opinions appreciated

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Hi, I'm looking to get a decent custom PC and heard good things about DS so thought I'd stop by:)
Will mostly be used for photoshop (CS4) editing and some gaming. I do not require max resolution and high settings in games, but some eye candy is nice..

I configured a rig and since this is my first custom build I would appreciate any opinions:
Thanks!
(removed some fluff..) 
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) 
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Muskhin (High-Performance) (Recommended) 
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
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 20x / 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 260 896MB (216 Cores) (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Cooler Master V8 (Compatible With i7 Processors) 
Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans)
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability 

I want to be somewhat future proof, without getting the latest &
greatest. I'll add another HDD soon and should be able to upgrade the
GPU down the road.

I'm a little surprised by the hard drive options. Why only a 16 MB cache model? I would like 32 MB. The WD caviar black 1Tb is $130 on Newegg, can I get DS to go out and buy one and put that in instead?  And pay the extra cost of course. It's really the only thing that annoys me about and otherwise excellent choice of components. 

Thanks again! 

Edited by ObiDamnKenobi - 10 Feb 2009 at 4:31pm

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ObiDamnKenobi Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 10 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Quote Reply Topic: opinions appreciated Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 3:46pm
	Hi, I'm looking to get a decent custom PC and heard good things about DS so thought I'd stop by:) Will mostly be used for photoshop (CS4) editing and some gaming. I do not require max resolution and high settings in games, but some eye candy is nice.. I configured a rig and since this is my first custom build I would appreciate any opinions: Thanks! (removed some fluff..) Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Muskhin (High-Performance) (Recommended) Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) 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 20x / 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 260 896MB (216 Cores) (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Cooler Master V8 (Compatible With i7 Processors) Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans) Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability I want to be somewhat future proof, without getting the latest & greatest. I'll add another HDD soon and should be able to upgrade the GPU down the road. I'm a little surprised by the hard drive options. Why only a 16 MB cache model? I would like 32 MB. The WD caviar black 1Tb is $130 on Newegg, can I get DS to go out and buy one and put that in instead? And pay the extra cost of course. It's really the only thing that annoys me about and otherwise excellent choice of components. Thanks again! Edited by ObiDamnKenobi - 10 Feb 2009 at 4:31pm

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 5:04pm
	please give me your ticket number I can't think of a worst idea then putting the os on a 1TB drive. I will show you a better system Edited by DST4ME - 10 Feb 2009 at 5:05pm
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

ObiDamnKenobi Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 10 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 5:29pm
	ops sorry about that. Ticket Number: 244956 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=244956 I currently have a laptop with 60 GB so don't know much about performance on larger drives :) I did consider a 150 GB Raptor drive for OS, and scratch disk for photoshop, but not sure if the performance gains are worth it..? Will only add $75, but will need to add a 1TB for storage. Or will just putting OS on a 500 GB disk plus a 1TB storage help? Thanks for your help! Edited by ObiDamnKenobi - 10 Feb 2009 at 5:31pm

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 5:41pm
	here you go, future proof and fast loading: here you go Ticket# 245043 --- Price: $2646 (To see this build click here) Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance) Power Supply: 1000W PC Power & Cooling (Turbo-Cool Edition) (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 150GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / 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 260 896MB (216 Cores) (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Cooler Master V8 (Compatible With i7 Processors) Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost 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) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty But my advise is for you to get 2 x 500GB: HDD2 500GB HDD3 500GB the veloci is faster at the end, Seagate does not have data burst, buffer read, seek time are both twice slower then the veloci. its a great drive tho. Edited by DST4ME - 10 Feb 2009 at 5:45pm
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

ObiDamnKenobi Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 10 Feb 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 9:13pm
	Thanks a lot DST4ME! That looks like a great rig, more than I need, for now The price is not out of reach, but a little more than I had intended to spend.. I'm still debating whether to go for the Raptor or just a 500 gig OS disk. The raptor will add a bit of $.. Will have to think about that. Any reason you went with the Corsair 1333MHz, rather than 1600 MHz? I was also wondering if a 750 W PSU would be enough, I can see you don't think so Would it be adequate for this system if I consider it might be some time before I upgrade anything? I considering going with the cheaper PSU and HDD alternatives and better memory to give me a slightly cheaper but still fast system.. Thanks guys, this forum is remarkably helpful

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 9:22pm
	ok then will move things around to bring the price lower: here you go Ticket# 245447 --- Price: $2458 (To see this build click here) Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance) Power Supply: 1000W PC Power & Cooling (Turbo-Cool Edition) (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / 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 260 896MB (216 Cores) (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Cooler Master V8 (Compatible With i7 Processors) Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost 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) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty you can upgrade to a veloci or a ssd later, at that time we will move the data off the current 500GB and put it on the veloci or ssd, and then you will have 2 x 500GB as HDD2 and HDD3 for storage. to make sure you can handle futur cards, we need to go with a 1000w. you will not notice the difference between 1333 and 1600 so dont' waste your money, you will see no speed increase.
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

opinions appreciated

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