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Looking @ buying new DS rig!

Post Date: 2010-12-10
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Axis View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Looking @ buying new DS rig!
    Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 11:48am
Hello everyone! I'm looking into buying a new gaming rig very soon and out of all the custom computer builders, Digital Storm seems to be one of the best choices. With that being said I would like some input from you guys to help me figure out what would be the best config for me. This would be my first real gaming computer (have owned a few dell comps in the past but not really meant for gaming).

Just to give you an idea of what I will be using this for will of course be for games, but also graphics programs like Photoshop, possibly CAD software, movies, music, internet, all of the MS office programs, and a lot of multitasking, I also plan to have this set up with dual monitors. I want to get a good performance PC that will last me for years to come but also want a good bang for my buck. I made a sample build and I'd like to know what all you hardware guys and gurus think so any comment, suggestions would be welcome, am I on the right path here or am I just nuts!

I was originally looking at going with the GTX580 at first but I changed that a couple of days ago when I saw the 570 which seemed like a better bang for my buck with only slightly less performance than the 580. I also wasn't sure about the SSD, if 40GB would be enough, not really sure on how much space the OS will take up.

Budget: ~$2000
Ticket# 467578
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=467578

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X58 (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: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (40GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X-25V Edition) (Extreme Performance)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM)
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: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua NH-U12P SE Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
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 7 CD)
Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card
Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large)
Warranty: FREE PROMO: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty

Future DS Rig Configuration HERE!
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DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 3:30pm
not sure what size monitor is but I think you will need dual 570 for gaming on 2 monitors, again size of monitors will tell us if you need less or more.

evga has better support, asus is not what it used to be, go with evga mobo.

for dual cards you will need a bigger psu, and for psu here go with brand name.

are you sure 40GB will be enough, I mean I have been saying for years:

HDD1 = fast small drive: os/apps/games

HDD2 = regular large drive: media/personal/work file storage

Don't fill up your HDD1 more then 50%, if think you will need more room for it then pick a bigger one.

but are you sure 40GB is enough room? I think you need bigger HDD1 drive.

rest looks good to me.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Axis View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 4:59pm
Well right now I'm lookin' at getting x2 23-24" monitors @1920 x 1080 resolution, I kinda wanted to avoid a second GPU due to the extra costs associated with it (card/bigger PSU). Games will only be played on one monitor, second will be for multitasking (dunno if that makes a difference?).

Also from what I've read about solid state drives here and on the web is that you can pretty much fill them up (almost) all the way without loss in performance. If that is right then I shouldn't have a lot of wasted space on the drive, no?

Future DS Rig Configuration HERE!
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 5:46pm
well you cant game on more than one monitor unless you are doing the nvidia 3d 3 monitor deal so the primary monitors resolution is all that matters
 
as far as if you should go SLI or not, that depends on the kind of gamer you are: dual 570s offer a lot but if you are more in to media editing it could be a better idea for you stick with one
 
if you like to play newer games and want all the settings jacked up, go the other way... but based on the way you described your use, it sounds like you are more into the design than 'hardcore' gaming, more input from you on this could help the decision
 
as far as HDD space... the 50% deal only applies to disk hard drives, not SSDs. if you can manage your space well then 40 should be good, but again, if you are basing the build more on design then 80 could be a better choice for you
 
just for reference:
i have:
Win764
photoshop
sony vegas
dreamweaver
sc2(9.15 GB)
of course all drivers, codecs, players, etc
 
comes to a total of around 30 gb used.
granted, ssd space is nice to have... $127 for another 40gb is kinda steep
 
if you can afford the 80 and get everything else you need, go for it
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Posts: 69 		  Quote Smarmy Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 6:34pm
You can game on a single video card if you go with an AMD Radeon card. They aren't as powerful as the NVidia cards though.
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Posts: 4219 		  Quote !ender_ Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 7:22pm
you can game on a single nvidia card too lol, whats the motivation for that post?
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 7:35pm
Originally posted by Axis

Well right now I'm lookin' at getting x2 23-24" monitors @1920 x 1080 resolution, I kinda wanted to avoid a second GPU due to the extra costs associated with it (card/bigger PSU). Games will only be played on one monitor, second will be for multitasking (dunno if that makes a difference?).Also from what I've read about solid state drives here and on the web is that you can pretty much fill them up (almost) all the way without loss in performance. If that is right then I shouldn't have a lot of wasted space on the drive, no?


