$3500 BudgetPost Date: 2010-05-22 |
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JJJJ_Shabadoo 
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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 Topic: $3500 BudgetPosted: 22 May 2010 at 2:30pm |
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Hi all,
I'm looking to build a new system and have a strict $3500 (shipped) budget. I'll be using the system mostly for gaming (including FPS's, RPG's, MMO's) and occasionally for video/photo editing. I currently run at 1680x1050 but will likely be upgrading to 1920 x 1080 and possibly adding a second monitor. I will probably be frequently taking the system to LAN parties, so it would be nice to have a relatively light, easily transportable case. I definitely want the following: SSD main drive (at least 128 GB) Mirrored (RAID 1) data drives (at least 1 TB) Creative Labs X-Fi Fatality Champion (I need the optical out) Blu-ray player/DVD writer (I don't need Blu-ray writing) Any thoughts on how to maximize the rest of my budget would be greatly appreciated! Edited by JJJJ_Shabadoo - 22 May 2010 at 3:10pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE 
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 22 May 2010 at 9:58pm |
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Well we need to clear some things up, do you want this system to be able to go dual sli/cf in teh future? if so then you need a bigger psu and want a bigger case, which then goes against the mobility, so which direction do you want to go?
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 22 May 2010 at 11:42pm |
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I'm thinking I'll stick with a single card.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 1:02am |
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Nvidia system:
Here you go Ticket# 408762 --- Price: $2956 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2956 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Not Available Trim Accents: - Not Available Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Micro Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: SSDSA2MH160G2R5) Set 1 Raid Options: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Fatality Champion (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Available Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - Not Available Chassis Mods: - Not Available Noise Reduction: - Not Available Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - Not Available Boost Memory: - Not Available Boost OS: - Not Available Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - Not Available Office: - Not Available Benchmarking: - Not Available Install/Test Game: - Not Available 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: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty --------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- Ati system: Here you go Ticket# 408763 --- Price: $2886 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2886 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Not Available Trim Accents: - Not Available Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Micro Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: SSDSA2MH160G2R5) Set 1 Raid Options: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Fatality Champion (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Available Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - Not Available Chassis Mods: - Not Available Noise Reduction: - Not Available Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - Not Available Boost Memory: - Not Available Boost OS: - Not Available Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - Not Available Office: - Not Available Benchmarking: - Not Available Install/Test Game: - Not Available 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: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty |
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Raif
Senior Member 
Joined: 07 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 712 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 2:51am |
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there is a slight problem with raid... if the raid card itself goes bad then you will lose everything on the hdds in raid regardless of the mirror. so it is up to you if you really need it.
also if your transporting the rig a lot make sure everything is properly seated, things may move a little during transport. ds has a video showing you how to re-seat everything have you thought of a laptop? ds has some desktop replacement laptops but they don't have the disk space you need... a simple external hdd would fix that. it would make it very easy to transport and you don't have to lug around more hardware then you need at the lan party. |
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2.5 Ghz Core duo
Nvidia 9500 gt 3 gb 1033 Mhz ram if we can't answer a question shoot a e-mail here. [email protected] |
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roadkingbill
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Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 99 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 3:29pm |
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My system ran around 3,600 and it rocks. Stage 6 LQ, one GTX 480. But it is so heavy ! 50+ pounds. B
But it is a smoken game machine
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 4:56pm |
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Thanks for the input!
I have a couple of questions about the above configurations. 1) Any reason for the 5870 instead of a 5970. It seems like my budget could handle the increase (and even an increase in the power supply if needed to power it). 2) Similarly, is there an advantage to going w/ a 480 or a 5870 3) Is there an advantage to going w/ the Noctua air cooler vs one of the self-contained liquid coolers like the Asetek 120mm? I've always air-cooled and don't know much about the liquid coolers (and have no interest in any that aren't self-contained). 4) I was looking at the CM Scout as a possible good choice for LAN parties (built in carrying handle). How does the case stack up against the HAF 922? Also, is there anywhere on DS's site that details the technical specs of the various components? @Raif - My understanding of a RAID 1 (mirrored) array is that if the RAID controller goes bad you don't lose any data. You may not be able to rebuild the array but you can still pop the drive in a different system and pull all your data off of it. There was a similar question answered in this month's CPU magazine (June vol 10 iss 06 pg 49). I've considered a laptop but since 95% of my computing is done at my desk at home and I want the most power I can get for my $$, I don't think that a laptop is the best route for me. I don't mind lugging a system around once a month, I'd just like it to be as portable as possible without sacrificing too much in the way of power. Thanks again guys! |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 5:56pm |
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1. 2 reasons.
