SSD for OS boot and HDD for storage?

[Eyecan'tcode]

I'm in the process of building a new PC. I was thinking of getting a OCZ Solid 2 Series OCZSSD2-2SLD60G for boot drive and a SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ for storage. This will be for general use (surfing the web, downloading large files on occassions) Will I see the benifits of ssd given my general usage habbits? Are there any cons given the two drives I plan to match. I have windows 7, but I am waiting for the new computer to install it on. Can any tell me how much space does a windows 7 boot take up?

[budz]

If you're only going to use the pc for surfing the web just use a Western Digital VelociRaptor 150gb sata 10,000 rpm hard drive as your boot drive and the Samsung Spinpoint F3 hard drive for storage. If you can afford a SSD then buy it. I'm not buying any until the prices come down a little lower.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296

[Eyecan'tcode]

I heard the VelociRaptor is loud (whatever that means) and cranks out some serious heat.

[budz]

I run WD 36gb Raptors on a few of my pc's but I overclock the cpu's so my fans are loud but not like a blow dryer. I'm sure other members like moderator redwudz will input in this thread. He uses the 150gb WD VelociRaptor in one of his pc's. SSD prices are coming down but you'll also have to know how to tweak them. Too expensive for me at the moment.

[redwudz]

I have a OCZ 60GB SSD and it's much too small for for W7 or Vista OS. Mine can only use about half the capacity so that it can move the files around to keep the individual cells from burning out. That cuts the freespace by about half. It also need maintenance to keep it at top speed. Read a bit more about them before you spend the money. A larger, maybe 128GB or larger, would be good. $$

I also have two 150GB WD Raptors and they as quiet as any of my other drives. Maybe the old ones were noisy, but not anymore. It also runs as cool as my other drives. Apparently a lot of wrong information out there. It's a bit slower than a RAID or SSD drive, but it's a lot more dependable. Who cares if it takes a half second or so more to boot or launch programs?

You don't want to use your boot drive for much of anything except boot and launching programs, IMO. If you are interesting in capturing, encoding or file transfer speed, use two hard drives in addition to your boot drive.

[Eyecan'tcode]

[QUOTE=redwudz;1994380]I have a OCZ 60GB SSD and it's much too small for for W7 or Vista OS. Mine can only use about half the capacity so that it can move the files around to keep the individual cells from burning out. That cuts the freespace by about half.QUOTE]

Thats the one I was gonna get. 60GB is not enough for W7?

Read a bit more about them before you spend the money.

Please, no more reading on ssd Naysayers vs prosayers, rentention degradation, MSLC vs SLC, fact vs speculation; The insanity.

Apparently a lot of wrong information out there. .

You're telling me

I've heard a lot of good things about ssd and I thought about giving it a shot, but with all the uncertainty, I just hold off and get
hdd's. 10,000rpm is fast.

[Eyecan'tcode]

Screw it! I'm building a new computer, so I'll just take the plunge. If 60GB is not enough for W7, then I'll get 80GB Intel X25-M Mainstream SSDSA2M080G2XXX. That should be enough. Now for my storage hdd, wouldn't it make sense to get one that's as quiet as the ssd? Is 5400rpm more than sufficient for storage? I would download to the storage drive, I would watch my stored movies from it; pretty much everything else will be done from it but boot and apps. Is this a mistake?

Edit: This is what I'm looking at: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500, PSU, Corsair Twin2X4096-6400C5, Gigabyte GA-EP43-UD3L, Boot = Intel 80 GB X25M, storage = Western Digital 1 TB Caviar Blue, Sapphire Radeon HD 5750. Do you guys see any compatibilaty issues? Anything that I've forgotten?

[budz]

Why use a WD Blue 5400 rpm drive for video stuff? IMHO If you're doing capturing, video editing using a faster hd would be better. If you're going to use this new pc for video encoding get a Quad core processor. I see no reason to use a dual core cpu if video encoding is what you'll be doing. You can buy a AMD Quad cpu for the same price or even cheaper than the Intel wolfdale e8500 dual core cpu.
If you really want a SSD then get the biggest capacity one you can afford. Also make sure the computer case you'll be using is going to be compatible to use that SSD. There are kits to have the SSD fit into a 5.25 or 3.5 bay. I bought a scythe kit to fit a 2.5 laptop hd into my W7 pc which uses a overclocked AMD 630 Propus Quad cpu.

