Designing first gaming system

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   Hi guys.  I'm looking to replace my Gateway paperweight with an above-average gaming machine.  I don't need the latest technology, but would like to put together a solid performer that can handle games like COD4.  I went through a PRO customization and came up with this:

Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)

Power Supply: 520W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) 

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (4MB Cache) 

Motherboard: nVidia 680i LT Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 680i SLI)

Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Performance) 

Floppy / Card: - No Thanks

Hard Drive 1: 74GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (8MB 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: nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express) 

TV Tuner: - No Thanks

Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE (Up to 7.1 Channel) 

Physics Card: - No Thanks

Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink (Copper Heatpipes) 

Case Lighting: - No Thanks 

Round Cables: Enhanced Interior Air Flow (Optical Drive & Floppy Cables (Black Edition) 

User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)

Overclock Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor

Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)

Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory

Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system

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

Benchmarking: - No Thanks

Pre-Install Game: - 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

Anybody see any incompatibilities or have any suggestions on how I could better tweak for value?

Is it advisable to have extra fans installed?  If so, how many?

Would it be worthwhile to upgrade the case (even though it's an additional $200)?

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MR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Quote Reply Topic: Designing first gaming system Posted: 17 Dec 2007 at 1:21am
	Hi guys. I'm looking to replace my Gateway paperweight with an above-average gaming machine. I don't need the latest technology, but would like to put together a solid performer that can handle games like COD4. I went through a PRO customization and came up with this: Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish) Power Supply: 520W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (4MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 680i LT Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 680i SLI) Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Performance) Floppy / Card: - No Thanks Hard Drive 1: 74GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (8MB 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: nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE (Up to 7.1 Channel) Physics Card: - No Thanks Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink (Copper Heatpipes) Case Lighting: - No Thanks Round Cables: Enhanced Interior Air Flow (Optical Drive & Floppy Cables (Black Edition) User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals) Overclock Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor Overclock Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Overclock Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system 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 Benchmarking: - No Thanks Pre-Install Game: - 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 Anybody see any incompatibilities or have any suggestions on how I could better tweak for value? Is it advisable to have extra fans installed? If so, how many? Would it be worthwhile to upgrade the case (even though it's an additional $200)?

Tyler Lowe Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 14 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Quote Reply Posted: 17 Dec 2007 at 1:45am
	Tweaked for additional value: $1490 If you have the room in your budget, a case with better cooling will be something you will appreciate. In my experience, the Pro case is a bit weak when it comes to air intake. You could always request additional fans at $10 each. With the 3 empty 5.25" bays your config leaves, it may be possible to request an additional 120mm fan be mounted in the front of the case to help draw in more air.

Jeffrey Wilens Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Quote Reply Posted: 17 Dec 2007 at 2:28am
	I'm considering a very similar system only with two 8800GT's in SLI. I really don't think you need the Audigy card since the LT motherboard has onboard audio. If you have some nice speakers you can use the SPDIF optical out and get excellent sound for games. You only have one smallish hard drive. I was looking the larger Raptors in RAID 0. I have that on my year old system as well and it is very fast, but very noisy as well.

Designing first gaming system

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