Hobbyist i7 build, comments please

Question

This is my first post on this forum and I apologise for its length but felt I should explain my choices.
I found this forum and dvinfo.net in my research to build a new PC. This forum in particular has been of immense help. The expert knowledge, experience and opinions so generously given will, I hope, have saved me from making expensive and frustrating mistakes.
I have read and re-read a number of the threads here and finally (I think) have put together my shopping list. I would very much appreciate if interested members could take a look and point out/suggest any flaws/alternatives before I place my orders.
I'm an enthusiastic hobbyist and will use my new PC for photo-, audio-, SD video editing, DVD creation (family movies), family web site build and general PC stuff - so will not be video editing/encoding all the time. It will replace my present PC (an AMD 3500+, 3GB RAM, XP Pro that I built 5 yrs. ago) which is really struggling now. Photoshop & Premiere Elements 8 and Vegas MediaStudio 9 have proved it's no longer up to the job - 5 yrs. ago it was brill. Despite all the time and money invested, I'm sure that  in 5 yrs. time my new build will be no different.
So having set the scene this is what I've come up with:-
I don't want or feel that I need a RAID setup as I image backup my desktop data every day to my NAS and image backup my C drive weekly. I'm fully aware of the advantages of the appropriate RAID config but I've always been concerned about what happens when one of your matched drives dies and you can no longer get that model. I'm not seeking to build a dedicated editing machine to use for commercial purposes.
I've never overclocked but with the kit I plan to get I intend to have a careful go using posts on here, particularly Harm's as a starter.
I have chosen three different makes of HDD to spread my risk and carry out my own small reliability evaluation.
The OS of my new system will be Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.
My shopping list is:
CPU                    Intel i7-920 - OEM version because I won't be using the stock cooler.
MOBO                Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 - because it has sufficient SATA, eSATA and Firewire ports.
RAM                   6GB (3x2GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3, PC3-12800 (1600), CAS 8 (8-8-8-24), XMP (TR3X6G1600C8) - I'd like 12GB but I'm already over my original budget. If I decide to stretch to 12 (well it is nearly Christmas) how much of a risk I am   taking with them not actually being a guaranteed matched set (a 12GB matched set is considerably dearer - price has gone up £40 since yesterday)?  From experience I know it is best to get all the RAM you think you want in the first instance because trying to find matching RAM later is a pain and can be impossible. I can't see this RAM in the mobo's QVL so I'm hoping it'll be OK.
RAM Cooler         I don't know if this is reqd. for 6/12 GB? For this amount aren't the heat spreaders on the RAM sufficient?
PSU                     Corsair 750HX PSU - as advised by Harm, I've run my build through eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Pro 2.5 to find the power needs of this lot plus possible additions. The 750 still has amps for un-anticipated add ons.
CPU Cooler          Noctua NH-U12P SE 1366 - seems it will do a nice job and the price is bearable - a bit concerned about case fit though.
Thermal Paste     Artic Silver 5 - seems to be a favoured compound.
Northbridge Fan  AKASA AK-VCX-01 40x40x10mm - not sure how I'm going to attach this to my mobo yet.
GPU                     ATI HD5770 - I was going to get a 4890 but this looks a more suitable card re future.
OS & Apps HDD   500 GB Western Digital WD5001AALS Caviar Black - this should be fast enough and has lots of space
PF/Cache HDD    500 GB Western Digital WD5001AALS Caviar Black - as above.
Genl Data HDD    500GB Samsung HD502HJ Spinpoint F3 - for anything that isn't video, photo or audio.
Proj Files HDD     1TB Seagate ST31000528AS Barracuda 7200.12 - should be big enough and fast enough. Archive on NAS.
Media HDD          1TB Seagate ST31000528AS Barracuda 7200.12 - as above.
DVD-RW              Samsung SH-S223B/RSMN (Retail) - I chose this over a Sony Optiarc (OEM).
2 SATA Caddies   Antec Easy SATA - to house my Project and Media HDDs so that when I'm not media editing I can unplug them to stop them wastefully spinning away creating heat, wearing out and using power.
Case                    Coolermaster Storm Sniper All Black Mesh Edition (SGC-6000-KXN1-GP) - it was hell of a job finding the right case. This isn't perfect but ticks most of my boxes. It's an improvement on the original Sniper, is spacious, should have good airflow and has the external front ports I want (USB, eSATA & Firewire) (and a handy button to switch off the bling LEDs). The new Zalman MS1000-HS1 was a contender with its front hot-swap bays but it's so new there are no useful reviews on it and its predecessor has poor airflow reviews. The Antec P183 is very nice but with my caddies the door would be a nuisance and it doesn't have the Firewire port. Ditto the Firewire port missing from the Antec 900-2. Had it been the eSATA missing from the either I could have lived with it because the caddies have eSATA ports.
Just to complete the picture, because my desktop capacity is to be increased I will add another drive as follows to one of my NAS devices to increase the archive/backup space.
NAS HDD             ST3200542AS - 2TB Seagate ST32000542AS Barracuda LP
I'll be using my existing mouse, keyboard and recently purchased monitor (Dell 2209WA 22").
Sorry this has been so long but I thought it would answer some questions that might have be asked - on the other hand it could be so long people forget what the question was.
Thanks (if you stayed with me)
Tony