Intel E8500, $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition, $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727

Budget AMD 630 Propus Quad cpu, $96.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103704

You could even buy a AMD 6 core cpu for $10.00 more compared to the price of that Intel E8500 dual core cpu
Phenom II X6 1055T, $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851

What's your budget?

[Eyecan'tcode]

I just thought a quad or 6 core would be overkill. I would rarely do video editing and encoding. Well I guess for the same price it's something I will consider. What's a good mobo and ram to use with the AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition; I've never used AMD before so I'm not familiar with what works with it. 80gigs is not enough for W7 I have a partition of only 13gigs for xp pro. I could've sworn the wd site stated the blue series is 7200rpm.

PS I'm replying on my iPhone because I keep getting this script opening up in wmp anytime I open a page on this site, has anyone mentioned this happening? I'm running a scan at this moment.

[budz]

no one else seems to be having script opening up on this website. you could have some spyware/malware on your pc so it's a good idea to run a scan with spyware/malware programs.

You haven't stated a budget yet so here's some suggestions for a AMD mobo.

Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H, $124.99, uses DDR3 ram. This would be future proof if you decided to get a AMD 6 core cpu later on.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435

Gigabyte GA-880GA-UD3H mobo, $104.99, uses DDR3 ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128444

Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 mobo, $89.99, uses DDR3 ram. I use this mobo with my AMD 630 Propus Quad cpu.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128419

Gigabyte GA-785GMT-USB3, micro atx mobo, $94.99, uses DDR3 ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128432

Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H, micro atx mobo, $89.99, uses DDR3 ram & has built in video
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128397

Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H micro atx mobo, $79.99, uses DDR2 ram & has built in video
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394

Gigabyte GA-GA-MA770-UD3, $71.99, uses DDR2 ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128376

[nic2k4]

I could've sworn the wd site stated the blue series is 7200rpm.

You are correct, the 3.5" blue drives are 7200 RPM drives; the 2.5" drives are 5400 RPM. They used to be part of the standard JS line. The black drives have double the cache and a second controller to speed processing. The green drives with advanced format have double the cache while the others have the same cache as the blue. WD lists their RPM as Intellipower, like they're trying to hide something. The description of Intellipower says that the RPM is fixed, but is different between all the models. Some retail sites list the drives with RPM's between 5400 and 5900.

[Eyecan'tcode]

I could've sworn the wd site stated the blue series is 7200rpm.

WD lists their RPM as Intellipower, like they're trying to hide something. The description of Intellipower says that the RPM is fixed, but is different between all the models. Some retail sites list the drives with RPM's between 5400 and 5900.

So are they (blue series) really 7200rpm?

To Budz:

I really don't have a budget; I'm buying the parts seperately. It comes down to wether I fill its worth me spending the money on a particular component
I'm kinda nervous about stepping out of the intel box, but given that my mindset for building this computer is to be open to something different and (while maintaining quality of course) up to date, AMD would surely fit the bill.

Are there any apps that even use ddr3? Or does this fit in the future just in case kinda thing?
If I wanted 2gb running my dual core, would that mean I would have to get 8gb for quad. I'm sure I'd have to install W7 64 for anything over 4 right?


PS Bitdefender virus scan fixed my problem

[budz]

IMHO get DDR3 to future proof yourself. Yes if you're going to use W7 64 bit then get 4GB of ram. DDR2 ram is considered on it's way out. Also the price of DDR3 ram and DDR2 are about the same price.

[DarrellS]

If you're leary of stepping away from Intel, an I5 build would not be a bad decision either. Both the AMD 1055T and the I5-750 are good choices. If you're a gamer, the I5 is better in benchmarks but the 1055T has two extra cores for H264 encoding. Both chips are great overclockers and are about dead even at H264 encoding when overclocked to 4.3Ghz. Overclocked, they both encode almost as well as an overclocked I7-930 which costs $90 more and uses a more expensive MB.

Intel

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $169.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128409 (e-SATA and firewire)

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3P LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $144.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128417 (e-SATA)

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $129.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128412

Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215

AMD

GIGABYTE GA-890FXA-UD5 AM3 AMD 890FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $179.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128441 (e-SATA and Firewire)

GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $124.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128435 (onboard graphics and firewire)

GIGABYTE GA-890XA-UD3 AM3 AMD 790X SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128438 (e-SATA and firewire)

AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz 6 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851

HDDs

WD VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136296

WD Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533


AMD motherboards support six SATA 6GB/s HDDs. Intel only supports two.

