Building a Gaming System

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version

   Hi, I have done some research on various components, and put together several different custom builds on various websites.  I found digital storm to be the most appealing site from which to purchase a custom pc.  

I was wondering if anyone had any advice for the following configuration.  My budget is around $1400-$1600. Also, I would prefer an Intel oriented build.  THANKS!

SPECIFICATIONS

            Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish) 
Power Supply: 500W Thermaltake (Silent PurePower Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (4MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 667MHz (Dual Channel) 
Floppy / Media: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) 
Hard Drive 1: 250GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) 
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x)
Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) 
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Modem: - No Thanks
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (By: eVGA / Asus) (PCI-Express) 
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink (Copper Heatpipes) 
Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) 
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
LCD Display: Acer 19 inch (Widescreen) (Black Edition) (High-Value Display) 
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

Price: $1572

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version
Jesse Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Quote Reply Topic: Building a Gaming System Posted: 27 Oct 2007 at 8:56pm
	Hi, I have done some research on various components, and put together several different custom builds on various websites. I found digital storm to be the most appealing site from which to purchase a custom pc. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for the following configuration. My budget is around $1400-$1600. Also, I would prefer an Intel oriented build. THANKS! SPECIFICATIONS Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish) Power Supply: 500W Thermaltake (Silent PurePower Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 2.33GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (4MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 667MHz (Dual Channel) Floppy / Media: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive 1: 250GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Modem: - No Thanks Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (By: eVGA / Asus) (PCI-Express) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel) Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink (Copper Heatpipes) Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) Round Cables: - No Thanks User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals) Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks LCD Display: Acer 19 inch (Widescreen) (Black Edition) (High-Value Display) 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 Price: $1572

67alecto Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 288	Quote Reply Posted: 27 Oct 2007 at 10:17pm
	You don't really need two optical drives, and with the components you selected, I'd go with the Twister Lite case. It looks very sharp, and if you want the lighting, it is a much better case as the Twister Pro's huge clear panel washes it out. Personally, I would drop the monitor - Circuit City frequently has sales where you can get an excellent 19" monitor for $200 or less. Instead, I'd go with faster memory, a faster chip, and then go to Stage 3 cooling so DSO will have even more overclocking ability. I'll let others speak to the video card selection - I have done almost no research except on the 8800 GTX/Ultra cards. Case: Digital Storm Twister LITE (Black Aluminum Edition) Power Supply: 500W Thermaltake (Silent PurePower Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (TwisterBoost Enhanced) E6750 2.80GHz (1400MHz Front Side Bus) Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance) Floppy / Media: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive 1: 250GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - 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) Modem: - No Thanks Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (By: eVGA / Asus) (PCI-Express) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel) Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked) Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) Round Cables: - No Thanks User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals) Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks LCD Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse) Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support $1473 Edited by 67alecto - 27 Oct 2007 at 10:18pm
	Twister Pro 750W PS/Q6600 2.4GHz/680i LT/2GB Corsair 800/9800GTX/X-Fi XtremeGamer/Stage 2 Cooling Vanquish II 430W Corsair/i3 3.3 GHz/Asus H61M/8Gb DDR3 Corsair Vengeance/650Ti Boost 2Gb

Jesse Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2007 at 6:11am
	Thank you very much 67alecto! Great advice!! I've made a couple other changes: Case: Digital Storm Twister VALUE (Silver Edition) Power Supply: 500W Thermaltake (Silent PurePower Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (TwisterBoost Enhanced) E6750 2.80GHz (1400MHz Front Side Bus) Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance) Floppy / Media: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive 1: 250GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: - No Thanks Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Modem: - No Thanks Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB (By: eVGA / Asus) (PCI-Express) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel) Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked) Case Lighting: - No Thanks Round Cables: - No Thanks User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals) Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - 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 $1378 I was wondering if this configuration would need a better power supply??

skyR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Digital Storm Apprentice Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220	Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2007 at 12:02pm
	500W is fine.
	The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.

67alecto Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 288	Quote Reply Posted: 28 Oct 2007 at 12:54pm
	That's a good looking system. The 8800GT cards are due out early next week - may want to check the price on those before you place your order.
	Twister Pro 750W PS/Q6600 2.4GHz/680i LT/2GB Corsair 800/9800GTX/X-Fi XtremeGamer/Stage 2 Cooling Vanquish II 430W Corsair/i3 3.3 GHz/Asus H61M/8Gb DDR3 Corsair Vengeance/650Ti Boost 2Gb

Jesse Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Quote Reply Posted: 30 Oct 2007 at 10:07pm
	This is the configuration im leaning towards at the moment. Going to buy in about a week now. I havn't seen any good comparison information on the 8800GT 512mb vs. the 8800GTS 320mb but It looks the 8800GT 512 would be the better buy. Case: Digital Storm Twister VALUE (Black Edition) Power Supply: 500W Thermaltake (Silent PurePower Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (TwisterBoost Enhanced) E6750 2.80GHz (1400MHz Front Side Bus) Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance) Floppy / Media: Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive 1: 250GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - 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) Modem: - No Thanks Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel) Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked) Case Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) Round Cables: - No Thanks User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals) Windows OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home (Includes Service Pack 2) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks LCD Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support $1500 ..and ill probably save up to get a 24" samsung next month.

