Advice on New ComputerPost Date: 2009-06-18 |
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Iceman8994 
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Joined: 18 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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 Topic: Advice on New ComputerPosted: 18 Jun 2009 at 10:35pm |
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Hello. I have been monitoring this forum for awhile now in anticipation of getting a new computer. I was originally planning on waiting until July or September, but given the pretty amazing discounts now, it seems like it might be time to take the plunge. My current computer is a 4.5 year old VelocityMicro which has worked great for me, but it is getting to the end of its productive life, and I have updated pretty much everything that I can in it. My current monitor is a Dell 27" at 1920 x 1200. I could see myself moving up to a 30" screen at some point in the future, but my current monitor works fine for me now. This will be a business computer where I will be doing video and image editing (as well as other basic business stuff), but I will also want to use it for high end gaming during down times (mostly FPS, like Crysis, Bioshock, etc, but also some strategy games like the LOTR series). I did a trial configuration, as listed below:
Ticket 296260
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (256GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: CMFSSD-256GBG2D) 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 (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU Liquid Color:Red: Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 Cooling Package) Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD 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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) The rationale for the hard drive selections above is that my current computer primary drive includes two 200 gig drives in RAID 0. I added a 1 gig WD drive in later for storage. I would like the primary drive on this computer to be at least as big as the roughly 400 gigs of my current computer (a bit bigger would be better), but faster. My understanding that running SSDs in RAID does not add much of anything, but it would create the bigger primary drive that I would like. The two 1 gig back up drives would be for storing what can end up being monstrously large video files. My current computer's 1 gig back up drive is getting close to being filled, so I am pretty sure that I will have use for this much storage. I always shoot for extra storage space, largely perhaps going back to my original 1993 computer where my brother promised me that I would never, ever have need for any more storage than the 170 Megabyte hard drive that came with it.
The rationale for the two DVD drives is that I like to have discs loaded and ready to go rather than having to swap them out when I switch from one program to another, or from one game to another. I know that it is lazy not to want to take the time to change a disc, but this works best for me. In fact, I was hoping to also drop in an LG Blu-Ray/HD-DVD drive that I have into an open slot, because I do sometimes like to watch these movies on my computer.
Questions: is the current motherboard sufficient for the two GPUs and the sound card if I would want someday to add in a third 275 (if I were to get a 30" monitor), or would it be better going with the Classified? If so, would I then need to go up to the 1600MHz RAM, or would the 1333 still be ok? Also, would the 1000W PSU be sufficient if I were to add another DVD drive and another GPU, or would it be necessary to go up to the 1200W PSU?
Two other questions: does anyone know how long the "up to $500 discount" will last? From my financial point of view, I would rather wait until July to order the computer, and I had hoped to also wait until then when the free Window 7 upgrades are reported to become available.
Second question: I hate to ask this, and I don't want to sound rude, but with the several discussion threads talking about what DSO might do to increase their business, is there any risk that DSO is on shaky financial grounds? I guess that I would be worried about getting a 5 year warranty from a company that might not be around for this long. I know that failure is a risk of any business, and this is a risk of any purchase, but I would want to be as sure as one can be that this company (about which, by the way, I have heard nothing but great news) will be around for the long term.
Well, sorry for blathering. I appreciate any help that anyone can provide.
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GeneralShrooms
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Joined: 19 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 197 |
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 10:51pm |
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I would drop the SSD's and would go with a regular HDD because of the price, but if you want a higher read/write speed its up to you.
You will never notice a sound card unless you have very expensive high end speakers, 2.1 and 5.1 wont do it justice. I believe you'll be fine with the 1000w the 1200 is hotter and louder and I would avoid it. I think you might have to go with the classified for what you plan on doing, but if I'm wrong I'll be corrected. And I don't think you will have to worry about DSO going under. Edited by GeneralShrooms - 18 Jun 2009 at 10:54pm |
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Iceman8994
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Joined: 18 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:03pm |
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Thanks for your reply. Frankly, yes, I would be happy not to have to pay so much for hard drives, but I am looking to the future, and I would like fast read/write speeds. If I find that I do have to back off on the total price, I would probably go with two 300 gig velociraptors in RAID 0.