Answer 1

Thanks to you both for having the tenacity and time to give me feedback. Your suggestions were very useful as they caused me to revisit my planned workflow. My response is, I'm sorry, a little long winded but I want to show I've given your suggestions full consideration.
Harm,
Thanks for the praise but I only followed the advice you and a few other stalwarts of this forum have already given to many others.
Thanks also for the comments re the compound and Northbridge cooler - that released a tenner to my 12GB RAM fund.
When I looked back at the many notes I'd taken from the many posts I've read I found the Nthbridge cooler had come from the first post in reply to a question on Tom's Hardware Forum (www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/page-260467_12_0.html) and was about another mobo. I've read that much about overheating that it has me quite concerned to cool it so I included it. If you've never had a problem that's good enough for me so I've dropped it.
I noticed your suggestion elsewhere about the Supermicro cage but didn't follow up then. I've had a look now and that bit of kit looks very good and I almost opted for it instead of the caddies. However, I've thought about the practicalities and have decided to stick with the caddies because:-
(a) if I could foresee at some point my needing 4 or 5 hot-swap drives for concurrent projects then I would definitely have gone for the Supermicro cage - but I can't. I'm only going to be concentrating on one project at a time so I can archive the previous one, clear the drives and when the next one comes along start afresh. My projects run serially, not in parallel.
(b) the case has a front eSATA port that I'll connect to one of the two eSATA connectors on the mobo - thus one of the eSATA ports on the mobo bracket will not have a supply (not a problem because I can't see a need for me to have two eSATA devices permanently plugged in to the back of the machine). This config will give me an eSATA port back and front providing the flexibility of a permant rear connection and temporary front connection should I need to 'do a quickie' in parallel. The caddies also provide eSATA ports giving me two more hot-swaps should the need arise.
Jim,
Re general PC stuff: my plan was to replace my old PC with a new one and apply an updated worklflow config. I'd already considered keeping my current PC but I don't have the room space. However, your central point (which I know from posts is shared by Harm and others) of keeping the AV editing PC lean and clean is well made and on reflection I am able to do.
In my 'command module' where I have my boys toys I spin my chair to the right for my desktop and to the left for my iMac. I currently have WinXP Pro running in Boot Camp on my iMac, accessed through Parallels Dektop. In due course I'll be replacing XP with Win7. That is where I will concentrate all my non-AV activities, leaving my new build exclusively committed to AV.
No longer needing an HDD for general data is going to release another £38 for the RAM fund. More funds (£32) can also be released for the fund because there is no need for the caddies - the machine will only be on when AV work is being done. Nice one! I owe you both a drink.
Re northbridge: it's a 920 on an X58 (Bloomfield) mobo I'm getting, Jim, not an 860/870 on a P55 (Lynnfield).
Re DVD-RW: My iMac I has a Optiarc AD-5630A which is why I thought I'd have a different make in my new build. Thus giving me flexibility/options.
Re: KVM switch: Yes I'm familiar with these but your earlier suggestion lead to this being unneccesary.
I'd appreciate either of you, or anyone else, commenting on the risk/merits of buying:-
2 x 6GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3 PC3-12800 (1600), CAS 8 kits, or
1 x 12GB Corsair Dominator DDR3 12800 (1600) CAS kit.
At the moment the 2 x 6GB is £254 and 1 x 12GB is £304 from the same supplier. So it's a £50 premium for the matched set. It must be the safest buy but is removing the risk worth the extra £50?
Many thanks again,
Tony