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Help on a config.

Post Date: 2013-02-19
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nickRN View Drop Down
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Posts: 8 		  Quote nickRN Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Help on a config.
    Posted: 19 Feb 2013 at 3:42pm
Budget:
3000 +/-500

Expectations:
General gaming (mainly things like SC2, BF3, WoW) and something upgrade able for future use. I would also like something more on the quiet side and a low profile would be nice but not a must.

Usage:
Generally just gaming and office use. Video/photo editing but nothing hardcore just home stuff.

Special Needs:
As mentioned before something on the quieter side.

Just to give an idea I've been looking at the slade, bolt and ODE set ups. I will need a monitor and keyboard but am not counting those in the budget so feel free to tack those on or if there's any suggestions not offered by DS as well. Thanks for any advice.
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DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Feb 2013 at 8:59pm
To get the most bang for your buck one should always build the pc around what one needs.

for gaming for example to do this, you need to build the pc around the monitor's native res, the reason for this is if you put more gpu power then needed to run that res, you are simply flushing money down the drain cause you are never gonna see the difference in power, for example say you have a res of 1900 x 1200, if I tell you get tri sli 670 or 680, one of those cards is pure waste, as in if I took one out of your pc, you would never notice it.

Now there is more to it, but lets start with monitor, you said you need one, whats the budget for a monitor? I can tell you right now if you want a decent monitor, you want an ips monitor, and dell ultrasharp makes some great monitors, you will find many many people here have one, from the 23" to the 30" which is a beast. The range is from like $299 to $1399.

Have a look at the different models here

see which fits your budget, remember if you see a good price difference between 2 similar sizes, most likely its because of higher brightness, more color support and processor, which are the things you want to pay attention to when looking at a monitor (of course once you know its an ips monitor, that is the most important).

so have a look and tell us your top 3 choices, the price is not a big deal in the sense that for example the u3011 is listed for $1399 but you if you wait for sale every few months you can get it for like $1100, but thats just an example, there is new model of the u30 coming out but we will get into that later if you are interested.

As for quiet, that a whole different story, and not one that is simple, but I will try to make it simple, most of your noise will come from your gpus's fan when under load, the only way around that is to put gpus on LC.

Edited by DST4ME - 19 Feb 2013 at 9:00pm

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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nickRN View Drop Down
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Posts: 8 		  Quote nickRN Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Feb 2013 at 8:42am
Of those probably the 24 inche widescreen flat panel with premier color (449) would be the top choice then just the 23 inch widescreen flat panel (299) as an alternate. I'm in no rush really so depending on when the u30 came out and if it makes much of a difference I'd be willing to wait.
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Feb 2013 at 8:43am
Hi nickRN....  To expand a bit on DST's advice and assuminy you pick a 1920x1080 monitor, here's a build in your budget that will play great, have excellant cooling and relatively quiet.   
 
Config # 789707    Cost $ 2819
 
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Features Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Neutron GTX Series) (SATA 6Gbps)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)
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 670 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
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 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Game: - No Thanks
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 (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

The ODE 4 will be $300 cheaper for the same gaming but this has the better case, a little quieter and better power supply and cooler.  Either are very good.

This isn't a low profle case, but is the best.  For low profile and a bit quieter check out the Slade with similar components except the Noctua D14  cooler doesn't fit.  DS recommends the Vortex 120 for the Slade .  The Slade is a nice. clean and quiet case but you do sacrifice airflow for quiet.  I prefer the airflow but your call of course.
 
Hope this helps. Big%20Smile
 
For most gaming, even a single gtx 670 might be all you need.  On a 1920x1080 res, only some of the gpu hogs like Metro, Crysis Warhead, etc need the second card if you want Ultra gaming.  If high to max gaming graphics is fine, then like DST said, only get what you need, a single card in alot of cases IMO.  Can always add later if not happy, but I doubt it.  Depends what makes you happy. 
Here's a link to see what a single 670 will give you on average.
 
SC2 and BF 3 are in there.  WOW I'm not sure.
 
 
 
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 20 Feb 2013 at 8:56am
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MaxHeadroom View Drop Down
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Posts: 28 		  Quote MaxHeadroom Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Feb 2013 at 1:03pm
With that kind of budget, I'd go bigger on the SSD -- 240GB for the Neutron GTX or 256GB for the 840 Pro. That way you can have more apps on the SSD and you get better overall performance.

Also, I personally recommend getting the best single GPU you can get. With straight-up FPS not being as much of a factor at this level -- now it's frame latency or whatever they call it -- multiple GPUs aren't as much of a help as you might think. Plus, waiting for profiles is a pain.

