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New System -- Updated with Photo

Post Date: 2012-08-03
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HockeyGal View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: New System -- Updated with Photo
    Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 10:35am
Budget:
$1-4k

Expectations:
I'd like a system that will allow me to game now, and allow me to play new games on the horizon, and allow some room for growth. Reliability is my goal, and I don't mind spending a couple of extra dollars to get something that will serve well. I'm also an old lady, so aesthetics and fancy lights aren't a big deal for me.

Usage:
This system will get heavy daily use, both doing browsing/productivity stuff, light personal photo editing and lots of gaming. I've got one 19" monitor. I currently play WoW, Oblivion and Steam-based games. I'd like to try Skyrim and all sorts of other online games. I'm more MMO/RPG, not much for FPS.

Special Needs:
This system will be under my desk in a very warm room, with lots of ambient dust and cat fur. I clean the case out regularly, but I've still fried 2 graphics cards in the past due to heat issues, so I need *really* robust cooling and airflow. I plan to add-on 2 additional fans in the top slot on the Haf X case. I don't know that I want to get into liquid cooling, but I will if you all think it best.

This is my first DS system, and I may have gone a bit overboard for my needs -- I'm not sure, but I'm sure you'll tell me. Maybe I should go with a Slade system instead? 2 graphics cards? How much overclocking where? Lay it on me, please.

Saved Ticket #: 714871

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 32GB DDR3 1600Mhz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) <b></b>
Power Supply: 1200W Corsair Pro Platinum Series with Corsair Link (CP-9020008-NA) (Quad SLI Compatible) <b></b>
Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) <b></b>
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) <b></b>
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 4GB (Includes PhysX) <b></b>
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only) <b></b>
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system <b></b>

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edited by HockeyGal - 18 Aug 2012 at 11:44am
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 11:19am
Hi HockeyGal.....Welcome to the forums.
 
That is a real nice rig you put together, but for the needs you stated, is a bit overkill.
 
Here's a rig for $500 less that will give you the potential for much better gaming and I'll explain.
 
Config # 714889     Cost $ 3056
 
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (Requires Z77 Motherboard)
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 520 Series)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student (PC Attach Key PKC)
Game: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty
 
The HafX case is the best for air cooled systems and the top can accomodate one more 200mm fan.  There is one there already.  The case's front 230mm and top and side 200mm fans move lots of air. 
 
For gaming and light photo editing you don't need the X79 motherboard and certainly don't need the expensive i7-3930k , 6 core chip.  Those are for heavier photo editing, rendering, 3D modeling, etc.  There is nothing wrong with it, but for your needs not needed.  If in the budget it won't hurt, so your call.
 
8GB Ram is all you need for gaming but I did put in 16GB for the editing and because it is a cheap upgrade.  The 32GB is overkill.
 
I dropped the psu to the 1050HX, all you need for sli, 2x gtx 670 with room to spare.  The 1200w psu would be if you wanted tri-sli, 3x graphic cards.
 
The SSD, solid state drive is for the Win7 os and a couple of games.  It boots much faster than HDD.  It isn't needed but those that have it will never go back.  The secondary HDD is the high capacity drive for photos, older games, downloads, pics, etc.
 
I put in sli, 2x gtx 670's.  The single 670 has almost the same performance as the 680 for lots less.  The sli 670 might be overkill for your monitor and games mentioned but allows you to move up to other games later on.  You could drop to a single gtx670 and be very happy, so your call.  But, for your budget, I said, what the heck.Big%20Smile 
 
The sli 670's would allow you to go with a 23" 1920x1080 monitor with no problem.  The Dell UltraSharp U2312HM just for an example of a very good monitor.  Just a thoughtBig%20Smile
 
The Noctua D14 air cooler is tops in cooling and very relaible.  Plus the Vortex 240mm cooler would mount to the top , replacing the 200mm fans.
 
Noise optimization is a waste of money for the HafX.
 
Your oc'ing is right on for the 3770 and the D14. 
 
I would consider placing the rig on a desk if possible.  On the floor is where all the dust and cat hair likes to linger and get picked up by the fans.  Even a foot or two off the floor helps alot.  Plus on the desk it's less likely to spill something in it or the cat to brush against it. 
 
The Slade 550R case is a great case.  As-is, it probably would get less dust/hair into it, but you'd also have alot less airflow.  I would stick with the hafX, esp. if you stay with sli, 2x 670's. 
 
