New Audio/Video/Multimedia rig - penny for your thoughts?

[MIDIman]

Key factors:
1) Fast without going overboard. I generally don't like to spend more than $200 on a CPU, but I want it to be a good overclocker.
2) Quiet - doesn't have to be silent, but I don't want to hear it either. I've had quite a bit of experience here. Generally limits max overclocking, but I'm OK with that.
3) Built for audio/midi purposes primarily. Software takes advantage of quad core (not sure about six tho). Needs lots of RAM for big orchestral projects.
4) Would've liked to stay under $1000.

newegg.com: $863 shipped
microcenter: $200 + tax

Core i7 930 from Microcenter

$299.99 combo (-$80)
GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit

$148.99 combo (-$85 - i.e. free HD!)
Antec P183 Black Aluminum / Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
HITACHI HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200

$79.99 - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200
$21.99 - LITE-ON DVD Writer iHAS224-06
$69.99 - HIS H555HS1G Fanless Radeon HD 5550 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.1 x16
$62.99 - SeaSonic S12II 430B 430W 80 PLUS BRONZE
$74.99 - Thermalright Venomous X - RT 120mm CPU Cooler
$31.92 - 4x ZALMAN FAN MATE 2 Fan Controller
$51.96 - 4x Nexus PWM Series D12SL-12PWM 120mm Case Fan (one front, one rear, 2x on thermalright - or 1x on thermalright, and put the fourth on the top)


Would've preferred to cut $150 and throw in a Vertex 60GB SSD.

 

[mfenn]

Dump the VX, fan controllers, and fans. Get 3 Noctua NF-S12B FLXs and a Noctua NH-U12P SE2. Same price, MUCH better quality fans, and you get 5 fans instead of 4.

Mount the S12Bs as follows: (1) rear exhaust, (1) top intake, (1) top chamber intake. Mount the F3 in the top HDD bay as well (air needs to flow over the HDD and the GPU). Make sure to mount the fans with the included brown rubber thingies. It's a PITA on the P-series, but worth it.

Use the push/pull config on the NH-U12P. If you use the the LNA (included) on the S12Bs and the ULNA (also included) on the U12P, your whole system won't go over 12dBA. You can also use the LNA or no speed reducer on the U12P if you want to OC more.

I've got a very similar setup (860 instead of 930, GTX 260 instead of passive GPU), and the loudest thing in my system is the coil whine on the GPU.

 

[gsellis]

You mentioned Video in the title. If you meant Edit and plan to go further with it, a very general rule is ATI for Pinnacle Studio suites and nVidia for everything else. If you plan to go Pro NLE later, your requirements may vary even more and get more expensive. But in the meantime, the ATI card should work adequately with anything considering your budget and what you would probably get as a video editing suite. If you do get into video editing more, consider the next round of upgrades to include 2 more 1TB HDDs.