New PC - Comments / Suggestions, please

Hey, everyone. My dad asked me to throw together a gaming computer for my brother's graduation gift, so I did. I was wondering if everyone who knows what they're doing could look it over and leave any comments or suggestions. I know that it's powerful, I'm just wondering if there's anything in the build that I should switch out or what have you.

I'm buying from AVADirect.com, but all of the links are for the parts on Newegg. I know it's cheaper to build, but my dad wants it pre-built (warranty, etc.) so please no trolling about that.

Case: Antec 900

PSU: Corsair 850W (Is this overkill for even SLI 285s, or no?)

Mobo: Asus P6T Deluxe V2

CPU: Core i7-950 3.06 GHz (I know getting the 920 and OCing would be a lot cheaper, but my brother will not let me mess around in the BIOS)

HSF: Vigor Monsoon 3 LT

RAM: 6GB (3 x 2GB) OCZ Platinum XTC DDR3 1600 CL7 (For gaming - mostly RTSs - would this 6GBs be better, or should I go with the faster 3GB OCZ Reaper DDR3 1866 CL9 for about the same price?)

GPU: EVGA GTX 285 Superclocked (I wouldn't get SC edition except for the fact that it's cheaper on the site for some reason, so might as well)

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200RPM

Sound Card: HT Omega Striker 7.1

OS: Vista 64-bit (I would go with 32-bit if I went with the Reaper RAM)

Monitor: LG 22" 2ms 10000:1

Speakers: Logitech X-540 5.1

KB/M: Saitek Eclipse / Logitech MX310 (He plays mostly RTSs, so he doesn't need a super precise G5 or anything)

EDIT: Question - Should I go with the i7-950 and the GTX 285, or with an i7-920 and a GTX 295? I won't be OCing, so take that out of the equation.

Thanks for any input!

Looks like a decent build, RAM should be fine, hell, if your brother has a problem with it **** him, he can upgrade it himself, if he doesn't know how, then he shouldnt complain.

Also, I hope you charge your Dad, it'd hopefully help you upgrade for TES: V or Battlefield :D

-PSU? In case you don't know which one to buy, the Cosair 550VX is top-notch.

-Just use the RC of Windows 7, and buy it when it comes out on October 22nd.

-GTX 285 is pure and absolute ripoff; I can name 50 setups that destroy that card for way less (4850X2, 4770 Crossfire, 4830 Crossfire, 4850 Crossfire...). And FYI most games can run very well on a GTX 260 or a HD4870 unless you have a huge resolution (and they overclock very nicely). Or you can get a GTX 295 for massive overkillness (Crysis) if you listen to the suggestion below.

-Why do you need Core i7? If it's only for gaming, like you said, then he will get the exact same performance off a $400 cheaper dual core CPU (or quad if you play LOTS of RTS's, in which case I would go with the Phenom II X4 955, this motherboard, and this RAM). With that much money saved you can get a GTX 295... Before you say the word "future-proof", there aren't any games (except for Crysis 2 and some minor RTS's) coming this year, nor the next, that will be using more than one core, so unless you plan on keeping this build for 3-4 years, which is impossible anyways, you don't have to worry about "future-proofing". GPU is 50 times more important than CPU in games.

-This hard drive is much faster; in fact, it's faster than the RaptorX.

-Not sure why you need a sound as the sound from the Asus P6T is really good. PLUS, you are using 2.1 channel SPEAKERS, which are complete crap in terms of sound quality. You know what this means... (get a 10X better headset for $50)

EDIT: If your dad wants it pre-built, then most of the parts I listed won't be available (I think) because they always go very cheap on their parts.

Yeah, sorry. Completely forgot the PSU. It's there now.

Unless there is technical revolution, than this set up should last for 5-7 years without the need of an upgrade.

My computer is much, much worse than your's, but it is still better than a PS3/Xbox. So, I should be fine for the next 6 years or so.

I went with the WD Caviar black.

Question: Should I go with the 3.06 GHz i7 and the GTX 285, or go with a 2.66 GHz i7 and a GTX 295? I will not be OCing the processor, so take that out of the equation.

Thanks.

Spring for the G5 and a better monitor and you're golden IMO :) (EG http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009167)

Definitely get 6GB ram, Quantity > Quality, and it will become relevant soon enough.

Although upon looking at your HDD, I'd go with one of these two:

640GB WD (32mb version)

1TB Seagate (WD Fanboi but this drive rox): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148433

It's more than half as fast as my 640x2 Raid

Also, you'd really be fine to get the i7 920 and the GTX 285.

I say ehh...to the i7 950, your brother should let you mess in the bios...

Thanks for the suggestion, but he's not that into movies. The optical drive is just a standard 24x read-write DVD drive.

Also, I changed the monitor to a better LG with a 10000:1 CR instead of the Acer's 2500:1.

I recommend the 275 FTW over the 285. I Know it sounds kind of weird, but the FTW edition of the 275 actually can beat the 285 at most games.

LINK:http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/18235-geforce-gtx-275-roundup-gigabyte-evga-msi-sparkle-bfg.html

For the PSU, IMO I prefer Corsair PSU's, this 850W one is 109.99 after rebate and 139.99 before.

LINK:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

Kurushio, I changed the HSF - thanks!

Also, I changed the speakers from 2.1 to 5.1.

I will say this again: the GTX 285 is pure ripoff. Get a 4850X2 for $150 less that smokes the 285. Or you can try out the 2GB version, which won't make a difference, but can be useful if you upgrade the monitor sometime.

Your PSU is also a tier 3 power supply, which is kind of bad. I suggest the Corsair 750TX if you want to go GTX 285 SLI (horrible bang per buck X2), or the 650TX model if you get the 4850X2 that I suggested.