Build reviewPost Date: 2010-07-08 |
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Masefield 
Newbie 
Joined: 03 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2 |
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 Topic: Build reviewPosted: 08 Jul 2010 at 4:11pm |
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Thoughts appreciated. I'm trying to keep this shy of $3000. The price right now is $2881.
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 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel EATX X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1200W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended) Expansion Bay: External USB Digital Media Card Reader Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x NVIDIA EVGA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Asus Xonar D2 (HOT SELLER) Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) 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: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability 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 Professional (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) |
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Cretae
DS Veteran 
Joined: 22 Mar 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7331 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 08 Jul 2010 at 5:18pm |
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The Classified is a great board, but may be overkill for your use. The EVGA LE is a very solid choice for average users/gamers.
The 1250W Enermax is preferable for better reliability. You would only need that much power to drive two nVidia boards in SLI. If you plan on staying with one gpu, the 750W Corsair is all you need.
With your budget, and especially with the possible savings from the above, you want an Intel SSD instead of the 320g HDD. Intel only is recommended, their overall performance is superior. Use only for OS, apps, and maybe a few games if they fit. Games don't ordinarily benefit that well from an SSD's performance, so you can get a small one just for OS and a few apps. Speed will blow you away.
Lose the "performance fans" they are loud, and the HAF X case is already one of the best air coolers on the planet. Total waste of $.
The DS oc on video cards is very conservative, and will not even be noticeable. Don't make your card run hotter.
Hope it helps.
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Coolermaster Storm Sniper
Intel Core i7 930 3.8GHz OC EVGA X58 LE 6GB DDR3 1600Mhz Ram 750W Corsair 1TB HDD 1x ATI RadeonHD 5870 1GB Noctua Dual 120mm I can make my mind think... anything.... |
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 08 Jul 2010 at 5:28pm |
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yea, agree with most of what cretae said, definitely drop the power supply first, you didnt mention sli, and i wont do my normal tirade against it, but going to 750 tx will be good for your budget and have some good headroom for overclocking or a future better card
as he said, the ssd, 40 or 80 gb intel is enough for your OS and main apps, should be enough in the budget for that after you drop the psu
im increasingly confused about people saying to remove DSO's gpu overclock. i mean not that its hard to use MSI afterburner on the fermis anyway, but its free, what difference does it make if you choose it?
i wont be overclocking my 470 for a while because i dont see a reason to currently. but that doesnt mean no one would.
another good way to save money is get the haf 932, unless its about looks to you the difference between these 2 cases is pretty negligible
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Masefield
Newbie
Joined: 03 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 08 Jul 2010 at 6:20pm |
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Great feedback - very helpful. Thanks so much!
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