Gaming Config Advicce NeededPost Date: 2010-07-27 |
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BillDigital 
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Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7 |
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 Topic: Gaming Config Advicce NeededPosted: 27 Jul 2010 at 12:59pm |
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Hello, This is my first custom gaming rig and I would be most grateful for any advice. I looking for a kick ass gaming system that will last me for the next 3 to 4 years. My budget is not unlimited, but I don’t mind paying a little more if it adds value. A the same time I don’t want to spend money foolishly. Here is what I came up with. All advice is welcome. I would like feedback on the entire configuration but I am particularly interested in feedback on the VisionTek TV Wonder 650 Combo USB for PC TV card. I am hoping that it will allow me to input my cable TV into the card to allow me to watch TV in a window while I am gaming. Will this card do that? Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: !PROMOTION: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 975 3.33GHz (Quad-Core) (Extreme Performance) Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D Premium SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (80GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) (EVGA Brand) Add-on Card: VisionTek TV Wonder 650 Combo USB for PC TV Tuner Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Dual SLI/CrossFire Video Cards H20 Tube Color:Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only) 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) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty |
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Ch3ssplay3r
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Joined: 23 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 164 |
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Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 1:10pm |
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There's a few things you have that are only marginally increasing your performance and costing you a lot of money. I'm going to go over some of them.
Processor: All the 900 series quad cores are the same, with different settings set by intel. A 930 overclocked will get you the same performance as a 975 overclocked. Motherboard: if you want that motherboard for the Usb3.0, you can get a card for that much cheaper. If you want it for the 6Gb/s, that doesn't actually increase performance much. Power supply. You're probably going to need a 1250 watt power supply to run 2 480's. Video Cards. What is your monitor resolution? 2 480's would be overkill for lower resolutions. VisionTek TV Wonder 650 Combo USB for PC TV. I believe this will allow you to hook up a cable and watch tv on the computer. This is an external card that plugs into a USB port. If you want to save some money or get it internally, get the PCI version. Video Card overclocking makes the cards run hotter and louder, for only marginal performance gains. if you don't mind that, then go ahead. Liquid cooling for the video cards is overrated IMO, it will keep the noise and temps down though. Thats all i have for now. i'll let someone else provide further feedback. Edited by Ch3ssplay3r - 28 Jul 2010 at 2:24pm |
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BillDigital
Newbie
Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7 |
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Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 1:53pm |
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Thank you very much for the suggestions. Based on your advice I have changed the VisionTek TV Wonder card to the PCI version. I also changed the processor from a 975 to an overclocked 930. And, I changed the power supply to 1250 watts. Here is the monitor I will be using: http://www.hannspree.com/US/NewsDetail.aspx?mid=4656&n=10217&p=1&y=2008&m=0 It is a 28 inch with 1920 x 1200 resolution. Interesting comment on the water cooling. It is a very expensive option. What would you recommend? What is your recommendation on the mother board that would not have the limitations you mentioned? |
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justin.kerr
DS Veteran 
Joined: 06 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5084 |
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Posted: 27 Jul 2010 at 2:26pm |
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That is not a monitor, that is a TV. that is why the resolution is so low for its screen size.
Water cooling the GPU's..two side to everything.. on one side, it is expensive, and makes future upgrades harder. the other side, is a much cooler GPU, much quieter, longer lasting, higher overclocking ability card.
It is all about the budget and preference. Myself I would liquid cool the GPU(s) before I liquid cooled the CPU. but that is just my own preference
A good quality 1000 watt PSU can handle this setup,
CPU, chipset =250 watts
DVD, fans, SSD, lights USB, ect = 50 watts
2 GTX 480's overclocked =600 watts
max load===================900 watts
But.. lol factor in capacitor aging, and efficiency curves.. well lol
ideally, you want the max load to be about 60-70% of the max rated output of the power supply, so 1250 watt is a great choice for your setup.
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Ch3ssplay3r
Groupie
Joined: 23 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 164 |
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Posted: 28 Jul 2010 at 2:34pm |
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yep.. that's a TV. lol. For a TV, it's not bad resolution for its size, you could in theory use it as a monitor, but a 24 inch monitor would have the same resolution, and look far better.
That motherboard is fine, but you can save 86$ if you go with the EVGA le edition sli. If you want the features of that one, then keep it. If you have the money for the liquid cooling, go for it. It's quite expensive, but it is quieter and more effective than air cooling. If you are going to overclock the video cards, that LCing them would be the way to go. Plus it looks awesome.  Edited by Ch3ssplay3r - 28 Jul 2010 at 2:36pm |
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