[SeánB]

So far I have been using Windows 7 64-bit on a 60GB OCZ Agility SSD since last August and the performance feels much like the time I first installed Windows 7. My SSD is usually at around 80% capacity (~60 applications installed) and so far I haven't had any issue with slowdown, etc. I could free up an additional 20% by moving the XP mode to my HDD, but at the moment, I'm happy the way it is as XP mode launches in just a few seconds from SSD. Once prices come down, which I'd imagine to happen within the next year, I'll replace my 60GB with a 120GB (or larger) model and use the 60GB for something else such as in a netbook.

It was the original non-TRIM enabled drives that users were advised to leave plenty of free space for better wear-levelling.

Most SSDs now come with a 3-year warranty, so you can easily get it replaced assuming the shop you get it from has a reliable after-sales service. SSDs don't need shock-protection and are very light, so if you have to send one back, a jiffy envelope is sufficient. By the time the warranty is up, I'd imagine SSDs wil lbe much cheaper by then.

The main catch is that you'll very quickly get spoilt with the SSD performance after a week or two, as you expect things to open instantly, switch applications without any lag, etc., a bit like browsing the web with pages taking 5 to 10 seconds to load instead of appearing within a second or two.

[Eyecan'tcode]

Did some reading and I'm gonna stick with intel.

Are x58 boards for gamers (which I'm not)? Are there any cons using a P55 board?
Is Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator DDR3 for gamers? Will Corsair TR3X6G1600C9 be ok?
Is there any significant performance difference between 920 (2.66GHZ) and 930 (2.80GHZ)

[budz]

Did some reading and I'm gonna stick with intel.

Are x58 boards for gamers (which I'm not)? Are there any cons using a P55 board?
Is Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator DDR3 for gamers? Will Corsair TR3X6G1600C9 be ok?
Is there any significant performance difference between 920 (2.66GHZ) and 930 (2.80GHZ)

[Eyecan'tcode]

Did some reading and I'm gonna stick with intel.

Are x58 boards for gamers (which I'm not)? Are there any cons using a P55 board?
Is Corsair TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator DDR3 for gamers? Will Corsair TR3X6G1600C9 be ok?
Is there any significant performance difference between 920 (2.66GHZ) and 930 (2.80GHZ)

OK Budz, be a pal. Tell me, Did I Just make myself look like an arse muncher

Edit** apparrently not enough reading (I get the humor)
p55 = 1166 socket (mainstream users) x58 1366 socket (servers, high end gaming systems)
x58 supports the use of two graphics cards at full 16x.
Ok, google is my friend. I was just trying to keep Budz on his toes

[Webster]

This will be for general use (surfing the web, downloading large files on occassions)

Do you really need all those computing power for these????

[Eyecan'tcode]

This will be for general use (surfing the web, downloading large files on occassions)

Do you really need all those computing power for these????

Maybe that was a bit underexxagerated. Bitdefender runs in the background, which is slowing my computer down a ton (P4 3.4ghz) Surely, I'll do more than that.

[Eyecan'tcode]

I can actually save 5 buck building a 1366 system rather than a 1156. I considered one of the more advanced gigabyte 1156 chipset to the entry level 1366 chipset.

1156:
GA-P55A-UD6 250.00
i7 860 280.00
CORSAIR XMS3 DHX 4GB 120.00
Intel 80 GB X25M 225.00
Western Digital 1 TB SATA2 80.00
Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 210.00
tower Prudent Way PWI-MT620 50.00
Corsair CMPSU-550VX 80.00
Samsung P2250 22-Inch Widescreen 180.00
Total = $1295.00 W/monitor $1475.00

1366:
tower Prudent Way PWI-MT620 50.00
Western Digital 1 TB SATA2 80.00
Intel 80 GB X25M 225.00
Sapphire Radeon HD 5750 210.00
GA-X58A-UD3R 210.00
i7-920 260.00
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB 175.00
Corsair CMPSU-550VX 80.00
Samsung P2250 22-Inch Widescreen 180.00
Total = $1290.00 w/monitor $1470.00

The feature differences between these two are very minor. As a matter of fact the differences of the ud3r and ud9 are minor as well; well at least for me they are. I'm shocked, as I would be spending only about 200+ dollars more for the future system as I did on my current P4 system. I'm sure I could scale back a little and meet the same money spent on both. I feel cheated

[budz]

@tower Prudent Way PWI-MT620 50.00....you spend big bucks for a Intel based system but buy a cheapo case.

