Going to buy soon All input please!Post Date: 2008-10-12 |
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drdoug75 
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Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
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 Topic: Going to buy soon All input please!Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 3:40pm |
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Hey everyone! I think this forum is awesome for all of us who are looking to buy. I have recently decided to upgrade my aging abs machine. It was great for two years but now turned awful. It sounds like DS is a great company and stands behind their machines. So my budget is $3000-3500 dollars. I am also going to upgrade my 17 inch CRT through newegg which I will also take advise on and will put below.
The things the computer will be used for most will be games, burning dl dvds, itunes, and surfing the net. What I don't do is watch movies on it or any real work stuff (occasional word/pp use). I usually play fps/rts games. Love things like half life and total war series, of course hope to try crysis on the new rig. Also, I am not the most computer savy so I am not interested in anything that doesn't have great support aka 64bit windows etc...I want all my drivers to be there for me..... OK here is my build. Chassis: Digital Storm 950Si Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 790i Ultra Core 2 Quad (nForce 790i Ultra SLI) (DDR3 Only) System Memory: 2GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair DHX (High-Performance) Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive 1: 1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - No Thanks Hard Drive 3: - 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) Wireless Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB) (Includes PhysX Technology) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer (CLEARANCE PRICED) Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes) Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) 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: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - 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 External Storage: - No Thanks Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty For monitors Budget 250-500------- Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen HDMI LCD Monitor - Retailruns at 1920x1200 $450or SAMSUNG 2253BW Black 22" 2ms(GTG) DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail1650X1050$250 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  I will purchase a new mouse and keyboard to go with the new computer as well so dont worry about those.I also use a usb hd for backing up itunes etc. Ok you have your budget my needs.............. I will be buying this in a week or two and will take any suggestions! As well as i may have more questions so please check back THANKS Doug |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE 
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 4:32pm |
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ticket number please.
and from what I understand you are gonna be gaming at high resolutions with the new monitor? Edited by DST4ME - 12 Oct 2008 at 4:34pm |
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Lawdog
Newbie
Joined: 18 Aug 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 64 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 5:02pm |
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I like HMs suggestions but also see that you are avoiding 64bit OS...if that is the case 4gb of ram is useless. Speaking of which with 2gb in GPU memory I think you are remiss in not going with a 64bit OS as your computer isn't even going to utilize all the memory you would be getting with just 2gb of RAM. My understanding is that for gaming alone you aren't going to really notice a difference if you went with integrated sound and dropping the sound card. If you do decide that a sound card is the way you want to go ask DSO about the card you've selected. I do know that there has been some serious problems with certain cards in certain builds but for the life of me can't remember which combos they were having problems with.
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drdoug75
Newbie
Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 5:02pm |
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Thanks for the feed back so far...
My ticket number is 194070 |
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drdoug75
Newbie
Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 5:07pm |
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I have heard that some creative sound cards were having trouble with
drivers for vista. I understand what you are saying about sound cards but every PC Gamer thing I have read said that just isn't true that a sound card is still worth the hundred bucks? Second---The reason I was not going with 64 bit windows is I understand it is not as easy to use....the drivers are not all there etc. So 32 bit is the more mainstream version. As I said I am not a computer expert so I need something very stable in the long run Also I heard that the raptor drives were overrated for game speed. They will improve load times but not much more than that? |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 5:21pm |
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here you go Ticket# 194089 --- Price: $3621 (To see this build click here)
nvidia system Copy of Specifications: Chassis: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache) Motherboard: nVidia 790i Ultra Core 2 Quad (nForce 790i Ultra SLI) (DDR3 Only) System Memory: 4GB DDR3 1333MHz OCZ Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive 1: 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (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 Wireless Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB) (Includes PhysX Technology) TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended) Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes) Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) 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: Yes, Overclock memory timings (Includes Memory Fan Kit Installed) Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - 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 External Storage: - No Thanks Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty --------------------------------------------------------- ATI version, this one you can get liquid cooling for highr OC speeds here you go Ticket# 194091 --- Price: $3384 (To see this build click here) Copy of Specifications: Chassis: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 3.0GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache) Motherboard: Asus P5Q3 Deluxe (Intel P45 Chipset) (Supports CrossFire) System Memory: 4GB DDR3 1333MHz OCZ Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive 1: 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (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 Wireless Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4870X2 2GB TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended) Extreme Cooling: Liquid Chilled FrostBite CPU Only Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) 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: Yes, Overclock memory timings (Includes Memory Fan Kit Installed) Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - 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 External Storage: - No Thanks Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty now sounds like everything you heard was not right, yes creative has been having problems with vista, which is why you should go with the razer, its a better card anyways raptors are just fine, I got a bunch, if my old dell xps gen 3 and 4 can handle them, then it will be a piece of cake for todays systems. I also like to point out to you that if you with 2 x 260 vs 2 x 280 gtx, you won't notice much of a difference. Edited by DST4ME - 12 Oct 2008 at 5:21pm |
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Lawdog
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Joined: 18 Aug 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 64 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 5:27pm |
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If I understand you correctly you believe that 32bit only uses 2gb of RAM?? Just to set it straight A 32 bit OS will address 4gb of RAM but that RAM is system RAM. That is what I was trying to say. System RAM includes all the other RAM in your system like the 2gb of RAM between your 2 x 280 graphics cards. Hope that clears things up a bit. As far as the sound card like I said I can't remember but ask DSO when you call to order about which setups were having problems so it's not the combination you have chosen. I do remember it wasn't with all the creative sounds cards only certain versions.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 5:32pm |
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I think the 64bit you are worried about is the 64 bit xp not vista.
