~$2K gaming and HD video editing computer

Greetings! I just found my way to Digital Storm after being scared away from another unnamed online computer dealer by horror stories posted on their forums by some of their customers. I feel more confident in Digital Storm’s customer service after poking around on the forums here, and I think I’m ready to give them a shot. I’m currently running a Pentium 4 (I heard that snickering!), and I think it’s about time I drag my carcass into the 21st century.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=538242%20

Budget:
about $2000

Expectations:
I have a HD video-cam, and I’d like to be able to edit them (heck, it would be nice to be able to view them on the computer). It’d also be nice to have a PC that will be a decent gaming rig for awhile. I currently use a single 1080p 1920x1080 monitor, and Left 4 Dead 2 and Team Fortress 2 are probably about the most demanding games I currently have, but it would be nice to be able to play the newest games for the next year or 2 without an upgrade. I’m also hoping that I can get by with air cooling while having a decently quiet PC.

Usage:
Gaming, HD video editing, photo editing

Special Needs:


Saved Ticket #: 538242

Specifications:
(COST $2016)
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua NH-U12P SE Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Grey (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty



I have a few specific questions, but I would greatly appreciate any feedback on this configuration.
1.     Does anyone know what brand of GTX-570 cards are the default brand? Is it worth upgrading to the EVGA Superclocked card?
2.     Is it worth upgrading to Corsair memory?
3.     I’d really like to have a modular 850W power supply and Newegg has the Corsair AX-850W for about $169. Would it be possible to get that installed by Digital Storm? How flexible are they with special requests like that?
4.     Is a 750W power supply sufficient for a GTX570 SLI setup if I decide to do SLI in the future?
5.     Does anyone have a recommendation for a case amongst the HAF X, HAF 932, HAF 922, or Corsair 700D?
6.     How much overclocking should I pay for and how much overclocking is it safe to do with just the Noctua NH-U12P SE?
7.     I think I’m going to hold off on getting an SSD as OS drive for now. I’m hoping that the prices drop and reliability increases in a few months. Since I’m going from an Pentium 4 to a Sandybridge, I’m expecting to be blown away by the performance even without the SSD drive. If I buy an SSD drive later is it very difificult to move the OS from the HDD to the SSD in Windows 7?
8.     If I get LEDs in the case, can these be turned on and off easily?

Thanks in advance for any help!
Mike

Edited by dinky_gnatbane - 09 May 2011 at 12:40pm