new i7 build - opinions?

I'm looking to get a new computer for the usual; photoshop (CS4) and some games. Anything will be an upgrade from my 3 year old laptop but want to spend some money to get something a little futureproof, without going crazy. I've been talkting online to a builder boutique and so far I'm looking at the following setup.
Anyone have any opinions?

Case: Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP
extra fan: Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E
PSU: Corsair TX 850W
Intel Core i7 Processor i7-920 3.4GHz 8MB
CPU cooler: Cooler Master V8
MOBO: EVGA 132-BL-E758-A1 X58
RAM: Super Talent DDR3-1333 6GB (3x2G CL9
OS HDD: Western Digital Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200rpm 32MB (140-250-250)
Storage HDD: Western Digital WD1001FALS 1TB SATA2 7200rpm 32MB
Samsung SH-S223Q LightScribe 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW SATA Drive
GPU: EVGA nVidia GeForce 260 GTX Core 216 SC 896MB
Super Talent INT-AIN1-C All-in-One USB2.0 Internal Card Reader
Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit

Price: $1,880

edit: To craify, I'm not building this myself. Having it assembled, overclocked and warrantied (3 years) from MaxForcePC.com

That would be a screamin' demon for sure. Shop newegg.com if you haven't already.

Pretty solid....perhaps look OCZ line of SSD for your OS drive (RAID).

Looks good, I recently built a system close to those exact specs..

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DEMO you built that yourself I assume? That thing looks awesome (the specs, pics are blocked at work) The GTX 285 looks like a beast

Sorry I guess I was not perfectly clear. I won't be putting this together myself, afraid that would not end well
I'm ordering it ready built and overclocked from MaxForcePC.com, warranty might come in handy Seeing DEMO's specs which are better then mine, but not by that much I don't think I'm getting screwed that bad by not doing DIY.

Just wanted to see if anyone here had any opposition to the proposed configuration before I order the thing, although I can still make changes. I did consider SSD or the WD velociraptors, but at the moment I cant justify the expense for the performance. The caviar black will have to do.

Just have to wait 3 weeks now..

Demo, that's one fine looking machine! Very clean. The case is incredible-- like my little Antec 300 on anabolic steroids! A bit more than most digital photographers need, but this is a good reference for a "price point" PC build.

ObD-- That looks like a really nice build. I like the current generation of PC cases which place the PSU at the base, far from the processor. In retrospect, as my recent build reaches the 2 months old mark, if I had to plan it over I would use a smaller drive for the OS and applications. I have Win XP and a slew of apps installed, and it only occupies about 26 gb of space on a 500gb hard drive. Most of my previous builds used either an 80 gb drive for a business/home machine or a 76gb Velociraptor for a gaming machine. Then I would have selected 2 x 1.5TB data drives.

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hm, interesting point Chas. I didn't see much cost difference with going with something smaller than 640GB. It's only $40-50 more than some of the smallest, decent drive you can get. Doesn't look like the seek times and any better either. Yeah, it is wasted space. But I prefer that over the alternative, you never know what kind of huge apps you might get later Have you tried SSD drives? Heard conflicting opinions on their value.. Seems a little too new for my taste still.

I'm hoping the fps I get with this will help improve my personal best in minesweeper..

I am not crazy about the MB since it is limited to 12 GB memory. The chipset can support 24 GB but a couple of manufacturers have chosen this route (note 4GB sticks of ram are not on the shelves yet but samsung has announced the chips needed recently). I use a lot of memory often enough that this matters to me.

The power supply is single rail and that is very good. I would probably go with Pioneer for DVD as they are very quiet but I don't know if they are any quieter than the Samsung drives.

As far as SSD I use them and like them (4 in a RAID 0 on a hardware controller) but I would not necessarily recommend them. They are fast to read not as fast to write (good for OS; bad for scratch). I use them because they are quiet mostly.

BTW that i7 920 is a 2.66 GHz part so you have an overclocked speed listed there, just making sure you know. These are fast chips never the less.

ChasP505 wrote in post #7317919
Demo, that's one fine looking machine! Very clean. The case is incredible-- like my little Antec 300 on anabolic steroids! A bit more than most digital photographers need, but this is a good reference for a "price point" PC build.

