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The Time has Come!

Post Date: 2012-03-22
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: The Time has Come!
    Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 6:23am
So I've been lurking, waiting to buy since around 2010. First I waited for my computer to die, then I decided to forgo purchasing in November to wait for the 680 to come out. Now I'm finally ready to get another DS PC! Just wanted some feedback before pulling the trigger.

I plan on using my build for gaming, I want to be able to max anything that is out right now, and anything coming out in the near future. Are two 680's overkill? I would rather have the machine complete over buying another card and dropping it in later.

Res: 1920 x 1080 right now.

Budget:
3200ish

Expectations:
Plays anything out maxed, plays anything coming in the near future maxed.

Usage:
GTaming.

Special Needs:
Going to ask for the 200m fan on the top of the case.

Saved Ticket #: 667253

Specifications:
Specifications:
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 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core) <b></b>
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) <b></b>
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) <b></b>
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 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) (EVGA)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Corsair A70 Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
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 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
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 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
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: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 6:55am
Hi jmo195....Real nice rig...
 
The sli 680's are overkill for your resolution, but I don't know, waiting for testing,  if a single one would max out gaming.  The sli for sure will, with plenty of room to grow.  Sli 570's will do it cheaper but then your not getting the latest and  you have alot less growth.  Hell, go for it if budget allowsBig%20Smile
 
I would change overclocking to stage 2...the chip and cooler cry out for it.  The A70 cooler was discontinued  and Alex said no more left, unless they found some, so it could be a typo.  If so, then the D14 is great.
 
Also ask that vcore be limited to below 1.4.
 
No free t-shirt?  Oops
 
Best of luckBig%20SmileBig%20Smile
 
Just saw benchmarks at Overclockersclub that suggest a single 680 will max out games at your res. 
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 22 Mar 2012 at 7:14am
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 7:21am
I knew I forgot something, the t-shirt!

I upgraded the OC to stage 2 and will include the vcore comment. I'll wait until DS opens to call and check on the A70.

Thanks for the quick response.
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 7:26am
Nice..Big%20Smile    .Let us know if A70 is still there.  Thanks.

Edited by bprat22 - 22 Mar 2012 at 7:26am
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 7:37am
Just a general inquiry, do you all think it is worth it to upgrade to a Blu-Ray/DVD reader? I wouldn't watch movies on it, but if they are writing PC games to Blu Ray it would be worth it to me to eat the extra cost now.

Edited by jmo195 - 22 Mar 2012 at 7:38am
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 7:50am
For games, I don't see it happening, but ya never say never.
 
They are so easy to add yourself, I'd worry later IF it ever happened.
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 7:53am
Hi jmo195,

You say you are using 1920 x 1080 right now. Does that mean you are thinking about going to 2550 in the future? If so then I think the dual 680's are a good choice. With a single 680 at 2550, you can play metro at 54 frames average according to a test I just saw. That is not enough for some people. Of course with less demanding games you will be OK. I would love to get 54 frames with my system.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 22 Mar 2012 at 8:17am
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 7:59am
Hey Frank...was that 54 frames on a 2550 with single 680? 
 
Yep, 54 fps sounds good to meLOL
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 8:13am
Hi bprat22,

That is average fps at 2550 and that means some times it will be below that by a bit. I like to use Metro as it is the most demanding. With most games one 680 would be OK.

I didn't make it clear at what res it was so thanks for the question.

Frank



Edited by FrankW - 22 Mar 2012 at 8:16am
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 8:30am
I do intend on getting a higher res monitor at a later time. I think 2 680's are overkill for me right now given my current res, but I've had money set aside for three years to get this computer, so I'm ok spending more to allow myself wiggle room for the future.
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 8:31am
Go for it Awesome  Wiggle room is a good thingBig%20Smile
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 10:28am
Ordered! A70 is gone.

Quick question, they suggested switching to: AIR: Stage 2: Phanteks PH-TC14PE Extreme Performance over the D14. I agreed, but I wanted to run that by you guys. I have some time to call back if you all think the Phanteks is worse than the D14.

Thanks
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 10:34am
Phantek is a great cooler, about the same size and cooling as d14.
 
Why did they suggest the Phantek?  Just curious. 
 
 
Congrats on a dynamite rigAwesome
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 10:37am
Thanks for all the feedback, I'm very excited, the not so fun period of waiting now begins.

He said it had better performance ratings than the d14 for the same price. From the quick research I did after getting off the phone they look about the same to me.

He also recommended the 520 SSD, but I wasn't willing to eat the extra cost.
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 10:41am
Yep, some testing shows D14 better and other testing shows Phantek better....by small degrees.  Can't go wrong either way. 
 
Thanks for the feedback. 
 
 
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FrankW View Drop Down
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Posts: 2254 		  Quote FrankW Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 22 Mar 2012 at 2:36pm
Hi jmo195,

From the reviews and test I have read the Phantek beats the D14 in cooling by a small amount but the D14 beats the Phantek in noise. You won't be sorry with either one.

Frank
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Minka View Drop Down
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Posts: 75 		  Quote Minka Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 2:19am
Not going to go for 16Gb of ram??
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jmo195 View Drop Down
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Posts: 41 		  Quote jmo195 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 5:53am
I knew I didn't "need it" for gaming, but I actually called and changed it to 16Gb. I was trying to bring the price down, but it was only $50. I also changed the 320 to the 520 SSD.
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Minka View Drop Down
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Posts: 75 		  Quote Minka Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Mar 2012 at 1:14pm
w00t
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