vista 64bit has been very good, and as LD said, a 32bit system can handle totall of 4GB of ram. thats sticks and gpu. and I can tell you right now for gaming and etc, you want 4GB of ram. so 4GB of ram and 2GB of ram from your sticks = 6GB of ram, 32 bit os can't handle that. |
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drdoug75
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Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 6:41pm |
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Ok I love the feedback...................
Soooooo If I go with Windows 64bit and 4 ram, is there much benefit to going to 8 gb vs 4? Also I will switch to razr sound card. Thirdly I take it the cool master case must be a favorite. I see everyone asking for it? |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 6:47pm |
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HAF has great flow and lots of room for liquid cooling or air flow.
for its price, stock it comes pretty much stage 3, in short in HAF you either go stage 2 or just to liquid cooling, cause for stage 3 all they do is take out the fans and replace with smaller ones. If you notice when you go to config a gaming system, its the default case, due ot its price and airflow/size. I'm getting it when I order my pc. yes 4GB is more then enough for a user like yourself, 8GB is over kill, you would probably never even dip into the other 4GB if you go with 8GB. the systems I have shown you offer the most power for your price. but notice my nvidia build for you is missing the liquid cooling, so your oc speed with the ati system will be higher, unless you add teh liquid cooling to the nvidia build also. Edited by DST4ME - 12 Oct 2008 at 6:51pm |
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drdoug75
Newbie
Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 8:42pm |
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Thanks for all your input. Definitely a big help!
One more question relating to the ram. I noticed in your build you included 4gb ocz 1333mhz fsb I notice the corsiar is 1600mhz fsb Does this matter? If i go with ocing the ram would you stand by the ocz at 1333 or would the ocz at 1600 be better vs corsiar 4gb 1600mhz ???? |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 8:56pm |
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go with ocz cause corsair has been crappping out.
ocz has 1600 also but if you look at this post we are having a discussion about it here: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=4213 look at the charts and see the difference between 4GB 1600MHz and 4GB 1333MHz, you will see its very little, but if its worth the extra money to you then go with 1600 but if you see its not, you may even want to go with lower ram then the one I listed 
look at all the info then make your decision, if have any questions, I'm at your service 
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SunfighterLC
DS Veteran 
Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1527 |
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Posted: 12 Oct 2008 at 11:06pm |
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I can tell you about the monitor, i assume youll notice my sig =P.
It is definally what id call a budget monitor. The connections in the back are very very spase. You have 1 HDMI connection and 1 VGA. At least thats the only one my model came with. That isnt a big deal though as long as you only plan on one connection. The GTX 280s dont have an HDMI plug on them, so either DS will give you some DVI to HDMI converters, or youll have to buy one (though some cards now come with them). I bought one at Wal-Mart for like 10 bucks.
The picture quality isnt the best, afterall this a budget 28inch. Dont expect much. If you are really into picture editing and movies, then I wouldnt recommend it. Though i didnt see you describe doing that. The contrast isnt very sharp either, so dark areas in games will be really dark, but that can be overcome by just a option>brightness adjustment, or you can just fumble around in the dark..which actually adds to the fun sometimes.
Mine has a LOT of backlight bleeding in the back, but really i dont care about it too much, im not a picture quality freak, nor can I notice it when the screen is on any color other then totally black. But when it is totally black, youll notice the bleed though.
But if all you plan to do is game and you arnt a complete and utter freak on picture quality, i love this monitor a lot. Though id recommend you try to go to a store first like a best buy and find a demo model running and decide for yourself first hand. But this monitor was almost specificly made for a gamer, its not none of the fluff options to jack up the price, it has that amazingly nice response time. Plus keep in mind games dont need a ultimate picture quality monitor, since most games arnt picture realistic quality. Not even crysis comes close to it yet. Maybe someday though.
p.s -- I might add that your original post was great in telling what monitor you plan to get, what you do with your computer and other facts, so few people do that, and it helps out a lot.
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E8500@ 4.03Ghz
XFX 790i Ultra 1000W Corsair HX 2 280 GTX EVGA FTW 4GB OCZ Reaper 1800Mhz 250-80-300GB VR HD Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers Asus Xonar 7.1 Hanns-G HG 281D 28" HDMI Monitor |
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