First new system in 6 years,,,

and alot has changed, ... Its been a while since I spec'd out a new PC - 6 years ago (alienware still working well, but feeling its age).

 

I game a little (Battlefield's, Eve, Total War) and work a little (just excel spreadsheets).

 

I would like a quiet system that will be competive for a few years.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Specifications:

Chassis: Digital Storm 950Si

Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Power Supply: 650W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible)

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)

Motherboard: NVIDIA 780i Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 780i SLI)

System Memory: 4GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz Dominator DHX (High-Performance)

Card Reader: - No Thanks

Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)

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

Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 896MB TV Tuner: - No Thanks

Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

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

Internal Lighting: - No Thanks

Modifications: - No Thanks

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

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

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

Tweak Windows: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system

Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

 

Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)

Protection: - No Thanks

Office: Microsoft Office 2007 Basic (Word Excel Outlook)

Benchmarking: - No Thanks

Install/Test Game: - No Thanks

LCD Display: Acer 22 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display)

Surge Shield: - No Thanks

Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model R20) (Includes Subwoofer)

Keyboard: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse)

Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse External Storage: - No Thanks

Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

that is quite a system for someone who games and works a "little"

Edited by !ender_ - 06 Jul 2008 at 10:13pm

I can tell you from experience, I own the 950 case myself, it is an amazing case, room galore and very quiet with the level II cooling option (The same option I selected.)

It does have the drawback like ender mentioned, it is HUGE. You need a big space to put it, but it is very quiet for me, I sit right next to the case, with the case at my chest level on my desk (I have a huge desk...) and I just hear a fan hum, no air woosh or anything like that.

I run paired 9800GTX in my case, and that should be comparable in noise to the 260. so I think you will be happy.

Again on this I agree whole heartedly with ender, the Acer monitor well... it would be one of my last choices.

I am firmly of the opinion a monitor should be looked at in person before purchase, and I think Acer, while it is inexpensive is a poor choice for a good gaming monitor.

I would look at Samsung, LG or even HP first...

I would avoid Viewsonic and Dell... Sony too, but only because they are pricey when you can find them, and not any better than my top choice Samsung.

Dave