For monitor, I recommend the 27" size 2560x1440 res. I went from an Acer 23" 1920x1080 to an ASUS PB278Q, and the difference is incredible. The picture is beautiful, and the colors/brightness are uniform. It uses the Samsung PLS panel tech. It's fully adjustable, and comes with all of the cables in the box (DP, DL-DVI, HDMI, VGA). In any case, use the DisplayPort connection as it gives best performance (multiple manufacturers recommend using DP as the best one in their manuals).

For a keyboard, I recommend a mechanical. I picked up a Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 and it's been awesome. It's my first mechanical, and I won't be going back. It has great feel. Took a couple of hours to get used to the Cherry MX Blue clicks, as they sound different than a standard membrane keyboard. Also, the Synapse software for configuration is great. I went with a Razer Taipan gaming mouse as I play more FPSes so I don't need 15 buttons like the MMO mice have.

My recommendation (using bprat22's as a base): 789881

My new system (about two weeks old):
Intel i7-3770K
ASUS P8Z77M-PRO
16GB DDR3-1600 Crucial Ballistix Sport
EVGA GTX 680 Superclocked
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD
Seagate Barracuda 3TB hard drive
ASUS 12B1ST/G/AS Blu-Ray recorder
Corsair HX650 power supply
Thermaltake Armor A30 case (might switch to a Cooler Master HAF XB case)
Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 keyboard
Razer Taipan mouse
ASUS PB278Q 27" 2560x1440 monitor

Edited by MaxHeadroom - 20 Feb 2013 at 4:20pm
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DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Feb 2013 at 3:23pm
Originally posted by nickRN

Of those probably the 24 inche widescreen flat panel with premier color (449) would be the top choice then just the 23 inch widescreen flat panel (299) as an alternate. I'm in no rush really so depending on when the u30 came out and if it makes much of a difference I'd be willing to wait.


Well see its not that easy, to config a system for 1900 x 1200 would be a little different than 2560 x 1600 res which the 30" would have.

lets get somethings cleared so we know the monitor for sure.

1. 1900 x 1200, for this res most you are probably gonna need is dual sli at best.

2. 2560 x 1600, for this res most you could need could be tri sli, so you gonna need a platform that can support that should you need it IMHO.

3. 2560 x 1600, at this res everything looks better, the higher the res the more details the image has which = better looking image.(this applies to pics, videos, etc.)

4. Now as for the 2 model of 24" you mentioned, the one with premier color ($449 after discount) is hte u2410, if you look to its right, you see the u2413, the 2410 was followed by 2411 and 2412, however even tho its the oldest of the 3, its still the most expensive, the reason is because it has a better processor, now its been replaced by the u2413 same/better processor but led, so if you looking at that, keep in mind the new version is already out, just wanted to make sure you know.

Now you have to decide, do you want to go/wait for the u3014 with 2560 x 1600 res, premier color and led for probably around $1399 or do you want to still go 24"/23" 1900 x 1200 and if so, with the new info, which 24"/23" are you looking at?

Sorry not trying to make this take forever but just want to make sure you get the right pc for now and future if you plan on upgrading the monitor/res.

For games like BF3 or metro what kinda gpu power you need is totally different, and at higher res you gonna want sli if the games you play utilize sli.

Edited by DST4ME - 20 Feb 2013 at 3:25pm

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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nickRN View Drop Down
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Posts: 8 		  Quote nickRN Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Feb 2013 at 4:11pm
No, by all means everyone's help is very much appreciated. I used to know enough to probably make this go quicker but that was like 5-6 years ago and am pretty out of the loop so sorry for not knowing more to make this easier on you guys. After that last post I'd probably just go with the U2413 24" monitor.
Hopefully that gives you something to go on. Again my budget is pretty flexible, I'm an RN so I can pick up pretty much any amount of extra hours to make up for anything that goes a bit over budget. Thanks for all the help guys.
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DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Feb 2013 at 4:22pm
Very good, I just got that monitor, its fantastic for a 24".

so now assuming you gonna stick with the same res for the next 4 years, I like bprat22's build, however I'm not crazy about the armor on sabertooth, I like the deluxe and for extra $48 its no big deal IMHO.

I'm not sure if 16GB of ram is needed, 8GB should be enough but if you think you need it keep it.

Most ssds, bigger they are faster they are, in this case the 240GB gtx is a little bit faster, and has more room, I would go with that one if budget allows, but as long as you are on one of those you are good, you can't go wrong with either.

Ask DS specifically for this fan to be added to the top, so you endup with 4 x 200mm fans:

haf 200mm non led fan

while we are talking fans, fyi, you can ask DS to change all fans to red/blue led if you wanted(might be able to do green now also), there would be total of 4 big fans as mentioned tho its really 3 x 200mm and the front 230mm fans.

Edited by DST4ME - 20 Feb 2013 at 4:23pm

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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