 XP 5400+ Black Edition http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289 MSI K9A2VM-FD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130174 MSI R3450-TD512H Radeon HD 3450 512MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127377 Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220227 PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703015 ZALMAN CNPS8700 2 Ball CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118030 Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106 LG 20X DVD-RW SATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149 Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041 Total $617.38 plus shipping. The MSI board with the 780v chipset and Radeon HD3450 video card was because I was looking into the AMD business platform and Hybrid crossfire, but I've never used an AMD chipset before and I have always used NVIDIA cards in the past. What do you all think?

09-29-2008, 04:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,579 OS: Win7	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome Have a look over this I think you would be just fine using 2gig on windows xp. Why do want crossfire on a business pc? The PC power&cooling is an excellent PSU but just a tad small even with a 3450 if your looking at a pc running 8-10hrs a day or even 24/7 a seasonic may be a better choice http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151034 If your looking to overclock you'll want to go higher but then I wouldn't do that on a business platform. Link ........................................................................................Disc. Cost Rebate http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...5052&Tpk=E7200 E7200 $119.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128337 GA-EP35-DS3L $84.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2KIT25664AA80A 2 x 1Gig $95.99 $40.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127377 HD3450 $39.49 $10.00 http://www.provantage.com/corsair-cm...x~7CSMC05F.htm 650tx $86.38 $20.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118012 DVD burner $22.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073 WD 500Gig $69.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129041 Case P180 $159.95 $679.77 $70.00 $609.77 __________________ Power Supply and Selection

09-29-2008, 06:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
rickster70 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 44 OS: XP Home SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome I very much like the Gigabyte board, they are top notch and all solid state caps is nice. That's an ATX board and won't fit that case, but that's easily enough rectified. I chose the PC power & cooling PSU for 2 reasons, 1.) the straight through air design as I was worried that the large, top/bottom mounted, 120mm fan on most PSU's of this caliber would not breath well in that case and 2.) single 12v rail. The case will have to change anyway if I decide to use a full ATX board. I really like the Corair PSU for the single rail design. Other than having more Amps on each rail, what else would I be looking for to tell me this PSU may hold up better? I've learned alot about power, but always like to learn more. Is the HD3450 a good choice for this application? SLI/Crossfire is certainly not a priority. I just thought the hybrid version may give a performance boost. Thanks

09-29-2008, 06:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,579 OS: Win7	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome The biggest thing to look at is the temperature they're rated at cheaper ones will be rated at 20-30c so when it real world use will never run that cool and put out less amps while better units are rated at 50c, also you see some saying 600w peak while others say 600w continuous so the 600w peak rating is really about 400w continuous. There is also the Efficiency ratting with 80 plus being the better units. Active over volt protection and the MTBF rating which gives you an idea of the design life of the unit. For nongaming the 3450 will drive 2 displays as long as you not doing intense graphic like 3d animation or Cad animation which would be better suited to a Quadro or FireGL card. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

09-29-2008, 08:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
rickster70 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 44 OS: XP Home SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome Thanks for the input wrench97! Anyone else have any ideas? I'd like to know your thoughts.

09-30-2008, 04:29 AM	#6 (permalink)
Hardwarenerd Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle/Phoenix Posts: 130 OS: Windows XP, SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome I like the choice on proc/mobo/psu, excellent bang for the buck, my only suggestion would be to change to a phenom, for one reason alone, you can use faster memory, but it does draw more power, so that would be a consideration, another consideration, what about a mobo with 790GX chipset, it has an integrated 3450 card onboard, and if you dont really plan on using high end graphics, the 3450 integrated would be more than enough... here is a link to the proc/mobo i am talking about... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131331 for the mobo, it is middle priced, but i am big fan of Asus, but if you like msi or gig more, they have the same, but for what you are looking for, as for proc, i suggest anything that would be AM2+, just because u get to use faster memory... but that is just my suggestion, let me know on what you decide... but make sure that the mobo does support 2 monitors, which as far as i can tell, the Asus does... Last edited by Hardwarenerd; 09-30-2008 at 04:32 AM.