Right now I do have a Logitech 5.1 system. I also do some Audacity work, so I was looking for a dedicated sound card for this, but if the on board audio is good enough, then this would be a place to trim the price a bit. If I can drop the sound card, then perhaps I would not have to worry about getting the Classified?
Good news about DSO.
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GeneralShrooms
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:26pm |
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Whats your budget?
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Iceman8994
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:29pm |
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I was looking in the $4500 to $4800 range, after the discount.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:30pm |
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why do you need so much space in your HDD1? HDD1 should be only for os/apps/games, a 250GB ssd should do.
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GeneralShrooms
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:36pm |
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The classified is a mobo for entuesists. It's good because of it's extra slots and it's better oc's, but as far as your build and needs, I'm not sure if you need it or not.
And about the discount, DSO hasn't told us how long it would last but I'm expecting it to last for a while. I'm waiting for the free Windows 7 upgrade as well so we endup buying around the same time. |
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DST4ME
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:38pm |
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actually this discount will not last long, this one due to its size is gonna be short one.
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GeneralShrooms
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Posted: 18 Jun 2009 at 11:43pm |
Yes, that's a logical assumption, but it's just that, an assumption. BTW, shed some light on his mobo question. |
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DST4ME
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 12:00am |
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I need an answer to the HDD first before I config a system for him, he has the wrong SSDs picked out to begin with.
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Iceman8994
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 6:28am |
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Hello. Sorry for the delay; I fell asleep (long day today). My current primary drive is 400 gigs (two 200 gig drives in RAID 0). The simple answer as to why I would want a large primary drive is that I have lots of apps and lots of games on it. I have had to uninstall a number of apps/games over the years that I have had this computer to have enough room for installation of new apps/games. Sometimes this is ok (an old game that I don't want to play any more), sometimes it is not so desirable (an app or a game that I would really still like to have, but have to sacrifice to make room). Ergo, my hope is to have a primary drive at least as large as my current setup. My selection of the Corsair drives was based on their size (the two together add up to greater than 400 gigs), that they have at least a decent reputation, and that, although very expensive together, do not represent a completely insane investment.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 12:45pm |
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in that case you want 2 x 250GB OCZ, it has better wear and tear, I changed your ram to 2000MHz cause for your use in the apps and video editing and such it will make a difference, since you are getting 3 x 1TB hdds and 2 GPUs I upgraded your fans just to be safe, for the stuff you want and future expandability you need the classifed.
Here you go Ticket# 296499 --- Price: $6109 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $5609 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 2000MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (250GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX250G) 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 (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU Liquid Color:Red: Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 Cooling Package) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Red) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: LCD Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade) Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD 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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) I don't normally recommend the stuff I'm recommending to you but you are not the average user here  Edited by DST4ME - 19 Jun 2009 at 12:46pm |
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GeneralShrooms
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 1:12pm |
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That build is $800 dollars over what he wants to pay.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 1:15pm |
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he wants ssd and around 400GB of space on HDD1 and then he has 3 x 1TB HDDs, needs the classified, they cost money.
I can save him $90 dollars by going with 1600MHz ram, but I don't see that making a big difference. |
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Sarah
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Hardcore Gamer Joined: 07 Jun 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 879 |
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 1:22pm |
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Hey Iceman, when you are ready with a config, or if you have any questions, give me a call, we can make this happen for you.
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Iceman8994
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 2:45pm |
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Thanks for your input, Mr DST4ME (as well as everyone else). This probably is a bit above cost-wise what I was hoping for (I know that I stated a budget of up to $4800 above, but I usually try to factor in a cushion of about 10% or so above my budget, so I could handle things if we could find a way to trim 4 or 500 off of this). So, questions: switching from 2000 to 1600 looks like it would bring the price down about $199. Is the 2000MHz ram of significant benefit over that of the 1600 (or 1333) that I would hate myself if I cut costs here? Also, would there still be an open drive slot for me to put my LG blu-ray/hddvd drive in if the LCD temperature display is used? How bad is the Corsair SSD compared to the OCZ (this might be an area to trim down the total cost a bit, but I wouldn't want to skimp here if the Corsair really is not a good drive)? Any other ideas about where to trim the cost a bit, if this is practical? Thanks.