[Eyecan'tcode]

@tower Prudent Way PWI-MT620 50.00....you spend big bucks for a Intel based system but buy a cheapo case.

Whats wrong with that case? It looked nice and well ventalated to me. Do you see problems with this case in terms of causing my system problems. Do you have a better case in mind? My intensions weren't to buy a cheapo case, I had narrowed it down to 2 cases and my wife picked this one. Please, tell me if you see problems this case will cause.

[DarrellS]

COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216 $89.99
Front Ports USB / Audio / e-SATA
SATA Dock for easy installation without the need of removing side panel

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160 $139.98
Front Ports USB / Audio / IEEE 1394 / e-SATA

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Blue RC-932-KKN3-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119213 $159.98
$55 savings w/ hard drive combo, limited offer
Front Ports USB / Audio / IEEE 1394 / e-SATA

COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Black RC-932-KWN3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119230 $179.99
Front Ports USB / Audio / IEEE 1394 / e-SATA

COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225 $199.99
Front Ports USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio x 1, Mic x 1, e-SATA x 1, 1394a x 1
SATA Dock for easy installation without the need of removing side panel

I believe all these cases Include 1.8" & 2.5" HHD and SSD adapter and housing for water cooling.

All these cases also have holes in the back to mount Coolermaster heatsinks without having to remove the MB. they also have holes for wire maintainance. The HDDs connect from the backside which makes wiring easier also.

I have the $90 CM690 II Advanced and I am extremely happy with this case.


EDIT: Also, you compared a top of the line P55 MB with the cheapest X58 MB. Not that there is anything wrong with the X58 board but it wasn't a fair comparison. If money was an object which it seems not to be then the P55/I7-860 would've been the better buy.

A few parts look seem like overkill but not if you're building a gaming machine.

I would've gotten a cheaper graphics card and a couple of 6Gbs HDDs for a video machine.

[Eyecan'tcode]

EDIT: Also, you compared a top of the line P55 MB with the cheapest X58 MB. Not that there is anything wrong with the X58 board but it wasn't a fair comparison. If money was an object which it seems not to be then the P55/I7-860 would've been the better buy.
.

that's my point exactly. The money I would spend on a ud6 was about the same I would for the cheapeast x58. The feature advantages the ud6 had (dual LAN, latest audio, esata) I didn't see as an advantage. Everything else was the same except the x58 has 3 channel memory, upgradeble to 6core and I believe it was something else.

Is there anything wrong with the case I had chosen?

That cooler master was actually one I was looking at before I narrowed my choices down to 2

[budz]

you spend big bucks on computer hardware and get a cheap ass case which IMHO is a waste. then again you said you had no budget. have fun building your pc.

[Eyecan'tcode]

you spend big bucks on computer hardware and get a cheap ass case which IMHO is a waste. then again you said you had no budget. have fun building your pc.

Like I stated before, I. Didn't choose this case because it was $50, it just so happens to be $50. When you say cheap, are you referring to the price or the case itself? If it's the case, then what makes it cheap? I feel it well ventalated, had all the bays I needed, and it looked cool. Am I missing something

[DarrellS]

EDIT: Also, you compared a top of the line P55 MB with the cheapest X58 MB. Not that there is anything wrong with the X58 board but it wasn't a fair comparison. If money was an object which it seems not to be then the P55/I7-860 would've been the better buy.
.

that's my point exactly. The money I would spend on a ud6 was about the same I would for the cheapeast x58. The feature advantages the ud6 had (dual LAN, latest audio, esata) I didn't see as an advantage. Everything else was the same except the x58 has 3 channel memory, upgradeble to 6core and I believe it was something else.

Is there anything wrong with the case I had chosen?

That cooler master was actually one I was looking at before I narrowed my choices down to 2

Then you would've needed to compare the...

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD6 ATX Intel Motherboard $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128410
with the...

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 ATX Intel Motherboard $260 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128422

The GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R doesn't have dual lan.

The only difference between these two P55A-UD6 and the X58A-UD3R is that the X58 supports triple channell memory and the P55 does not. The P55 supports Extreme Memory Profile memory modules at DDR3 2600+.

According to this website, triple channel memory offers very little over dual channel and in most cases, the dual channel memory performed better.

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/Memory/Intel-Core-i7-Dual-Channel-vs.-Triple-Channel-M...mory-Mode.html

As for the case, it looked like it was build cheap like most inexpensive cases are.