10-01-2008, 08:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
rickster70 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 44 OS: XP Home SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build (update)- opinions welcome Ok, I've adjusted this build based on your suggestions and further research. I've been trying hard to keep it in a mATX case even though I like alot of the larger boards I've looked at. I don't think I want to go phenom just yet, but, on the other hand it wouldn't be bad to have that option left open. Here's what I've got now. Still sticking with the 5400+ Black Edition (for now). I've always used AMD and I can't seem to find a board I like for intels. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103289 DFI LP JR 790GX-M2RS AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI AMD Motherboard - I have no experience with DFI at all. Reviews are good and it was the only 790GX micro I could find. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136056 SAPPHIRE 100255L Radeon HD 4670 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - worst thing in reviews is the loud fan, so I may fix that with an aftermarket cooler. I like the Zalmans, but let me know if you know of any good ones. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792 PC Power & Cooling S61EPS 610W Continuous @ 40°C EPS12V 80 PLUS Active PFC Power Supply - upgrade in wattage, still think the rear fan will work better in this case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703005 Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit - NICE Rebate! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148212 ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - The performance is bordering on legendary from what I've read. A little worried about it fitting on board and in case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125 Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - still no need for larger drive, external storage drives. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106 LG Black 20X 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech - I have never had a SATA optical before. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149 Antec Mini P180 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Yes, I'm stuck on this case, I just like it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041 Well, I think that cover's it. Jump in with your thoughts. Thanks Last edited by rickster70; 10-01-2008 at 08:26 PM. Reason: Updated build

10-08-2008, 12:31 AM	#8 (permalink)
Hardwarenerd Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Seattle/Phoenix Posts: 130 OS: Windows XP, SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome so if you arent going to be doing any gaming, i dont see why you are getting a GPU? the 790GX has integrated graphics, which will run 2 monitors comfortably... it has 512 dedicated video memory, which is more than enough for non-gaming applications

10-09-2008, 08:02 AM	#9 (permalink)
rickster70 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 44 OS: XP Home SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome That is exactly how I am now configuring it. The mATX DFI only has one video on board (unless you can use an adapter to run a monitor off the HDMI), so I have caved on the micro ATM. I am currently looking at the selection od 790gx boards available, MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, Biostar, etc. To this point I have only been considering boards with all solid state capacitors. I am probably leaning toward the MSI or Gygabyte, thoughts on 790GX boards would be appreciated. In theory, I could then drop the video card and still have a machine that will run 2 monitors handedly and be a VERY good mutlitasker. I often run with 2 to 3 browsers, email client, multiple office applications some occaisional odds and ends all open at once. So, do you think it is worth going to a Phenom? Is it then worth the extra cost to go with 1066 RAM? Is the stock cooler with the 9950 enough? I would probably keep the AC FReezer Pro, it seems to be a great cooler for a great price. Thanks for the reply, I was just about ready to update the plan and bump this thread.

10-18-2008, 11:29 AM	#10 (permalink)
rickster70 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 44 OS: XP Home SP3 My System	Re: Planning new build - opinions welcome UPDATE Thank you for all of your posts to this thread. After your input, a lot of research and a constant re-evaluation of my real needs balanced with future scaleability. Here is the final build, it is together and I am currently setting up the OS, other software and BIOS. Antec P182 Gun Metal Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129025 GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-DS4H AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128352&Tpk=n82e16813128352 AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ 3.1GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103272 G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122 CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W ATX12V V2.2 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004 Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075 LG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136149 Total: $565.03 - $20 Rebate = $545.03 (plus shipping, which was $21.23, but I also purchased a few items not related to this build) So far it runs very snappy, it is not completely set up and I don't have both monitors on it yet. I'll post new updates later. Again, Thank you all.