Buying guide (for new members)

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   Since I'm sort of stuck waiting for my new DSO system, and the choices for things to do on this system are pretty limited, and its FREEZING outside, I figured it would be cool to make a sort of budget guide, for different price plateaus.
Guidelines:
--Systems will focus on gaming power (obviously) but will be built with versitility in mind
--I'll tend to stay on the safe side for temperature
--I do not like SLI, so you wont see much of it, especially in the low end builds (the reason for this is that with SLI you are basically paying twice as much for a 20%ish increase)
--I'll be avoiding visual frills as these do not increase performance, and I'll be leaving out ANYTHING that is not in the tower itself, as every persons situation is different when buying (the less you have the more you need to buy)

FAQ
-2 core vs 4 core processors
While similar, quad cores are more heavily designed for multitasking. Currently there are few applications that can take full advantage of this power, however I would imagine we will see that change soon enough
-Common Abbreviatations:
PSU Power Supply Unit
GPU Graphics Processor Unit
-OverClock
Essentially its running hardware above its factory reccomended settings, amazingly DSO includes thier overclocks in the 3 year warranty.
-Posting
As inclined as you may be to copy and paste the entire list of included choices in your forum posts, its much better for those you are asking if you just use links like the ones below.
This can be done by choosing everything you want, scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking "Save Configuration"
the next page will give you a ticket number at the top
Ticket Number: 114168
highlight the ticket number and press back in the browser
scroll to the bottom again and select "Load Configuration"
paste your ticket number in the slot and press enter, then take the link out of the explorer bar and paste that on your forum post

*DISCLAIMER*
Below are my opinions formed from lots of reading and asking questions, be sure to clear any build decision with a DSO rep, and dont be afraid to ask them questions.

-----------------------------------------

~$1000
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114156
Wonderful system considering the price, decent power for a casual gamer looking to replace his 4-6 year old budget computer.
~$1500
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114157
Most considerable difference here is the GPU (assuming nvida gets the 8800gt on track) most of the other pieces are just above the the previous level
~$2000
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114159
My personal preference as far as both price range and power, great budget buy for a powerful gaming system that will serve you well.
~$2500
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114161
Starting to plateau in the budget range, plenty of power, likey just more than enough to satisfy a typical gamer.
~$4500
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114165
This high things start to get way more into enthusiast and above gamer in my opinion. This outline would crush any modern game and likely be a bit overkill for someone who doenst have the money to throw around a little.
~$7000
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114167
The maximum sensible system, in my personal opinion. A true "benchmark crusher" as DSO likes to say.

Edited by !ender_ - 21 Jan 2008 at 1:48am

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!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219	Quote Reply Topic: Buying guide (for new members) Posted: 21 Jan 2008 at 1:47am
	Since I'm sort of stuck waiting for my new DSO system, and the choices for things to do on this system are pretty limited, and its FREEZING outside, I figured it would be cool to make a sort of budget guide, for different price plateaus. Guidelines: --Systems will focus on gaming power (obviously) but will be built with versitility in mind --I'll tend to stay on the safe side for temperature --I do not like SLI, so you wont see much of it, especially in the low end builds (the reason for this is that with SLI you are basically paying twice as much for a 20%ish increase) --I'll be avoiding visual frills as these do not increase performance, and I'll be leaving out ANYTHING that is not in the tower itself, as every persons situation is different when buying (the less you have the more you need to buy) FAQ -2 core vs 4 core processors While similar, quad cores are more heavily designed for multitasking. Currently there are few applications that can take full advantage of this power, however I would imagine we will see that change soon enough -Common Abbreviatations: PSU Power Supply Unit GPU Graphics Processor Unit -OverClock Essentially its running hardware above its factory reccomended settings, amazingly DSO includes thier overclocks in the 3 year warranty. -Posting As inclined as you may be to copy and paste the entire list of included choices in your forum posts, its much better for those you are asking if you just use links like the ones below. This can be done by choosing everything you want, scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking "Save Configuration" the next page will give you a ticket number at the top Ticket Number: 114168 highlight the ticket number and press back in the browser scroll to the bottom again and select "Load Configuration" paste your ticket number in the slot and press enter, then take the link out of the explorer bar and paste that on your forum post DISCLAIMER Below are my opinions formed from lots of reading and asking questions, be sure to clear any build decision with a DSO rep, and dont be afraid to ask them questions. ----------------------------------------- ~$1000 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114156 Wonderful system considering the price, decent power for a casual gamer looking to replace his 4-6 year old budget computer. ~$1500 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114157 Most considerable difference here is the GPU (assuming nvida gets the 8800gt on track) most of the other pieces are just above the the previous level ~$2000 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114159 My personal preference as far as both price range and power, great budget buy for a powerful gaming system that will serve you well. ~$2500 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114161 Starting to plateau in the budget range, plenty of power, likey just more than enough to satisfy a typical gamer. ~$4500 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114165 This high things start to get way more into enthusiast and above gamer in my opinion. This outline would crush any modern game and likely be a bit overkill for someone who doenst have the money to throw around a little. ~$7000 http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=114167 The maximum sensible system, in my personal opinion. A true "benchmark crusher" as DSO likes to say. Edited by !ender_ - 21 Jan 2008 at 1:48am

ed1371 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 11 Sep 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 350	Quote Reply Posted: 21 Jan 2008 at 3:36am
	interesting builds... of course its comes down to personal preference on a lot of things... I noticed you didnt use the 6600 quad... which IMO is a GREAT chip and overclocks extremely well. also.. a GTS over a 8800 gt nowadays seems to be a waste. The GT is amazing for the price... friend of mine was running 7950's in sli and a single 8800 gt trumped it... anywho... good post! should give some new folks a good base to work off of.
	Silverstone TJ-10 INTEL 4790K 16 gigs ddr3 ssd and such liquid cooled cpu 2080 RTX Super

mickrocks Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 16 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 6	Quote Reply Posted: 24 May 2008 at 1:54am
	Great work, helped me out alot. Will help every other new or not person :) -Michael-

Aich Shaoden Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 128	Quote Reply Posted: 24 May 2008 at 5:44am
	Well, 20% inscrese due to SLI is big IMO. 50 fps + 20% 60fps. /shrug I'm personally going with SLI due to me playing on a 37" HDTV, plus will be looking into a projector.

!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219	Quote Reply Posted: 24 May 2008 at 9:46am
	oh god this thread is so old! theres an updated one, this one should be deleted! and if 10 fps is worth over 200 bucks to you, then go for it, at that size youd probably need it, make sure you are sitting pretty far away or you are going to kill your vision

Buying guide (for new members)

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