I got lucky 8 years ago when I build my first computer. I got an Apex supercase that was toolless and came with a PS for $39. I still have that case for my P4 computer but got tired of the wiring mess and broke down and and got the Coolermaster for my Q6600. I would've liked to have had firewire in the front but my board doesn't have a connector on the board for it. It has firewire in the back though.

The 920-I7 is a great overclocker so the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R would make a good choice with a Coolermaster case where you could use liquid cooling if you so chose to. Then again, the P55A-UD4P supports Extreme Memory Profile memory modules at DDR3 2200 and it does support dual LAN if that's what you wanted and the I7-860 is a great overclocker also.

[Eyecan'tcode]

[QUOTE=DarrellS;1995672]Then you would've needed to compare the...

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD6 ATX Intel Motherboard $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128410
with the...

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD5 ATX Intel Motherboard $260 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128422

The GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R doesn't have dual lan.
QUOTE]

And that was my point; I don't have a need or want dual lan. That is where the UD3R comes in. If I were to get a p55, then it would be a ud6, which is the top of the line. I was thinking about getting a x58 and saw that what the ud6 had over the ud3r was stuff like dual lan and other stuff I don't need or want, why not get the cheapest x58; plus the x58 has triple channel memory. The x58 also would be upgradeble to 6 core, If I just wanted to stay current with the times.

The only difference between these two P55A-UD6 and the X58A-UD3R is that the X58 supports triple channell memory and the P55 does not. The P55 supports Extreme Memory Profile memory modules at DDR3 2600+.

According to this website, triple channel memory offers very little over dual channel and in most cases, the dual channel memory performed better.

Dude, you are making my decision even harder

Seriously, thats one of the things that made it tough to decide whether I go 1156 or 1366. Although 1366 uses uses triple channel, would I really benifit from it. But again, If the 1156 I was thinking of getting cost more than the cheapes 1366 with no feature difference, then why not get the cheapes x58.

As for the case, it looked like it was build cheap like most inexpensive cases are.

I got lucky 8 years ago when I build my first computer. I got an Apex supercase that was toolless and came with a PS for $39. I still have that case for my P4 computer but got tired of the wiring mess and broke down and and got the Coolermaster for my Q6600. I would've liked to have had firewire in the front but my board doesn't have a connector on the board for it. It has firewire in the back though.

The 920-I7 is a great overclocker so the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R would make a good choice with a Coolermaster case where you could use liquid cooling if you so chose to

How are cheap cases built? I don't overclock. Water cooling was never an option for me. The case I'd chosen is tool free. I thought a case had to look good, have enough room for what you wanted installed, and have very good ventilation. I felt the case I chose fit that description. Now if you guys know something I don't know about this case, then I'm all ears. I've made mistakes before

Hey DarrellS, you've made some fantastic points. Ecspecially about dual channel vs triple channel. I appreciate your time and Budz too.

[DarrellS]

If the 1156 I was thinking of getting cost more than the cheapes 1366 with no feature difference, then why not get the cheapes x58.

This is what has me confused. Why you think you would need to get the top of the line P55 board. The $170 GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD4P offers everything that the $210 GA-X58A-UD3R does except the triple channel memory. So what if it has Dual LAN, you don't have to use it. No way that I would spend $250 on a motherboard.

If you have the money to buy a $1000 6 core I7 then go all out and buy the best of everything.

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD9 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 XL ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128446 $700

Who's to say that Intel won't build a socket 1156 6, 8, 12 or 16 core CPU though? The majority of their new CPUs are 1156s.

That case is way smaller than my CM690 II Advanced. You'll run into problems connecting HDDs since the connectors on the MB are sideways and wiring will be a mess. My friend bought a full tower Apevia for $150 and he cusses every time he has to open it up because there is no room between the MB and the HDDs and the wiring is a mess even though he has everything zip tied.

They don't show any pictures to show you just how cheap the case is built. I definately wouldn't buy anything that I could not look at first. It kinda looks like my brothers Raidmax case and I definately wouldn't buy his. Most people I know with cases with doors either break the doors off by accident or take them off because they are such a hassle and get in the way.

I bought my case at Fry's Electronics because I was able to look at it close up and physically touch it. It was everything I was looking for in a case and I looked pretty hard for something affordable with good wire management and a hole for the heatsink. I live in Arizona so an aftermarket cooler is a must. I saw a couple of Lian Li cases that would've worked but Fry's didn't sell that brand.