Advice on Gaming/Software Dev machine with room for the future

[nfoote]

Righto, so thinking about ordering the below soon as a (obviously) Gaming Rig but also as I'm a software developer I'll be doing a bit of work on it, hence some higher requirements in areas like memory.

I've tried to build the base as high spec as possible (ie mobo, psu, 1x high end gpu) within my budget at the current point in time so when I've got some more coin to throw in I don't have to got taking EVERYTHING apart.

See some notes below certain items to explain my choices, please comment on the validity of those explanations!

Case
COOLERMASTER CM STORM SNIPER - NEXT GEN GAMING CASE
(Actually either this or the HAF X)

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-950 (3.06GHz) 4.8GTs/8MB Cache
(Good for now, will replace with 980X at some point, see CPU Cooling)

Motherboard
ASUS® RAMPAGE III EXTREME: 3-Way SLI & CrossFireX, SATA 6.0GB/s, USB 3.0
(High as possible, don't want to have to change this)

Memory (RAM)
12GB KINGSTON HYPER-X TRI-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (6 x 2GB KIT)
* Need lots for a dev machine, IDEs + hosted Web/App servers chew into this quickly
* the 24GB KINGSTON kit is tempting but too much for me atm, does the 24GB Samsung compare in terms of performance at ALL?
* Also, is it possible to get a 3 x 4GB KINGSTON kit now and then add another 3 x 4GB kit later or will this not be as effective as a whole matched 6 x 4GB Kit?

Graphics Card
1536MB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX480 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11 + MAFIA II
(One now, another later, and another when win lottory!)

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
(Enough for now, will def slot more in later but that's piece O cake.)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
10x BLU-RAY RE-WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW (£88)
(Fine, maybe another later but don't really see the point?)

Power Supply & Case Cooling
CORSAIR 1200W MODULAR PSU (AX1200) PRO SERIES 80+ GOLD (£206)
(Twice as much power as needed now but like I said, most likely go to 980X and at least one more GTX480 later so will need the extra power and don't want to go changing PSU, tho would consider the HX1000 if its SIGNIFICANTLY quieter, does anyone know?)

Processor Cooling
TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£39)
(This for now as I imagine its easier to get off than a water cooler. Would really like one of those Coolit Freezone Elite Subambient units, maybe when going to 980X)

Monitor
IIYAMA E2472HD 24" LED WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D FULL HD 1920x1080 (£179)
2nd Monitor
IIYAMA E2472HD 24" LED WIDESCREEN, HDMI/DVI-D FULL HD 1920x1080 (£179)
(Are these monitors really very good? What are the 24" TFT monitors that pcspecialist normally supply? ie make and model? I've read some reviews that these IIYAMAs are definitely slim and sexy but the picture actually isn't all that great?)

Everything below here is just blah blah standard stuff, again, slot in a stand alone sound and network card when bank account has recovered from this shock.

Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE

Comments, tips, corrections appreciated, cheers.

 

[Phoenix]

There's not a lot of difference between the 1333mhz RAM and the 1600mhz RAM unless you're going to overclock your CPU so I'd just go with the samsung RAM. Both cases you picked will provide good cooling so you'd be fine with the stock cooler if you wanted to save money there (the HAF-X is better though if you were wanting to get the best case that PCS stock). In terms of the motherboard as long as you pick one which has SATA 6.0GB/s and USB 3.0 you'll be fine for the future, the more expensive ones are only useful for better read/write speeds for SSD's and easier overclocking. Also, make sure you get the silver warranty.

 

[Sleinous]

Ye id follow Phoenix's advice.

 

[PCS]

Q1. The 24GB KINGSTON kit is tempting but too much for me atm, does the 24GB Samsung compare in terms of performance at ALL?
Q2. Also, is it possible to get a 3 x 4GB KINGSTON kit now and then add another 3 x 4GB kit later or will this not be as effective as a whole matched 6 x 4GB Kit?
Q3. Fine, maybe another later but don't really see the point?
Q4. Twice as much power as needed now but like I said, most likely go to 980X and at least one more GTX480 later so will need the extra power and don't want to go changing PSU, tho would consider the HX1000 if its SIGNIFICANTLY quieter, does anyone know?
Q5. Are these monitors really very good? What are the 24" TFT monitors that pcspecialist normally supply? ie make and model? I've read some reviews that these IIYAMAs are definitely slim and sexy but the picture actually isn't all that great?

A1. Not much can actually use 24GB of memory at the moment. There's not a huge difference between Samsung/Kingston. Note for 24GB you need W7 Pro/Ultimate.
A2. Out kits are matched and therefore will come as specified on our configurator.
A3. here is no point unless you plan to perform a lot of disc duplication. - stick with one drive.
A4. The noise levels are very similar across all PSU's.
A5. Our pictures don't do them justice. Many of our forum members have these and therefore may comment. They're very slim and sexy! The standard monitors can be one of several brands, depending on what is available when we order. They're obviously good quality, but not quite as good as iiyama.