Kelly Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Digital Storm Customer Service Joined: 13 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 791	Quote Reply Posted: 30 Oct 2007 at 10:17pm
	then you mustn't be looking too hard because the 8800GTS 320 is now discontinued. The 8800GT out performs the 640 version. Do a search on the forums. You'll see specs.

Virshia Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 07 Aug 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Quote Reply Posted: 30 Oct 2007 at 10:27pm
	Wait the 8800 GTS 320 mb has been discontinued? I have that card in my computer... will they still support it and have updated drivers for this card in the future?

skyR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Digital Storm Apprentice Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220	Quote Reply Posted: 30 Oct 2007 at 10:36pm
	Only the 8800 GTS 320MB card has been discontinued. The 8800 GTS 640MB is getting a refresh sometime in the future. There will still be driver support for the 8800 GTS. (320 and 640 share the same drivers...)
	The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.

!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Quote Reply Posted: 30 Oct 2007 at 11:55pm
	so am I reading correctly that the 8800GT 512mb is better than the 8800GTS 640 in all respects, and $100 cheaper? what do you mean by the "640 is getting a refresh in the future" in my current rig that I'm about to buy i have Case: Digital Storm Twister LITE (Black Aluminum Edition) Power Supply: 600W Thermaltake (SLI Compatible) (Silent PurePower Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz (1066MHz FSB) (8MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 680i Core 2 Quad (By: Evga) (nForce 680i SLI) (A1 Revision) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 1066MHz Dominator (Dual Channel) (Extreme-Performance) Hard Drive 1: 320GB (Western Digital / Seagate) (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) Optical Drive 2: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x) Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GTS 640MB (By: eVGA / Asus) (PCI-Express) Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel) Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked) Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium would the new 512 be better? (the cost doesnt bother me, i'm after performance)

skyR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Digital Storm Apprentice Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220	Quote Reply Posted: 31 Oct 2007 at 12:08am
	Yes the 8800GT outperforms the 8800 GTS and can give the GTX a run for its money... Rumor has it that Nvidia will release a new 8800 GTS based on the 65nm G92. 128 stream processors (same as GTX), 512mb memory (instead of 640mb), 256-bit (instead of 320-bit). Whoever is in charge of Nvidia's marketing team should get a medal for delivering such an outstanding card but also should be slapped for making us all confused...
	The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.

!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219	Quote Reply Posted: 31 Oct 2007 at 12:08am
	ok i read around and I found out that the 640mb "refresh" is a new driver set for the same card as long as its evga? any clue yet if the 640 v.2 will overshoot the 512, making the 8800GTS 640 the smarter option for the long run? i hate computers edit damn youre quick hahaha you answered some of my questions too fast Edited by !ender_ - 31 Oct 2007 at 12:10am

skyR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Digital Storm Apprentice Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220	Quote Reply Posted: 31 Oct 2007 at 12:14am
	The GTS v2 or revision or 65nm or whatever you want to call it is going to be a new card. It is not drivers you download. So don't get the wrong idea and purchase the current 8800 GTS 640MB thinking that downloading drivers will make it perform better than the 8800 GT. If Nvidia does release a new 8800 GTS, it will most likely trail just a little behind the Ultra... Edited by skyR - 31 Oct 2007 at 12:14am
	The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.

!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219	Quote Reply Posted: 31 Oct 2007 at 12:18am
	so end of the day, unless you feel like waiting to see if the new 640, when it gets released, is better the 512 is by far the best way to go? does DSO OC video cards? http://forum.ncix.com/forums/index.php?mode=showthread&forum=101&threadid=1468037&pagenumber=1&msgcount=3&subpage=1&product_id=26778 seems to think there will be a quickfix for the v2 without getting a whole new card Edited by !ender_ - 31 Oct 2007 at 12:20am

skyR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Digital Storm Apprentice Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220	Quote Reply Posted: 31 Oct 2007 at 12:25am
	Yep, DSO overclocks video cards on request. Don't spend your entire life waiting or else you going to be waiting forever (like me)... Theres rumor that annoucement/release of the new 8800 GTS will be on Nov 12th (don't count on it since it doesn't make much sense considering how the 8800 GT is in such high demand) Theres also the ATI 3800s coming out on Nov 15th. The 8800GT is a great investment.. im going to be purchasing one in November if ATI can't offer something good =) Yes, EVGA offers a stepup program where you trade in old cards for new cards and you pay the price difference. You could always get the 8800GT for now and if you aren't happy with the performance. You can trade it in for another card in the future. Edited by skyR - 31 Oct 2007 at 12:27am
	The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.

!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219	Quote Reply Posted: 31 Oct 2007 at 12:41am
	thanks skyR, you rock looks like im going with the 512! http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=91135 so close to deciding what to buy!

Building a Gaming System

About Us

Community

Support

Company

Contact Us

Follow Us