So yeah:


LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model GH22NP20

Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support

SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speakers

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD


How' is that? I want to last at least a year and a half for top-notch gaming (Or close to it.)

Are you just going to run the one 4870X2?

If so, you would likely be better served by a P45 chipset.

If you wanted to add another X2 in the future, you would need more PSU... although of course that one is top notch, it's just not enough juice.

Yep, was aware of that. I was thinking of Overclocking just a bit, or maybe CFing with another single 4870 in the future, though I'm not sure if the jump in performance is worth the price. Anyway that's why the motherboard and PSU choice. It's still a nice motherboard to have anyway.

wd 640gb is about $5 or $10 more. well worth it. best price per gb

have you listened to those logitech speakers? i would recommend spending the same amount on 2.1. 70 watts for 5.1 just isn't enough for it to sound good. i would recommend waiting on 5.1 until you can afford good 5.1 speakers (at least 200watts total).

are you purposely going IDE on the dvd rom? I would go SATA unless you have a specific reason for it.

rest of it looks good. +1 to proximon's comment. great psu but not enough if you plan to crossfire. build looks very good.

That's all I have then, Looks to be a good build. Some will argue you want a quad core, but I'm not really seeing that yet. I think I would only recommend that for heavy RTS play.

Oh ya SATA for sure, usually like a buck more.

Would this work for speakers?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6836121012


Also I know to take reviews with a grain of salt, especially ones on newegg, but the 70 watt 5.1 Speakers have very favorable reviews.

By the way RTS like...World in Conflict? Total War series?

yeah that is much better. be careful though. if you like to go loud even those can blow. but at a normal sound they will sound good. and you may want to not take my word for it on the others. go to a store and try them out. if you like them then save yourself some money. just like monitors what some like others don't. on speaks when the wattage is lower just be careful on turning them up to loud. so if you go with the 70 watts i would be even more cared. those above are good and will defintitely work. but you may want to test them at a store to be sure of what you want.

The 70 watt and the 155 watt are both good?

Those speakers are good.
If you want great speakers:

THX Certified Logitech Z-2300 2.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] Tpk=z-2300

Logitech Z-5500 5.1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] Tpk=z-5500

My friend has the Z-2300, I listened to it plugged into his iPod. It sounds unbelievable, especially the bass and clarity. It's the speakers I'm going to be upgrading to. For 5.1 speakers, you have to go to the >$200 range to get good quality speakers. For your needs, I think the Logitech Z-2300 is a great choice. If you are going to get quality speakers, pair it with a good dedicated sound card. By the way, Creative released a new driver for their newest model X-Fi Titanium series. Latest update for all cards was the 1st of this month, August.

For hard drives, you can find WD6400AAKS [640GB] for about $84.99 with free shipping on Newegg. More performance and 140GB more for $5.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] wd6400aaks

Believe it or not, I've already been referenced to those speakers. Guess they have a rep.

Anyway, yeah, $300 for speakers? No thanks. Sorry but I don't need to serenaded by the celestial choir of heaven through my sound box.

If I wanted STANDARD sound, what would you suggest?

Also, I believe the ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA I am buying comes with a SupremeFX II sound card.

i would suggest you go to a store and listen for yourself and make up your mind. i personally wouldn't get the 70watt ones but i am not you and you may like their sound. when checking them out try them at various volumes that you think you will use and then decide what is worth it price wise. i know i am a broken record but with speaks and monitors i really think you need to see/hear them unless you can automatically get top of the line. mid range and low range in both categories are going to have ones that appeal to some and not to others.

i also wouldn't bother getting a sound card until you have tried the onboard. onboard used to be a no no but recently it is much improved and there have been many issues with the x-fi cards, especially with vista. so i would try onboard and see what you think. if you feel it is lacking then go after a soundcard.

It comes WITH the SupremeFX II soundcard, so I wouldn't exactly be "buying" a sound card, though I'm sure it's factored into the price.

sorry that was in response to the post above talking about x-fi. lose nothing if you try the one it comes with. except any up to the price in the first place. sorry for the confustion.

Okay, new, updated build:


ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model DRW-2014L1T

Antec Twelve Hundred Black ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support

SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

CORSAIR CMPSU-1000HX 1000W ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Cabling Active PFC Power Supply

Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 Speaker

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1000 (PC2 8000) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ

ASUS RAMPAGE FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X48 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD


How's that? Everything compatible and all?

Looks good.