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Another "Whad'ya" think build

Post Date: 2008-06-14
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Another "Whad'ya" think build
    Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 4:10pm
Still toolin' around for 3000-3500 builds...sooo.... whad'ya think?

This is like $3150.00

Case: Digital Storm 950Si (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 1000W SilverStone Strider (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Model: ST1000) (Silent)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 780i Core 2 Quad (nForce 780i SLI)
Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator DHX (Extreme-Performance)
Floppy / Card: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 512MB)
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (Recommended)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Zalman Case Fans)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Overclock Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
Overclock Memory: Yes, Overclock memory timings (Includes Corsair Dominator Airflow Fan Upgrade)
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
bjt
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david5182 View Drop Down
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Posts: 215 		  Quote david5182 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 5:10pm
Pay $4 extra to get 2x 9800GTX in SLI.
 
Get Vista Home Premium
 
Get the DVD Writer with Lightscribe
 
I would not OC the GPUs
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 5:23pm
I think the following:
 
Unless you have another hard drive youre gonna hook up youre gonna run out of hard drive space within a year.
 
Change your OS, Vista basic is for super basic computing, like if you just used the computer for the internet. Vista home is better. Plus you will only get to use all of that 4GB of ram if you have a 64 bit version, the regular versions wont use all of it as the memory addresses of other PCI equipment will take it up. In your case both the gfx cards will take 1GB of it away.  Not totally sure about that though, somebody else with greater knowledge can expand.
 
The 850 is a better case for air cooling then the 950, but thats up to you.
E8500@ 4.03Ghz
XFX 790i Ultra
1000W Corsair HX
2 280 GTX EVGA FTW
4GB OCZ Reaper 1800Mhz
250-80-300GB VR HD
Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers
Asus Xonar 7.1
Hanns-G HG 281D 28" HDMI Monitor
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 5:51pm
edit: took this post out

Edited by ArmourBrad - 14 Jun 2008 at 11:14pm
bjt
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 6:11pm
cant raid non matching drives
which is a good thing bc i wouldnt suggest raid anyway
 
or sli for that matter, how big is your monitor?
 
no reason to get 8800512s anymore, 9800gtx is better in every way for $2
 
no reason for stage 3 cooling with no overclocking, unless you are planning to overclock things on your own
 
keep in mind there are some VERY good GPUs right around the corner, patience could really benefit you
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 8:14pm
oh, I'm definitely planning on waiting, I'm just leeching some very VERY valuable opinions from you guys. I really only have about a 20% clue about what I'm doing. That raid stuff was a shot in the dark.

My plan-to-buy date is sometime at the end of the summer. Aug/Sept

I really don't know what's better on things like choosing a better video card or better processor, or quality ram vs. ram quantity.

Here's my deal.

I'm fresh out of college with a sweet income and a lifelong desire for a mothership computer. I have about 2.5-3.5k to spend and want the most bang for my buck. Once I buy this computer, i don't want to need an upgrade for more than a few years. (Which i assume means quad cores, 4g ram and SLI's like there's no tomorrow)

I'm only really interested in online video games with maxed settings and framerates galore (crysis, CoD4 and RPGS) no photoshop, no final-cut pro and no etching elks into large wood portraits.

Any advice you have would be great. Do you know if I can call DSO and build with a techie?

thanks
brad the newb
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 8:15pm
ps my monitor is a 23" widescreen with HD support
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 9:13pm
Originally posted by ArmourBrad

no etching elks into large wood portraits.
 
first of all thats f**king hilarious
 
secondly if your just putting your foot in the door id suggest reading over this little thingy clickME
 
and yes you most certainly can call a DSO rep to get first and / or final thoughts on any build decisions
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 11:15pm
update, here's a quick try for 2.3k along some of your advice's line.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=156914


Edited by ArmourBrad - 14 Jun 2008 at 11:17pm
bjt
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2008 at 11:39pm
Hey Brad-
I think going with the 850 or 950 case would be a much better choice. The cooling is much better in both those esp for sli config. If you add a full compliment of fans to either of those cases, you will have excellent cooling.
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 1:23am
Unequivocally wait for the new GPUs
 
i would definatly follow cat's suggestions and go with the 850i, alternatively, if you do NOT get sli (cough, good idea), you may find that a budget build can be very happy in a 450i case/ stage 3 cooling
(by budget build i mean 1hdd and 1gpu)
 
are you planning to overclock on your own? if not id suggest getting a processor/ram OC, more than worth the cash
 -HOWEVER-
if you do not want to overclock, you would only need a 450i case and stage 2 cooling
 
everything else looks good, just stick to SATA optical drives if you add a second one and youre on the way to a beast computer
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 8:18am
Thanks for the great advice.
I spent a good deal of time learning about the pros and con's of "To SLI or not to SLI" and what I found was...
Since my monitor is 22" widescreen with hi def i can really go either way. At the moment people aren't really singing the praises of SLI's so as-per ender, I'm going to stick to a single gpu and probably wait for the GPU+physix   CUDA (i believe is the name)

Also, for a $13 dollar difference and a single Hdd and singe GPU I'll stick with the 780i case. or is that $13 poorly spent? I did up it to stage three cooling because noise isn't an issue but small computer motherboard fires sound unappealing.

I like the idea of overclocking and upping the fans, although Mr. Internet says OC'ing reduces the life of any piece of hardware, but ender had mentioned and confirmed it's part of the 3yr warranty. So OC'ers ahoy!

So i threw in those specs, the bottom line is a number i like. And i'll probably keep this build for the summer while new stuff comes out, change it and just ride the lightning. Lemme know what you think.