Ok well a 570 should give you what you want if you game on one monitor, but then again, that depends on the games too.

You can almost fill up a ssd without performance loss, but its not the best idea, IMO 40GB is just too small for HDD1, what is the size of your current drive?

IF you are sure 40GB is good enough then go for it.

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Posts: 69 		  Quote Smarmy Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 8:31pm
Originally posted by !ender_

you can game on a single nvidia card too lol, whats the motivation for that post?


Sorry was referring to previous post about gaming on multiple monitors.
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Axis View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 9:20pm
Thanks for the feedback guys:

@!ender, Thanks for the reference, I think 40 GB SSD should be enough for my needs, and all else can be put on the secondary drive.

Also this computer will be for about 60% use gaming, 30% photoshop,movies,etc 10% other. I think if I can run most new games on high settings I can deal.

@DST4ME, Right now I don't have a gaming computer, however my laptop has a 200 GB HD which is just about full.

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DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Dec 2010 at 10:05pm
high settings yes, high aa might be a different story, depending on the game but you should be fine with one 570 at that res, unless you play games like crysis or metro.

out of the 200GB how much of it is media files? I really don't think 40GB is enough, some of todays games are pretty big, but its up to you, you will find both me and DS will recommend at least 80GB for HDD1 with win7 64bit

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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Dec 2010 at 5:51pm
With the new holiday discount I've decided to up my budget a bit to fit in SLI 570's, will most likely end up being a tri-monitor setup too.

Upgraded Mobo/PSU/SLI GPU took out SSD.

Your computer configuration has been saved. Please take note of your ticket number: 469970
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI 3 Edition (USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s) (Model: 131-GT-E767)
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 (500GB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: - No Thanks
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 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua NH-U12P SE Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
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 7 CD)
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 (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: FREE PROMO: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty

Future DS Rig Configuration HERE!
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DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 17 Dec 2010 at 5:57pm

Looks good, change psu to corsair, if you are going tri monitor then sli is what you want, if you are going to spread the game on all monitors. If you have the budget to get the intel 80GB ssd and push the 500GB to HDD2, that would be a great setup.


HDD1 = fast small drive: os/apps/games

HDD2 = regular large drive: media/personal/work file storage

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Axis View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 23 Dec 2010 at 9:51pm
Ordered and Stage 1: Completed

Here's the final config, decided to toss in the SSD after all.

Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 950 3.06GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 SLI 3 Edition (USB 3.0 & SATA 6Gb/s) (Model: 131-GT-E767)
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 (40GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X-25V Edition) (Extreme Performance)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/Samsung (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM)
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 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua NH-U12P SE Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended)
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 7 CD)
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 (Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: FREE PROMO: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 4 Year Limited Warranty

Future DS Rig Configuration HERE!
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DS ELITE
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Dec 2010 at 12:51am
Congrats Let the torture begin

don't forget to post specs and pics

Edited by DST4ME - 24 Dec 2010 at 12:52am

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Axis View Drop Down
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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 24 Dec 2010 at 1:10am
Originally posted by DST4ME

Congrats Let the torture begin

don't forget to post specs and pics

Will do! I'll post a review of it as well once I've tested it out a bit too.

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Posts: 21 		  Quote Axis Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 30 Dec 2010 at 9:35pm
Stage 7: Complete! New computer has been shipped, should have it by next week!

So I had a question, they emailed me the OC settings on the new rig, are these good results for my config?

Overclocked Processor Settings
 
Processor Speed GHz: 3.8
CPU Multiplier: 23
Voltage CPU VCore: 1.3
VDroop Control: Yes
i7 - BCLK MHz: 159
i7 - Voltage QPI\DRAM: 
i7 - Voltage QPI\PLL: 
i7 - Voltage CPU VTT: 150
i7 - Voltage IOH Vcore: 
i7 - Voltage ICH Vcore: 
i7 - Voltage IOH/ICH I/O: 
i7 - PWM Frequency: 
780i/790i - Memory Clock Mode: 
780i/790i - CPU FSB MHz: 
780i/790i - Voltage FSB: 
780i/790i - Voltage SPP: 
780i/790i - Voltage MCP: 
 
Motherboard BIOS: 6774
Video Card Driver: 263.09
Chipset Driver: CD
Sound Card Driver: CD

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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 30 Dec 2010 at 11:36pm
Congrats

Now its time to pray to the shipping gods

nice oc also you gonna love that thing, its gonna be so fast, beast

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