Computer specs - feedback, please

[Freakin]

Building a new system (finally). Here's what I'm planning.

Asus A8N-Sli deluxe (cause I'm a whore for cables) $179
Athlon 3500+ Clawhammer Retail (won't bother replacing heatsink till I overclock down teh road or if this one is too noisy) - $267
Corsair XMS 1GB (2x512) DDR 400 - $133
BFG 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI-E (ram clock of 1050) - $220
Aspire ATX-AS520W 520W PSU - $56

Gonna throw an IDE 160GB in there for now, and put a raptor 10k in in a month or two. Anyone have any advice on what to improve? The jump to 3800+ for another $110 doesn't seem worth it to me (thought I just hit a pat RF on A&F 50-play, so I may change my mind). I'm not interested in hearing arguments on Intel vs. AMD or ATI vs. nvidia. I plan on putting an additional 6600GT in when I need to.

Is the PSU adequate? RAM?

This is Asus' flagship 939 board, so I'm pretty set on getting it (and I'm pretty loyal to asus (except for my beloved BH6)).

Any comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Freakin

[fluxrad]

I'd get the VIA (A8V-E) chipset, personally. If you're a gamer, you might look at bumping moving to an GeForce 6800 but otherwise I like your rig.

I've got the A8V and a Athlon 64 3500+ at home. It screams.

[Bremen]

Only thing I'd question is the power supply. I've never used Aspire, so I can't comment on them specifically. But $56 for a power supply is quite cheap. Getting a good PSU is especilly important if you plan to overclock, which it seems you do. One of Antec's True Power PSU's would probably be the easiest to obtain.

[Freakin]

Ok, good. The last system I built was about 2 years ago, when 300W was all you needed to know (and it was only $35 for my enermax). I'll go with an Antec if you think an off brand could cause any problems down the line.

Freakin

[fluxrad]

I really don't think you'll be in too much trouble. Just make sure to read reviews and get a unit that doesn't volt out of spec. I had an Antec PSU go dead on my within a matter of months and now I'm using an off-brand PSU from newegg that's lasted me almost a year so far.

Personally, I think Antec's PSUs are overrated.

[Freakin]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd get the VIA (A8V-E) chipset, personally.

[/ QUOTE ]

No dual PCI-e 16x, correct? I want to have room for SLI in the future, just because I've wanted it since the days of the Voodoo2.


Freakin

[Bremen]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally, I think Antec's PSUs are overrated.

[/ QUOTE ]
Probably, although I would say they're the best widely available untis.

[BradleyT]

What are you hoping to do with that system, play Pong in 2 color mode?

[Terry]

That’s pretty much what I would build today. I’m now running an Asus A7N8X, Athlon 3000+, Corsair XMS, BFG 6800, so I think you have pretty good taste in equipment.

I like Antec for PS – don’t know anything about Aspire.

My CPU temp dropped 14 degrees when I ditched the stock heat sink and put on a Thermalright. (http://www.thermalright.com/) The noise reduction was very noticeable, too.

[Freakin]

Few small changes.... ordering today, will let you know how it goes...

Asus A8N-Sli deluxe (cause I'm a whore for cables) $179
Athlon 3500+ Clawhammer Retail (won't bother replacing heatsink till I overclock down teh road or if this one is too noisy) - $267
Corsair XMS 1GB (2x512) DDR 400 - $133
BFG 6800GT OC 256MB GDDR3 PCI-E - $459
Update COOLER MASTER Real Power RS-450-ACLY ATX12V 450W - $79

Freakin