a. you won't see the difference at your res b. you want to stay away from sli/cf when possible, cause they have buggs. 2. 480 has more ram then 5970/5870 so in games like gta4 it does much better. 3. self contained LC systems like asetek are not real LC systems, as in they don't offer the same temps a real LC system would, for this reason, they do the same as good air coolers, Noctua D14 will beat asetek, so in short go with Noctua 12 or 14, its a great cooler, and has much better quality and reliability then asetek. 4. scout is ok, have not had one so I can't tell you about it being mobile. in raid 1, if the raid controller fails and you have os on it, you can't boot from it again, loosing your os, and having to fresh install, if you clone then you get a duplicate that is a separate entity. |
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 6:38pm |
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So then does the 5970 run in crossfire even though it is a single card (with two GPU's)?
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Raif
Senior Member
Joined: 07 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 712 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 8:54pm |
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its actually 2 single cards stuck together in internal cf which is fake crossfire. also they are down clocked a little. your better off getting 2x 5870 then 1 5970
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2.5 Ghz Core duo
Nvidia 9500 gt 3 gb 1033 Mhz ram if we can't answer a question shoot a e-mail here. [email protected] |
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 9:57pm |
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Huh.
I did a bit more research and am thinking the 480 may be the way to go. |
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Raif
Senior Member
Joined: 07 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 712 |
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Posted: 23 May 2010 at 10:13pm |
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it is the smarter way to go. it is better in 3d rendering, tessellation and it has phsyx which is a very important feature imo.
if i remember correctly you are going only single card so your psu is more then adequate |
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2.5 Ghz Core duo
Nvidia 9500 gt 3 gb 1033 Mhz ram if we can't answer a question shoot a e-mail here. [email protected] |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 24 May 2010 at 1:13am |
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Ya go back to my last build and just change the gpu to a 480.
as mentioned the 5970 is in internal cf, meaning you are exposed to cf buggs and still stuck with 1GB ram. Edited by DST4ME - 26 May 2010 at 1:57am |
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 24 May 2010 at 12:31pm |
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What did you mean by change the psu to a 480? I'm assuming you meant gpu but didn't your first build have a 480 already?
And thanks again for the advice, I really appreciate it! |
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Raif
Senior Member
Joined: 07 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 712 |
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Posted: 24 May 2010 at 1:46pm |
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it was a typo on his part... he means gpu
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2.5 Ghz Core duo
Nvidia 9500 gt 3 gb 1033 Mhz ram if we can't answer a question shoot a e-mail here. [email protected] |
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 02 Jun 2010 at 7:32pm |
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So I placed the order last night! I decided to go with a 480 GTX in the HAF 922.
Thanks all for your advice. Now just a matter of time...  |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 04 Jun 2010 at 12:51am |
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Congrats
 Let the torture begin 
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 6:06pm |
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Yeah, even more torturous is the fact that I'm not having them ship it until the 17th as I can't guarantee I'll be available to accept delivery until then. Painful!!
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SemperFuzz
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Joined: 06 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 247 |
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Posted: 05 Jun 2010 at 11:48pm |
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I can be at your house to accept it Muhahah Muahahha
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 4:53pm |
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lol Ya then either ship it to me for testing while you wait or let me go pick it up
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JJJJ_Shabadoo
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Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320 |
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Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 5:44pm |
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That's one of the things I like about this community, everyone is so generous!
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 5:45pm |
 what can we say, we just want to help
ourselves
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