greets, all
I'm awaiting the delivery of my first ground-up PC build, and I wanted to post here to get some pre-help...basically, I just want to know if anyone here has run into problems with any of these components' compatablility, or known issues with the build, so I don't waste a lot of time and $'s. (And, keep in mind, I've purchased this stuff, so comments like "dude, you shoulda checked out the xxxx mobo, it rocks way better than that piece of crap" are not very helpful.:P And yes, I know about the summer price cuts that will change the world; I needed to get this computer up and running last week, so I couldn't wait for the Phenom, or for the Intel quad core to become so cheap that it's the free prize in a box of cereal.) I've posted in the motherboards et al section only because there isn't a "system builds" section here; seemed like the appropriate place, since the mobo/cpu/ram combo is really the heart of the system. OK, here goes:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ Windsor 3.0GHz
MOBO: ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
RAM: 2x CORSAIR XMS2 2GB DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
PSU: SILVERSTONE SST-ST75ZF ATX 12V 2.2 & EPS 12V 750W
V-CARD: EVGA 320-P2-N815-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB
CASE: LIAN LI PC-61 USB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower
HD 1: Western Digital Raptor WD1500ADFD 150GB 10,000 RPM
HD 2: Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM
CD/DVD: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
OS: Vista Ultimate w/ XP virtual machine for lagacy programs

(And, for anyone frequeting the newegg forum, yes, I'm the same Eku who posted there with a new build, and got some great help with selections...newegg just seemed to have the best prices on all of the above gear, across the board; I checked with pricegrabber and pricewatch...)

I'm going to use the 10K drive for programs and OS, the 7.2K drive for files and such. No sound card (onboard...gotta cut somewhere), no monitor, keyboard, or mouse (using stuff scavenged from an old HP for now), and I'll pick up another 8800GTS when the prices drop in a few months to round out the SLI. I got the 8800 for the directx10 support, mainly, as a future-proofing thing...this machine is going to have to last a while. I do mostly 3D-creation apps, photoshop, and a very memory intensive app called Stata, in addition to possibly editing video. I'll overclock only after the CPU warrenty runs out.:icon_cheesygrin: at which point I'll buy an aftermarket cooler.
So there ya have it...any comments, helpful hints (juicy BIOS settings, configs, etc), don't's and do's? Thanks for reading my ramblings!

Sounds like a good system. I've been building for years and your config is almost exactly what I'm looking to do for my next 'upgrade'. I've been keeping an eye on that MBoard and its finicky Ram needs but I think you'll be fine. This is the only real glitch i've heard of. I've heard the wireless causes Linux installers trouble but you should be fine with vista Ultimate. Good choices here.

Thanks, jdekker.
Yep, the RAM issue is concerning - I'd read about that in the reviews. The sticks I bought don't appear exactly on the QVL list from Asus - they left out the "TWIN" part of the designation - but Corsair PC2 6400 does appear in the list. My previous mobo choice was the Foxconn C51XEM2AA...I'm really not sure why I switched, other than the Asus name and the fact that some of the gaming comp companies use the Asus board.

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