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Iceman8994
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 2:46pm |
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By the way Sarah, until when are you at work today? I am in Virginia, so I am three hours ahead of you. I am at work now, and I probably wouldn't be able to call today until I get home, which probably won't be until 6 or 7 PM EST.
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Sarah
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:02pm |
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I will be here till 5pm PST today, the only time I will be away from my desk is when the tummy starts a growling!
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DST4ME
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:13pm |
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Iceman I'm in MD, where in Virgina are you?
first when it comes to your type of use, you got lot of creating and deleting of data going on, so in SSDs you really want a SLC SSD not an MLC, this is because SLC will last longer and lose less performance. now both OCZ and corsair are MLC drives, between the 2, the OCZ has the best wear and tear, so going corsair is a bad idea for you. OS if you want SSD then its OCZ for you. The ram in games will make no difference but in the types of apps you use it will make a difference how ever feel free to go with 1600MHz ram. if your bluray does CD/DVD RW then drop one of your DVD drives and instead use your own bluray as the second drive. IF not, then during ordering, make sure you mention to Sarah that you want room for your own bluray so that they will make sure you have a slot open, the HAF takes 6 optical drives, we are using only 3 in our config, the forth is for your own bluray, that should leave enough room for the reservoir to take the other 2 spots, but by mentioning what you need to Sarah, they will make sure if there isn't enough room for reservoir, to place it some place else 
your 2 GPUs will put out a bit of heat and you mentioned going Tri sli so we need to have the upgraded fans so you have plenty of airflow for now and mainly future Tri sli, you can remove the LCD temp display if you want the upgraded fans to run full speed all the time, but they will be loud. Edited by DST4ME - 19 Jun 2009 at 3:14pm |
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B@d//j0ke
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Joined: 29 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 161 |
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:26pm |
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Dst I am very sorry, I normally have you're back you know that, and we rarely disagree. But I have noticed you have been blatantly ignoring budget statements alot lately. Whats up with that? if he said he has a MAX of $4800 it does not do him any good to taunt him with a $5500 rig. If he wants those parts for that budget then maybe you should have looked into some cheaper alternatives that would give him similar performance.
You didn't even bother to mention the option of using his current HDs for HD1 and upgrading to SSDs down the road when the prices drop. (which is what you normally recommend)
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B@d//j0ke
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Joined: 29 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 161 |
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:35pm |
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Here ya go man.
Price $5199.00 Price after current promotion $4699.00
Ticket Number: 296569
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (250GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX250G) 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 (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / 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 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU Liquid Color:Red: Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 Cooling Package) Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD 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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 4 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) |
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DST4ME
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:41pm |
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maybe you didn't read my post, he need the classified as he has a sound card and wants to be able to go Tri sli in the future.
which then will need better cooling then the stock cooling so he needs to upgrade the fans. unless he wants a helicopter next to his ear all day, he needs the LCD fan controller so that when the PC is not in heavy use he can turn down the fans to lower the noise. he also wants the 5 year warranty, you gave him 4. you also lowered his OC which he has much use for in his type of use. with your config judging by the OC speeds here lately, he will get a 3.3 to 3.5GHz OC vs the 4.0GHz guaranteed OC which is a huge difference in his type of use. When he asked for triming the price, he didn't mean trim performance
that build you have has no where near the performance of my config, specially for his use. you went for the budget and completely ignored performance and warranty. Edited by DST4ME - 19 Jun 2009 at 3:45pm |
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B@d//j0ke
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:49pm |
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I am well aware of that. I am not saying anything is a perfect solution. The simple fact of the matter is he can not get the things he wants for his budget. You and I just went about addressing that differently. You showed him what it would cost for him to get exactly what he wanted. And I decided to stick with his budget and show him what kind of system he can realistically be looking at for his budget.
