@ svdl, Jim Burton, nukem....

Thanks very much for the feedback and info! 

I'll have to check the prices on the Lite-On vs Sony DVD burner.  My original plan had the Lite-On but it was only CD burner, DVD reader.  The Sony looked like a good price for DVD burning capability added on.  But will check... I've always seen good reviews on Lite-On, such as in PC World.

As for overclocking, BIOS-tweaking seems a little scary, as does the very term "overclocking" given that this is my first build.  I do plan to read up on overclocking though, especially since it apparently leads to significant improvement for gaming... and I'm guessing perhaps for firefly rendering too.

Thanks again!