[photon]

Originally Posted by kn

Questions:

1) I never bought a power supply before. I know the one I chose is a good one but do I even need one with my intended uses? Should I downgrade?

A good power supply will last you through multiple computers, and good power is essential for a stable computer. I personally think it's good to spend a bit extra. Plus a higher efficiency one will use less power and generate less heat.

That's a good one you've got there (I've got the same one), the system you've put together doesn't need 850W but again a bit extra for future proofing isn't always a bad thing if you've got the $$ and can see potential multi-video card setups in the future for yourself.

That AX850 is actually built by Seasonic which is a great PS company.

Originally Posted by kn

2) The RevoDrive is a special order but the demo I watched online just made it look incredibly cool. Boot time was practically nothing and it started almost 10 apps instantaneously. I know I can get cheaper alternatives though and it's likely I would still be pleased with the performance.

Yeah and actually $549 for 240GB isn't totally out of line, the 240GB Vertex 3 Max IOPS is $499, so it's only $50 for the PCIe interface.

That said as Rathji says you could opt for a 120GB drive and buy a 1-2TB drive for storage of movies, music, stuff that doesn't need the speed of an SSD.

(I would actually advise that anyway, Hitachi drives are great http://www.memoryexpress.com/Product...33859(ME).aspx)

Originally Posted by kn

3) The Graphics Card is the 3rd best from Nvidia. It should be good enough for what I play but perhaps I should look at bumping it up for future-proofing? Do I really need to consider dual-cards? (I can't believe people use three cards for some games.)

If that monitor is 1920x1080 (I think it is) then the 570 should be ok, I game on my 1920x1200 monitor with a GTX 460 and most games are fine.

Though check reviews for your specific card and resolution to make sure.

I agree with Rathji here too, that looks like a lot of $$ for a TN (lower end technology) panel, though it is 120Hz so maybe that's the price for those kinds of things, I'm not up to date on 3D monitors.

But yeah you can get a 27" IPS (better technology) monitor from Dell for that price during a sale usually.

Originally Posted by kn

4) The monitor is also out of stock but it looks really cool. I won't be using any of the 3D features so I guess I'm paying for something I don't need. Unfortunately, I didn't find another aesthetically pleasing monitor. I'm used to boring widescreen at work so I'd like something a bit nicer at home. This is where Apple spoils you. Any suggestions for monitors would be appreciated.

That's a lot extra to pay for aesthetics, and you're getting a lower end type monitor, personally I'd rather pay for quality of display (since I have to look at it all day). But ultimately you are the one that has to live with it so get what you like. My suggestion here would be to make sure and get it from somewhere you can return it for a full refund.

http://hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=78

That's a great place to research monitors.

Alternately if aesthetics is important you could actually go with an Apple monitor:

http://store.apple.com/ca/product/MC...co=MTkwMzc1NDA

$999 for an IPS 27" with that uber resolution is actually not bad IMO.

Though if you do that, make sure and get a video card with a display-port port (some only have DVI and HDMI) and you'll have to get an adapter, but I know people run that monitor on PCs.

EDIT: Though I don't know if a GTX 570 will be able to work at that resolution ok, you'll probably have to research that.

Originally Posted by kn

The sub-total without the warranty is $3009.89 which feels better. I obviously wouldn't mind knocking it down further to around $2750-$2850 without sacrificing too much performance.

Thanks to anyone who bothered to read all this.

So places you could shave some; get the ASUS bundle for that processor which is $449, go with a 120GB SSD paired with a large regular drive, go with a AX750 you could save a bit (and I often see the AX750/AX850 on sale, the AX750 is on sale for $149 at NCIX so you could pricematch http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...r&promoid=1055)..