Planning on getting a new PC soon...

Budget:
I would like to keep it around $3000

Expectations:
A powerful system that I can overclock and upgrade for several years

Usage:
Mostly working, not gaming, but I will need to do video editing, perhaps some 3d modeling, ect., so I need (fine, want) a powerful machine.

Special Needs:
Not really.

Saved Ticket #: 726009

Link to Ticket: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=726009

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 DELUXE (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Force GT Series CSSD-F120GBGT-BK) (SATA 6Gbps)
Set 1 Raid Options: Configure HDD Set 1 to a Raid 0 Config - Stripe Performance (Requires Two HDDs)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache)
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: !PROMOTION: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB (PhysX Technology)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 4: Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System: CPU Only
H20 Tube Color: Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Enhancements: Scythe Kaze Master Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade) (KM01-BK)
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Display: Acer 23 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display)
Keyboard: Razer Lycosa Mirror Special Edition (Gaming Keyboard)
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

________________________________________________

Ok, so I have a lot of comments and questions...

CPU: I would like to OC to 4.8 or so for 24/7, but I am hoping I could hit 5.0 for a max. Can anyone verify that the LCS I have here could handle that?

Mobo: The specs here tout that the P9X79 supports DTS, but I have an audio mixer which only takes Dolby Digital 7.1. Can I still output Dolby Digital through optical without a soundcard?

PSU: It seems like 800W is overkill for this rig, especially with only a single 550 Ti, but I plan on upgrading (550 Ti x2?) that at some point. Would it be worth the extra money to jump for a Kilowatt supply? Or is 800W plenty even with a second graphics card?

HDD: I don't think it's worth it to upgrade past 500GB right now. I can easily add in another HDD in the future, and I will be storing long term stuff on my 2TB external drive anyway.

Optical Drive: Is a BR drive worth it? I will need to spend the extra money on software beyond the extra cost of the drive, and I don't think I have ever wished my current PC could read BRs. Are BRs getting more popular, or are digital downloads making them irrelevant? I guess I could always add one later.

Video Card: Don't hate me! It's not a gaming PC, and I plan to upgrade if I find myself wanting more gaming performance. On a side note, If the "!PROMOTION" ends, but I have the config saved, will I still be able to get the better deal? What if I change something else on the saved config? Will it go away then?

LCS: Again, wondering about OC performance (see CPU section). Also, I have never used a LCS and though I understand the basics, I don't know how easy it is to upgrade it. For example, if I wanted to put on a waterblock for the northbridge, could I do that, or would I need a whole new LCS?

Internal lighting: What exactly is used here? Cold Cathode? There aren't any good photos,and what I have seen looks like it's very dim, and (like the LCS tubes) almost purple. Can I easily upgrade the lighting on my own?

Color Scheme: Speaking of lighting, what say ye on the blue color theme? I am liking the red, but it seems a little ostentatious.

Yes, I did just say that with a straight face.

Thanks for the help! I know it was a long post, and I don't expect one person to spend an hour answering all my questions, but if you could answer a few, I am sure I will get it figured out eventually.

This is in no way time constrained, (I'm thinking I will put in an order in a few months at the earliest) so I don't want you to stress over answering my questions.

Thanks again!

- Paul

P.S. - I will be buying the monitor and keyboard separately, I just put them on the order to get an idea of the price for the system.

EDIT: Added a link to the ticket

Edited by Paul9631 - 06 Sep 2012 at 6:56pm

What tju76 said, plus if CPU power is really important to you, you can always go with the 3960x instead; you also need more graphics horsepower than a 550 Ti if you'll be 3d modeling on your machine.

Originally posted by SpicierMire What tju76 said, plus if CPU power is really important to you, you can always go with the 3960x instead; you also need more graphics horsepower than a 550 Ti if you'll be 3d modeling on your machine.

In terms of CPU, does the 3960x have a higher tolerance level for the cores? If not, the chance of getting bogged down by a slow core still seems high because it's still 6-cores. I just don't know it it's worth it to pay another $500+ for an uncertain 0.1 - 0.2 ghz boost.

Really what it came down to is cost. I would love to throw in a Quadro 6000 and call it a day, but I can't even justify the cost of a 670 2GB. That pushes the price north of $3500, and I think I would just be better off upgrading in a year or so. I have figured out lots of ways to make modeling work without high end GPUs, and believe it or not, a 550 Ti is a huge upgrade over this machine. (You don't wanna know)

Also, the GPU will most likely get an upgrade not long after I buy it, as I know that's the weakest part of the system by far.

Again, back to cost. If I put in the 3960x and a 670 2GB, the price goes past $4000. I just don't think I can spend that much.

EDIT: spelling...

Edited by Paul9631 - 06 Sep 2012 at 6:49pm

I like the HAF X! I'm working out what I can do with that. Thanks for the advice.

(and don't worry, I added the free T-shirt. After several weeks of lurking these forums, I have found that the T-shirt is the most critical part of any DS build.)