Less then a Month now!

 

My budget as it stands is 2500. As you can see ive overclocked that a bit. I have to draw a line in the sand here though. I CAN NOT go any higher then this. So make the budget $2650. Ive been studying now for 3 months trying to find where to squeeze every performance i can out of this, but still leave room for improving it myself over the next year or two. This is what ive come up with, Id ask DS to review it, but ive asked htem to review about a dozen systems now lol and id feel bad about asking them again on another one..haha.

 

Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,681.00
 
Specifications:
Case: Cooler Master Cosmos S (Black Aluminum Edition)
Power Supply: 1000W SilverStone Strider (Dual SLI Compatible) (Model: ST1000) (Silent)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (6MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 790i Ultra Core 2 Quad (nForce 790i Ultra  SLI) (DDR3 Only)
Memory: 2GB DDR3 Corsair at 1333MHz
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 9800GX2 1GB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Zalman Case Fans)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: 3D Mark 2006 Advanced Edition (By: Futuremark) (Pre-Install and apply updates)
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks

 

Any recommendations about what I should/shouldnt get would be accepted =).

 

Here is what i plan to do in the future with this system:

 

2-4 Months: upgrade ram to 4GB (hence V64 right now). Still havent decided between 1333 or 1600. So I defaulted to 2GB 1333. I am somewhat nervous about what the performance might be in that first month or two with only 2GB ram in V64...but i should be alright *crosses fingers*  (I will overclock the ram timings myself)

 

4-6 Months: Add a second GX2, or check to see if ill upgrade to a newer card, ive been hearing rumors about 9900 cards, but i dont know if theyd be out this early. Im curious to see if the Power supply will have a 2nd 8 pin connection though...I might have to ask DS about that.

 

6 + Months Bonus upgrades: Soundblaster Xtreme-Gamer, I will add this only if i have the money to burn and/or im not impressed with the mobo sound.

 

Anyways, if any of you  forum freaks have any better ideas, id love to hear them. Plus im looking for acceptence that im making the right decisions so far..lol.

 

Thanks

 

Edit: I forgot to say I dont have a DVD/CD burner because my printer has one onboard. Its a 1 month old printer and its brand new, already checked for 64B drivers for it, and its good to go, so no worries there

 

Im conserned about the air flow cooling potential of the regular cosmos. I like the design, and the fact that the cosmos original is all STEEL instead of aluminum for the Cosmos S...but again, that the original cosmos seems lacking in vents..especially on the sides. And if i do end up with 2 GX2s poor airflow isnt a great thing to have with those beasts. But i will definally think about it more. Its basically Cosmos, vs 950 vs. Cosmos S right now.