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=156934

thank you's and high fives,
brad (the sad but proud owner of a $500 my-old-rig-blew-up-and-needed-a-quick-replacement computer)
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 10:01am
when it gets down to the difference between the 450 and 750 cases its sort of a matter of opinion. I could sit here and post that the 450 is better because an open air design is simply smarter for overclocking, tell you that the tribal cuts in this case and some blue cathode lights look as any case ever will, tell you that the case literally dissapates heat so well that the whole thing is very cold to the touch.
however mr Lowe would very easily and effectively counter those points by saying that the pro has a more professional crisp look, that if you get stage 3 cooling then it is plenty of airflow for your hardware, and that he wishes he was as cool as meTongue
 
i like everything but i would say $25 more for 180gigs is well worth the 500HDD, and that the sound card is great, but if you drop it off thats another 100 you can use for the new GPUs
 
and please pay no mind to the subliminal advertising in the rest of this post:
 
ooooo, aaaah
 
 


Edited by !ender_ - 15 Jun 2008 at 10:03am
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ArmourBrad View Drop Down
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Posts: 80 		  Quote ArmourBrad Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 10:54am
woah boy, someone's handy with their camera.

Personally, I don't like the interior lights, not too many people are really looking inside my computer, and lighting my whole living room blue when I want it dark for a movie isn't my cup of tea. Although "cold cathode tubes", does that mean cooling or just not hot?

Essentially, (talking cases) saving 13 bucks always beats spending it, I'll probably talk to a dso tech when i'm ready to buy which won't be for a little while, so the game could change... by the way, do we know when the next "hump" for gpu's is coming out?

also, if i'm overclocking my Hdd and memory, should water cooling be an option? (Trying to keep it below 3k), which i'm guessing stage 3 will do more than I need. But just a thought.

Finally, I thought i might pick your brain since you seem enamored with the asus motherboards, what's the deal and what's the dif?

brad

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=156945
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SunfighterLC View Drop Down
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Posts: 1527 		  Quote SunfighterLC Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 2:33pm

Plus keep in mind I went with no lights on my computer and stage 3 air cooling, and I got a ton of light up fans, i dunno if i was supposed to......so even without the extra lighting my computer lights up as much as those pictures do lol.
E8500@ 4.03Ghz
XFX 790i Ultra
1000W Corsair HX
2 280 GTX EVGA FTW
4GB OCZ Reaper 1800Mhz
250-80-300GB VR HD
Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers
Asus Xonar 7.1
Hanns-G HG 281D 28" HDMI Monitor
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!ender_ View Drop Down
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 3:31pm
sunfighter, unless something drastic changed, i think that was a fluke. my cousin, who ordered after you, asked for the same case, stage3 and LED fans, which he was told were not an option unless he mailed them in for installation
 
 
brad,
 
yea i have the pictures for a long overdue review that im still waiting on something from DSO before putting up, figured i could put them to good use in the mean time
 
cold cathode lights: they light with a chemical reaction that produces no heat, basically they dont add any headache to the never ending battle to keep our hardware cool; as far as the light itself is concerned, they can be flicked off with a simple switch if need be, but if placed in a room properly, they will just add a soft glow atmosphere, the pictures are taken in -pitch- black with the camera set to absorb every trace of light, for effect.

im not sure if there is a definate date on the new nvida cards yet, im sure it'd be easy to find. but even if you dont pick one of those, id expect to see the cost of the 9 series cards seriously drop when they release
 
overclock the cpu* and ram/memory, as i've said in a few other posts, water cooling is neat idea but its in no way viable for a budget build simply because they delta you'd expect from a well built air cooler just isnt there. its great for quiet builds and for squeezing out the last bit of benchmark points, but imo, it ends there 

as far as asus vs nvidia, call it brand loyalty, call it picking favorites, but if you look around, asus frequently leads the pack with how it handles overclocking. before i bought this rig, i literally had never changed an overclock-related bios setting, the entire concept scared me stiff, but the more i read about asus the more comfortable i became with it. my personal opinion is that asus makes boards that respond to the public, the hype is overclocking and thats exactly what they are focusing on, there are lots of utilities included with my mobo driver that are exclusively to facilitate overclocking. theres more to my opinion, but i'll leave some to question so you can look around and see how you feel about it
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 15 Jun 2008 at 7:25pm

Hehe. My only counter would be to point out my temps are on par !ender's and I am running a B3 revision of the Q6600. Tongue

This is what I would say: You want stage 3 cooling in either case if you overclock, and if you do stage 3 cooling, either case will provide sufficient airflow. Here's the point in favor of the 450i: with stock cooling, it's the more capable case. So, for instance, you you did a 88GT and a stock speed quad core, the 450 would cope with the heat output better with no additional money needed to improve on what comes with the case by default. The 750 could struggle in the same situation. Add stage 3 cooling to the mix, and an overclock to the quad, and either case does equally well.

Based on reported temperatures and overclocking result on these forums,

Stock cooled 450 > stock cooled 750

Stage 3 cooled 450 = Stage 3 cooled 750.

Further modification of either the 450 or the 750 can push them past even stage 3 capability, as both !ender and I can verify as true with both cases. I think much depends on the build, the cooling need, and the price point of the purchaser. I would post a picture of a system in a 750i, but since mine is further modified and does not represent accurately what is offered at stage 3 cooling, I will control the impulse to give Silverstone equal time. Tongue

Edited by Tyler Lowe - 15 Jun 2008 at 7:30pm
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