I am considering buying a new computer, but I want to make sure all the components are compatible with one another.

I especially want to make sure the motherboard, power supply, cooling system, and the case are all adequate considering all other components.



Motherboard:
Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB

Case:
Nzxt Apollo Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black

Power Supply:
750 Watt -- Thermaltake Toughpower W0117RU Power Supply Quad SLI Ready
Processor

Processor:
Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core Processor QX9650 (4x 3.0GHz/12MB L2 Cache/1333FSB)

Processor Cooling:
Thermaltake MaxOrb CPU Cooling Fan System Kit Silent & Overclocking Proof = Maximum cooling efficiency for quietness and performance

Memory:
4096MB [1024MB X4] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Mushkin Xtreme w/Heat Spreader

Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB w/DVI + TV Out Video

Hard Drive:
500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

2nd Hard Drive:
500 GB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache]

CD/DVD Drive:
[Lightscribe Technology] 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive:
20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive

Sound Card:
Creative Lab Sound Blaster X-Fi ExtremeGamer

Speaker System:
Logitech X-540 5.1 Surround Speakers + Subwoofer

Network Card:
Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card

OS:
MS Windows XP Professional w/ Service Pack 2

External Power Protection:
Opti-UPS SS1200-AVR Mighty Voltage Regulator



If you can, please let me know what you think.

Nice system . Few remarks tough:
The case comes with a (probably too weak for your system) power supply... kinda waste of money since you don't use it. Maybe the case is available without a power supply, might save you a few dollars
CPU: I've checked the cpu compatibility list at the asus site ( http://support.asus.com/cpusupport/cpusupp...SLanguage=en-us ) and it looks like the cpu you've choosen isn't supported . Might want to do some research before buying this combination.
MEM: If you want to use your 4Gb of RAM, then you'll probably have to upgrade to windows xp 64-bit edition, since you'll probably only going to be able to use 3Gb due to 32-bit platform limitations.
CD/DVD-drive: hope you're not going to buy 2 identical cd-rw/dvd-rw drives ?
Network card: the motherboard you've selected has an onboard Gigabit Ethernet card, no need to buy a second one (unless you need a second ethernet card ).

i think you should buy a cheap 8800 gt... this year will have a lot of new gpu's and a new generation that is. you are buying an old generation gpu... but then again that wasn't what you asked for... other people might say its a good buy you do

HOLY CRAP! All of this is also based on Wolfdale cores, this must cost a lot, but ya, the motherboard won't support your processor. Maybe try this motherboard instead?

http://ca.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&...amp;modelmenu=1

xboxrulz

Thanks for your thoughts so far. I have made some changes in the graphics card (8800GT) and other areas after reading your posts.

Is it uncommon to get identical CD/DVD drives allowing you to copy disk to disk? I'm contemplating going with a Blu-ray read/writer as a second drive though. It depends on other component changes and price.

I'm still stuck on choosing a motherboard. Below I have listed 5 motherboards that all support my processor. In your opinion, which one is the best option for me? If I choose a SLI supported motherboard I may decide to buy 2 8800GT to take advantage of the SLI technology.

What do you think?


Asus P5E WS Professional Intel X38 CrossFire Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB

Asus Maximus Formula Intel X38 CrossFire Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 Dual PCI-E MB



Asus P5N-T Deluxe NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394, 3-Way PCI-E M

Asus Striker II Formula nForce® 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, IEEE-1394 3-Way PCI-E MB

eVGA Nvidia nForce 780i SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way PCI-E MB



Thanks...

Usually I stick w/ ASUS because they make really good motherboards. I think the ASUS P5N-T Deluxe because it has the nForce chipset. The first two is really for ATI's CrossFire technology. NVIDIA's counterpart is the SLi.

xboxrulz

Most people would by a cd/dvd-reader and a cd/dvd-writer if they often copy cds/dvds, but it's your choise

That's very good combination of monster hardware! But I doubt the maximum compatibility. The tower casing you've chosen comes with an aging PSU (420W) which I would say not very adequate for that system you'll make, you better start with a 600-700W PSU or higher the better (with good cooling system). Second, you better go with Vista Ultimate 64-bit!!! that's the trend especially for a system like this. Third, if you if you buy a DVD-ROM/Writer make it a Samsung.

Most importantly, I recommend AMD System! that would give you price-performance ratio you'll not regret! AMD Phenom 9700 with 790FX Chipset. You should have the Corsair dominator series memory 4GB or 2GB would be enough.
Of course the latest DUAL CORE video card from AMD ATI (HD3870 X2) the fastest in the market today! the soundcard and network card would be onboard no problem. A motherboard ASUS M3A32-MVP Deluxe AM2+ socket would be great. Your power protection device is good. These would save you more than a couple of hundred dollars with monster performance.

He does have a 750W power supply stated above. However, I agree with you about the rest about the Phenom? That thing is a freaking beast and it's so cheap (comparably)! I wish I could throw in that much money in my system.

xboxrulz