If he is willing to save up a little more to afford you're build then that is fine, it is a great build. If however he can not get a higher budget then I was simply giving him another choice for that.
Also In any case I think he could save some money going with the Razer Barracuda AC-1 sound card It would give him better then on board audio, yet is fairly cheap.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 3:54pm |
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the difference is not that much, he can shave $200 by going with 1600MHz ram but what is killing him is his need for 2 x SSD, that is where almost $2000 of his cost is at.
I was just getting ready to tell him to drop the 2 x SSD drive and go with 2 x 300GB Veloci, and that will drop the price down to $4800 and he will not lose any performance, his read and write will not be as fast but that is the best way to drop the price. I can't agree with your build at all. Here you go Ticket# 296614 --- Price: $4822 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $4422 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 2000MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (Extreme Speed) 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 (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU Liquid Color:Red: Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 Cooling Package) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Red) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: LCD Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade) Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD 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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) if you want to bring it into budget that is how you do it, the above build cost less then yours and will kick your builds butt up and down the block all day
question is now, is he stuck on ssd or is he stuck on his budget |
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B@d//j0ke
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Joined: 29 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 161 |
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Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 4:06pm |
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Ok, whatever. That build you put together just now looks great. My point was simply you can not just blow past someones budget. He said more then once he had a budget of $4800 MAX. IMHO the build you just put together is the build you should have suggested from the start. It will give him GREAT performance and fits into his budget.
Perhaps it is because of my current financial situation but I do not think there is any way to justify ignoring a set budget. When you your self say you're second build will still give him the performance he wants and is in his budget.
I urge you, please never take anything I say personally. I am sure I am just having a bad day.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 4:29pm |
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well its not for me and you to decide, as you know I always stay within budget, this was a special case, I gave him what he wanted and its price tag, but its not for us to decide, the decision is his, if he flat out said no I can't swing for this, then I would have told him about this config.
but then again he may not like this one, he said he as a Veloci in raid already and is looking for SSD, so its for him to decide. now having said that, dang, I hate those bad days man, I hope you get a wave of good stuff shortly, I hate going into the weekend with a bad day, it seems to set the whole weekend on a bad mood, so I hope it fillips for you right away. my bad days tend to always be Thursday or Friday, making sure it ruins my weekend  so I truly hope you have good one from this point on 
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B@d//j0ke
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 161 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 4:49pm |
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I fully agree. The sad truth is he simply can not get exactly what he wants for $4800. Its up to him now to decide if he is able to save up for exactly what he wants, or to stick with a $4800 build. No one likes to make budget related sacrifices. So I am sure he'll have to do some thinking.
And thnx man. We have been having alot of that summer time muggy rainy crap all week. So that could have something to do with it.
Seeing the girlfriend tonight though. Always helps!
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Iceman8994
Newbie
Joined: 18 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 5:31pm |
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Thanks again for all of your help. I may end up having to go with the Velociraptors. SSD would be cool and whatnot, but I will probably have to wait for the technology to flesh out a bit (and the cost to come down a bit) before going this way. I could probably swap out the velociraptors in a year or so for SSDs (or perhaps a single SSD, as the storage capacity should be higher by then - I'm pretty sure that one of the companies is coming out soon with a 512 gig drive, although it is insanely expensive). I guess I can also price out a single OCZ 250 gig drive and see what that does for my budget. I know that I wanted around or more than my current primary drive size, but I may just have to make some compromises to keep close to what I would like. It is hard when your desire doesn't match your budget, but I can always keep things close to my financial limit for now and upgrade in the future. By the way, I am in Fairfax VA, so, depending on what part of MD Mr DST4ME is, I am probably not too far away. I like your build with the Velociraptors. Let me play with it a bit with a single SSD and see what it looks like. Hopefully, I can get home early enough tonight to call Sarah before she is done work. If not Sarah, do you think that there is a good chance that this discount will still be valid on Monday? |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 5:36pm |
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I have not seen anything like this discount since the pass year that I have been here, so I'm not sure how long it would last, nobody knows but DS themselves.