ObD-- That looks like a really nice build. I like the current generation of PC cases which place the PSU at the base, far from the processor. In retrospect, as my recent build reaches the 2 months old mark, if I had to plan it over I would use a smaller drive for the OS and applications. I have Win XP and a slew of apps installed, and it only occupies about 26 gb of space on a 500gb hard drive. Most of my previous builds used either an 80 gb drive for a business/home machine or a 76gb Velociraptor for a gaming machine. Then I would have selected 2 x 1.5TB data drives.

Took your advice and ordered a 74GB Raptor from Newegg.com [$99 shipped]. Hopefully it arrives the same time as my Operating System [Microsofts starting to piss me off... ].

DEMO wrote in post #7315096
Looks good, I recently built a system close to those exact specs..

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https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=7280282&po​stcount=53

Where do you get the i7 for 229?

Microcenter.com

I'm not sure where your located, but this is a pick-up only item (guessing to attract people to their store).

there is no exception for stipped drives when it comes to moving data. Invest in stripped drives if you anticipate moving alot of large files. Especially Video, it makes a huge difference in the long run otherwise your processor will be taking naps waiting for the drive to catch up and give it something to do.

DEMO wrote in post #7321929
Took your advice and ordered a 74GB Raptor from Newegg.com [$99 shipped]. Hopefully it arrives the same time as my Operating System [Microsofts starting to piss me off... ].

That's a pretty good price, but I would have suggested a WD6400KAS over the older generation Raptor drive as the drive density is better. The old Raptor's are still good, but drives like Spinpoint F1's, WD6400KAS and Caviar Black's are much faster and only beat by WD RE3's and WD Velociraptor's. The velocirapror's are the newer more dense configurations whereas the old Raptor's are showing their age now.

I would highly suggest running two WD6400KAS in a Matrix Raid10 configuration for speed/security.

OP: System looks good, I'm weary of using any unknown RAM and would recommend sticking to the known/tested brands especially on the X58 chipset (G.Skill, Patriot, OCZ etc).

Currently awaiting delivery of my i7 rig which is:

Coolermaster Cosmos S rev 2
Enermax Galaxy 1000w modular PSU
Core i7 920 2.6ghz
EVGA X58 mainboard
12gb (6 x 2gb) G.Skill DDR3-1600
Wester Digital Caviar Blue 640gb HDD (four total)
Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme w/ 2 Xigmatek XLF-1253 in push/pull.
EVGA GTX295 SLI (one ordered, one awaiting stepup program queue)

DEMO wrote in post #7326063
Microcenter.com

I'm not sure where your located, but this is a pick-up only item (guessing to attract people to their store).

I checked the website but didn't see anything.

smcclelland wrote in post #7326106
That's a pretty good price, but I would have suggested a WD6400KAS over the older generation Raptor drive as the drive density is better. The old Raptor's are still good, but drives like Spinpoint F1's, WD6400KAS and Caviar Black's are much faster and only beat by WD RE3's and WD Velociraptor's. The velocirapror's are the newer more dense configurations whereas the old Raptor's are showing their age now.

I would highly suggest running two WD6400KAS in a Matrix Raid10 configuration for speed/security.

Currently awaiting delivery of my i7 rig which is:
Coolermaster Cosmos S rev 2
Enermax Galaxy 1000w modular PSU
Core i7 920 2.6ghz
EVGA X58 mainboard
12gb (6 x 2gb) G.Skill DDR3-1600
Wester Digital Caviar Blue 640gb HDD (four total)
Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme w/ 2 Xigmatek XLF-1253 in push/pull.
EVGA GTX295 SLI (one ordered, one awaiting stepup program queue)

After I posted that I ended up asking the people on Hardforum.com if I made the correct choice, they all pretty much suggested the WD6401AALS [640GB Caviar Black] stating that its just as good or even slightly a better performer then the raptor, and the only thing the 74GB Raptor has over the 640AALS is access time. I ended up cancling my order and buying a WD640AALS, and saved myself $20.00, and gained over 8x the space (not that I rewally need it)..

Side note: Nice rig, make sure to post pictures when your done..

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dc5itr329 wrote in post #7326191
I checked the website but didn't see anything.

BOOooo... It was on the front page..
http://microcenter.com ….phtml?product_​id=0300438