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Another first-time gaming rig

Post Date: 2010-06-28
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krettus View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote krettus Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Another first-time gaming rig
    Posted: 28 Jun 2010 at 11:17pm
After being constrained to crappy laptops for years, I am going to get a desktop gaming pc for various mmorpgs and maybe some fps and watching some movies. Budget is around $2000 (some flexibility) including a monitor (I want a good one and so appreciate any advice). I don't want to deal with any serious later upgrading but could add RAM or a new video card in a couple of years. Finally, it needs to be relatively quiet because of its location.

I appreciate all suggestions, particularly relating to noise (case, cooling system, etc) and monitors. Thanks in advance

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Maelstrom
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (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 Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (40GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Player (Play Blu-Ray and Play DVDs)
Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Internet Access: Wireless-USB N 300Mbps (Supports 802.11n/g/b)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA EVGA GeForce GTX 465 1GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: Standard Factory Heat-sink and Fan
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material)
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
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)
Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer)
Keyboard: Logitech Internet 350 USB Desktop (Multimedia Keyboard + RX300 Optical Wheel Mouse)



Edited by krettus - 29 Jun 2010 at 4:08pm
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 9:03am
alrighty, youre good down to the HDD, at your price range just get the 500gb wd, pick up a solid state when they come down in price, it shouldnt be too long.
 
definitely go to up the gtx 470, the 465 is not worth the savings

no noise package. makes your case a thermos

no speakers or mouse/kb here, pick those up from newegg. better selection, better support, better prices
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krettus View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote krettus Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 12:46pm
Thanks for the advice.

For the noise -- my wife will be studying nearby sometimes.  She doesn't need absolute silence but can't handle jets-taking-off levels of noise. 

Will the case/card/fan configuration be quiet enough without the noise suppression upgrade?  I would rather pay more for better cooling than pay less for no noise suppression and have her smash the machine to pieces (j/k, I think).
 
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ablahblah View Drop Down
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Posts: 2312 		  Quote ablahblah Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 12:58pm
Quiet Cases - Raven 1, Raven 2, Assassin (Chassis is based off Raven 2), HAF 932 (Opting for standard 200mm fan, do not choose fan upgrade), HAF 922 (Opting for standard 200mm fan, do not choose fan upgrade), HAF X (No fan upgrade)

You know, actually, those LS21 speakers from DS are pretty good. They have a slight manufacturing flaw though, and a lot of idjits just go and blame Logitech for crappy speakers. The thing is, occasionally, the left speaker will drop out. Easy fix was to just replug in the speaker cable, at LEAST 20 people on amazon didn't figure it out and gave 1 star reviews. -_-. LS21 gives out some pretty decent bass though, good enough of a 2.1 setup for me at least.

Again, that means, if you go HAF, stick with the 200mm fans on it. Don't go with any fan upgrades. Larger fans = less noise.

Fermi's tend to get a bit toasty, but that's just what I've heard about the 480. 470 I'm not sure though.

For cooling, opt for a better cooler. The LAST thing you want, BELIEVE ME, is to overclock with the stock cooler. LMAO I just did it because I was trying to "save money", and see how far they'd get. Reached 3.33Ghz, my idle temp was 65C. LOL. Seriously though, opt for a noctua. Trust me, case coolers are actually pretty quiet, compared to the stock cooler actually. Sitting in the belly of the case, the noise is a bit muffled, I think. I had a Venomous X cooler, with the same fans as my case fans. Case fans were so loud I had to undervolt them. Cooler fan, I didn't need to do anything, wasn't as loud, probably because it was internal. The point is, opt for a better cooler.

Moving on to your config itself, swap the mobo for a LE or a X58 FTW3, for expandability. The micro is a M-ATX motherboard, not too much good space to expand on. If you really don't feel like adding stuff to it though, i guess you could go with it.

Take the wireless USB stick and instead put a PCI card. Looks better.

Like ender said, kill noise suppression, pop in a 470.

The speakers, well, like I said, LS21 is a pretty decent set. For mouse and keyboard though, Amazon or Newegg.