I also threw in your free t-shirt and guessed Large......  I always guess Large. 
 
See what you think and good luck.Big%20Smile
 
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 03 Aug 2012 at 11:43am
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HockeyGal View Drop Down
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 12:33pm
Thanks, Bpratt -- your changes make a lot of sense -- thanks!.

I've not run with 2 HDs before -- will they work seamlessly together?

Would I gain any benefit from the 4GB GTX 670s, as opposed to the 2GB?

Is noise optimization pointless here because the sheer magnitude of airflow means it will be noisy no matter what?

I have tried keeping the desktop on my desk, but then the cat just sleeps atop the nice warm machine. :::sigh:::

Thanks again!
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 12:45pm
The drives work well together.     No problem there.    The SSD loads games that are on it and Windows alot faster, but not needed if the budget is tight or someone just wants to stick with HDD.      The 4gb vram on video card hasn' t shown to be much help.   In a few years, maybe.       The noise package is basically turning down the fan speeds.   The Hafx fans already turn slow at 700rpm I believe and are relatively quiet.     No sense in messing with a case done right with large slow fans and quiet.        Yep, cats do like to hang-out and lounge on anything flat.      We have 3 rescue cats and they never bother the case.   But they are all different.   Gotta love them.
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 12:52pm
Great clarification -- thanks!

One last issue I hadn't thought of before ... when browsing (and I do a lot of it), I often have multiple tabs/windows open. It isn't unusual to have a dozen browser tabs running with another program or 2 in the background as I multitask. Any tweaks I should consider to help this? Thanks!
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 1:14pm
Keep the 16gb ram.      The added ram helps with multi-tasking.     Still don't need 32gb though.      Other than that I think you're good to go with the i7-3770k cpu with its hyperthreading to handle such things.       
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 1:16pm
Great -- thanks so much!
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Aug 2012 at 1:30pm
My pleasure and keep us updated.      
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Aug 2012 at 9:26am
Hi HockeyGal,

All of bprat22's advise was dead on.

I wanted to comment on the HAV-X case and cat hair. I have a cat with moderate long hair and he sleeps on my computer table. The computer is setting on top of the table. He loves to rub up against the computer. The screens on the computer block all of his hair and dander. When I clean the inside of the computer I find dust but never have I found cat hair. I have the HAV-922 case but the HAF-X has a similar front.

Frank
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Aug 2012 at 10:45am
Thank you, Frank -- that is very good to know about the cat fur. You must have a magic force field in place, to prevent the cat hair from getting in. ;-)

One other thought, I noticed some of the other RAM options have heatsinks -- is that something I should be considering, or do they even make much difference?

Thanks again!
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Aug 2012 at 10:52am
Unless you're crazy into overclocking, then the heat spreaders are more for looks.  Not really needed and might get in the way of a large cooler like the Noctua d14. 
 
 
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Aug 2012 at 12:19pm
What bprat22 said.

Frank
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Aug 2012 at 11:19am
Thanks for the input, gentlemen. Am waiting for the sales folks to call me back so I may place my order. :::fidget:::
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Aug 2012 at 11:43am
Just following up, here's a photo of my shiny new machine:



Complete with the aforementioned feline getting a jump start on getting fur inside the fans. Or maybe she's grumpy that I didn't get a DS t-shirt in her size.



Thanks again to Frank and Bpratt and the good folks at DS (Jasmine, Gerardo, Jonathan, Alex, Mike and co.) for their help along the way.
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Aug 2012 at 11:53am
Congrats on your new rig.  Awesome
 
Love the cat's coloring. Big%20Smile And, it goes well with the case.  Hahaha
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Posts: 16314 		  Quote Alex Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Aug 2012 at 12:22pm
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Posts: 11 		  Quote HockeyGal Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Aug 2012 at 12:41pm
Originally posted by bprat22



Love the cat's coloring. Big%20Smile And, it goes well with the case.  Hahaha


Thanks -- you are so right -- I should have gotten orange lights inside to better color coordinate.
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Posts: 2209 		  Quote Asangard Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Aug 2012 at 12:46pm
Congrats on your new cat, ah rig.Big%20Smile
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Posts: 13000 		  Quote Tidgxor Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Aug 2012 at 1:13pm
I'm not sure, its looks like your cat my have claimed your new machine. Probably should order another one just in case Big%20Smile
My Two Digital Storm Rigs: Mr. Bojangles (HAF-X, 2010) & Mrs. Bojingles (Bolt I, 2013).
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