I'm in Bethesda MD BTW you are just 20 minutes away from me
I had already checked OCZ vertex drives at newegg and they are $779.00 a pice so by the time you buy 2 and then ship to you then ship to DS and their install and config charge, the price will be very close if not the same. I say go with 2 x veloci now and then upgrade to ssd later next year |
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Iceman8994
Newbie
Joined: 18 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 6:10pm |
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Great! Thanks for your suggestion. I will try to rush home so that I can contact Sarah before she leaves for the night.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 6:11pm |
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well its 6:15 almost right now, that means its 3:15 over there, you got till 5 pm their time. good luck
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Iceman8994
Newbie
Joined: 18 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 7:48pm |
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Hey, just to let you know. I just got off of the phone with Sarah (she is very nice) and ordered Mr DST4ME's #296614 build. They are going to leave a slot open for my blu-ray drive, as was suggested. Thanks for all your help. I will keep you up to date on the process.
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Sarah
Newbie
Hardcore Gamer Joined: 07 Jun 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 879 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 7:49pm |
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He made it right before closing time! He is well on his way to his dream machine now.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jun 2009 at 7:58pm |
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My pleasure
Congrats  now Let the torture begin
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Iceman8994
Newbie
Joined: 18 May 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 15 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 10 Jul 2009 at 8:29pm |
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Hello. I just got home from work and found this email:
Stage 7: (QA Passed)
Your order has successfully passed our stringent quality assurance process. Everything from top to bottom on your purchase has been verified by an experienced Digital Storm technician. ------------------------------------------- Testing Details By: Chris ------------------------------------------- Processor Temperatures Idle: 31C Overnight Load: 83C Important Notice: Overclocked systems will definitely run hotter than stock units. Your unit has been tested to be fully stable in our stress-test facility at these temperatures. Overclocked Processor Settings Processor Speed GHz: 4.01 CPU Multiplier: 20 Voltage CPU VCore: 1.337 VDroop Control: No i7 - BCLK MHz: 201 i7 - Voltage QPI\DRAM: auto i7 - Voltage QPI\PLL: 1.4 i7 - Voltage CPU VTT: 250 i7 - Voltage IOH Vcore: 1.375 i7 - Voltage ICH Vcore: auto i7 - Voltage IOH/ICH I/O: auto i7 - PWM Frequency: 940 780i/790i - Memory Clock Mode: 780i/790i - CPU FSB MHz: 780i/790i - Voltage FSB: 780i/790i - Voltage SPP: 780i/790i - Voltage MCP: Overclocked Memory Settings Actual Memory Speed MHz: 2000 i7 - Memory Ratio MHz: 1333 - This is a ratio that is multiplied by the BCLK multiplier in order to produce a final memory speed of 2000 Voltage Memory (i7 - Dimm Voltage): 1.73 Timings (CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS): 8-9-8-24 i7 - Voltage DRAM Bus: 780i/790i - Memory Clock Mode: 780i/790i - CPU FSB MHz: Motherboard BIOS: S610 Video Card Driver: 186.18 Chipset Driver: CD Sound Card Driver: CD ------------------------------------------- Estimated Shipment Date: 0-1 business days (Mon-Fri) from 7/10/2009 (Note: This is only an estimation. If problems are encountered during testing, we may have to hold your order for a few more days to ensure you receive a rock-solid stable problem free system. It seems like they got a nice overclock on the CPU. I was wondering, though, whether the overnight load temp of 83C was a bit crispy? I realize that I won't be putting the computer under the same load, at least most of the time, but is this still within tolerance levels?
I'm trying very hard to be patient about getting the computer, but I am starting to feel the same as when I was a kid the night before Christmas.
Thanks for you help. I will let you all know when it arrives.
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