Exactly how much leeway do you need for monitors, speakers, etc.?

Edited by ablahblah - 29 Jun 2010 at 1:29pm
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krettus View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote krettus Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 4:05pm
Thank you !ender_ and ablahblah for your advice.  I have revised specs below based on your recommendations.

Ablahblah:  Do I also want the noctua if I have switched to the HAF 932 case and added liquid cooling?

My combined monitor/speaker budget is flexible but preferably below $300.  I'd rather spend more on a good monitor (ideally 23” or greater) and skimp on speakers. 

I am going to try a friend's keyboard and mouse for a while so can exclude those from the budget.   

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE 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 Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Seagate/Hitachi (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Player (Play Blu-Ray and Play DVDs)
Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Internet Access: Wireless-PCI N 300Mbps (Supports 802.11n/g/b)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooler (120mm Radiator) (Great Value)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
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)
Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer)
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks

Edited by krettus - 29 Jun 2010 at 4:07pm
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ablahblah View Drop Down
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Posts: 2312 		  Quote ablahblah Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 4:08pm
O_O....NO NO NO NO NO xD

the Asetek isn't true LC first of all, cheap alternative, did I mention it tends to leak? xD

Alright, your total budget with the monitor is around $2300 or less, righhht?
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ablahblah View Drop Down
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Posts: 2312 		  Quote ablahblah Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 4:15pm
If your overall max budget is $2300, I can hit it with $189 to spare for a monitor, and equip the system with some true LC. (Also, the Blu-Ray player already can play DVDs, do you seriously need the extra DVD player...?)

>>Config. No. 418612<<

Price - $2111

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE 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 Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (40GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Player (Play Blu-Ray and Play DVDs)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: Wireless-PCI N 300Mbps (Supports 802.11n/g/b)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: FrostChill Cooling System: CPU Only
H20 Tube Color:White Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
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)
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
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer)
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 Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Parts)

Edited by ablahblah - 29 Jun 2010 at 4:17pm
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krettus View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote krettus Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 7:42pm
Yeah, the budget ceiling has crept to $2300, although I'd like to lower it so might dump the SSD.  But I'm ok with pushing $2300 for a monitor that I will enjoy.  What do you recommend?

Message received on Asetek.....
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ablahblah View Drop Down
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Posts: 2312 		  Quote ablahblah Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 8:06pm
I dunno, the monitor I ALMOST bought was a Acer D240H. 80k:1 contrast ratio, 2ms g2g, 60Hz, at 24". Am currently using a T230H instead, basically a D240H in a 23" size, with a touchscreen (yeees, touchscreen, compatible with windows 7 ^^). D240H costs $220 though, so I think it's pushing the limit. Looking for alternatives...

Honestly though, I think going with a SSD just at the moment will make things easier in the future. I'm considering one, but seriously, for me (started out with a 150GB Velociraptor, man, what a HORRIBLE choice...), digging around for all my data's gonna be one pain in the butt. Opting for one in the beginning and just putting data on a data drive from the start makes things soooo much easier than doing it later on, if you know what I mean.

Edited by ablahblah - 29 Jun 2010 at 8:08pm
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Asus Sabertooth X58
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 29 Jun 2010 at 9:27pm
Originally posted by krettus

Thanks for the advice.

For the noise -- my wife will be studying nearby sometimes.  She doesn't need absolute silence but can't handle jets-taking-off levels of noise. 

Will the case/card/fan configuration be quiet enough without the noise suppression upgrade?  I would rather pay more for better cooling than pay less for no noise suppression and have her smash the machine to pieces (j/k, I think).
 

 
im running in a slightly modded haf 932, and ill tell you, the stock fans are shockingly quiet. so is the noctua u12p. really honestly shocked at how quiet they are
 
now the 470 will make some noise, but only under pretty high load, which should only happen in the newest/harshest games. i have only heard mine while benchmarking, when you set it to 100% it sounds like a vaccum cleaner
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krettus View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote krettus Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 30 Jun 2010 at 12:32pm
Thanks again, both of you.  I'll research monitors and then make a final decision.  Too bad I have to wait for build and shipping times!
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