How many VMs are you planning to run at once?
At least three, but probably more as time goes on and I find more interesting operating systems to play with.
I have 16GB of pretty much the same type, and I have trouble getting up to 4GB used at a time. I really think it would be pretty difficult to use that much RAM. Drop half of it and go with a 560TI 448 core. That little extra VRAM would probably benefit you more at those resolutions than RAM that you probably won't use.
I'm convinced that 32 GiB is a bad idea by now. However, your suggestion of a 560 Ti 448-core is intriguing.
Will there be a significant improvement over a 550 considering I'm not going to be doing many graphics-intensive things? I like to edit audio and play
some games, but I prefer to target games with interesting storylines than those with top-of-the-line graphics (which is not to say you can't have both, I'm just indicating my preference).
That said, if I get VT-d working, I might end up using one monitor with Linux from onboard video and dedicate this GPU to a Windows VM, instead of buying a second GPU to give to Windows. So if there won't be much difference for the kind of things I'm going to do on Linux, it's a question of whether I want to spend the extra for hypothetical future benefits, which I'll need to decide for myself.
And I'd recommend getting an 80+ gold or platinum power supply. They are loads more efficient, my 750W gold's fan doesn't even spin under the highest load I can give it.
I am intending to do so. My initial tentative selection was gold certified, but I'm waiting for Ivy Bridge to come out before I select the final components, so I can calculate how much power I'll need before selecting a PSU.
Looking forward to tomorrow, I might even upgrade to Ivy if I can find someone to sell my 2600k to at a decent price.
Me too. I did end up waiting longer than initially expected for Ivy Bridge, but I think it'll be worth it when I get this beast up and running.
Have you thought about case fans at all? Setting up good airflow is pretty important, and from what I've heard, Noctua fans are supposed to be pretty quiet with good airflow, despite being butt-ugly.
I haven't really, mostly because I'm finding it hard to picture how things will be laid out inside the case, having never built a computer before. Currently I have a vague idea of what components I need to buy, and once I've bought them then I'll try to fit them in somehow. As such, I have no idea where exactly the cooling will fit in, or if I need to buy more than one fan or what. Any pointers would be much appreciated.
Also, butt-ugly and functional is preferable to attractive and vapid for me.