Looking For A Rig

Hey guys, im pretty new to the forums and just discovered this site about a month ago , but im currently looking for a new Gaming Rig. This Rig would be for specificly World of Warcraft and maybe video capturing off of my xbox 360.

Edited by Fearnot - 07 Apr 2010 at 9:59pm

Nvidia system:

Here you go Ticket# 398283 --- Price: $2963 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2963

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Not Available
Trim Accents: - Not Available
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: CMFSSD-256GBG2D)
Set 1 Raid Options: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Seagate/Hitachi/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 22x / 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 470 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Available
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - Not Available
Chassis Mods: - Not Available
Noise Reduction: - Not Available
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: - Not Available
Boost Memory: - Not Available
Boost OS: - Not Available
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - Not Available
Office: - Not Available
Benchmarking: - Not Available
Install/Test Game: FREE: Please include a free copy of a hot-selling game
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 (Medium)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

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Ati system:

Here you go Ticket# 398284 --- Price: $2907 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2907

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Not Available
Trim Accents: - Not Available
Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (256GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: CMFSSD-256GBG2D)
Set 1 Raid Options: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Seagate/Hitachi/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 22x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI)
H20 Tube Color:- Not Available
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - Not Available
Chassis Mods: - Not Available
Noise Reduction: - Not Available
Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: - Not Available
Boost Memory: - Not Available
Boost OS: - Not Available
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - Not Available
Office: - Not Available
Benchmarking: - Not Available
Install/Test Game: FREE: Please include a free copy of a hot-selling game
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 (Medium)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

the micro only gives you 2 pci lanes free, seems to me like you would need more pci lanes, the tv card will need its own pci lanes for example.

Edited by DST4ME - 08 Apr 2010 at 1:08am

Originally posted by Herniter Off topic, kind of on topic.  Have you read the new sneak preview for Locks and Shamans review for Cataclysm?  I'm really impressed so far, amazing changes on both classes, can't wait for the next 7 class reviews that will be coming out in the next 2 days.  Looks like they're finally removing the barrier between pures and "hybrids" in PvE along with game breaking PvP changes, will have to wait and see if it lives up to the hype.

I am excited for the new changes    I have personally been a all around top PvE player until the last couple months when i switched over my focus to PvP more. I am in the guild Premonition (World First Anub 50 Woot!) but changed out to serious PvP when i got tired of simple PVE content, altho Anub 50 was pretty fun wiping non-stop. but over all PvE gets boring i find when PvP can be undetermined, considering every player has a different play style, while PvE has the same boss mechanics, Don't stand in this purple void zone, avoid fire. Anyways can't wait to hear about class changes .

Which is one of the reasons Im looking to upgrade my Gaming Rig, Cataclysm will be nice with a new system. Have had one from IBUYPOWER for a while and its lacking the preformance Im looking for.

BTW, Im not saying 25man H LK is easy mode lol, Im just saying its basicly been the same boss mechanics with a colour change from Blizz this expansion. I mean Naxx was pretty much the exact same thing as 40man version back in Pre BC. hopefully they step PvE up in Cataclysm

Edited by Fearnot - 08 Apr 2010 at 3:42pm

1. for 3D yes nvidia is better tho for wow I'm not sure there is a big difference between ati and nvidia, wow is not really a real high tech 3D game.

2. no for your res and game the 480 would be pure waste, the 470 and 5850 to be honest are more then what wow needs.

3. no there is no changes need to be made the system I configed can handle whatever you throw at it, be it games or other tasks.

4. Integrated Motherboard Audio would slow down the pc back in the old days, todays cpus with 4 cores and the power that they have, will not even blink as far as performance goes with a Integrated Motherboard Audio. However if sound is important to you, then a sound card is what you need for sound quality, specially if you use headphones. Whatever sound card you like to get, make sure that its supported by win7 64bit.

5. when you shop for monitor, shop for panel quality first, the panel is what is responsible for the picture quality of your monitor. TN panels are most common and have lower picture quality, IPS panels have much better quality and that is the type of monitor you want, these panels are more expensive and I'm not sure if they fit in your budget. But if you can find a good one in your budget then go for it. the panels offered here at DS are all TN panels.

My pleasure feel free to ask anymore questions you have.

Originally posted by Fearnot Thank You very much for the replies, I've gone over all of the configs you both have posted and had some questions. All of These Questions are Assuming the Nvidia System is better for my Gaming Requirements (World of Warcraft)

Originally posted by Fearnot Q1) From what i've been reading, Nvidia seems to be a better card than the ATI's for 3D gaming, such as World of Warcraft. So a Nvidia card would be a better choice no?

I do not believe that ATI offers 3D support at this time, the only 3D packages I've seen are from Nvidia.  I would however find fire jumping out of my screen very distracting while I'm trying to raid or PvP and I find the 3D glasses to be very uncomfortable especially while trying to wear a headset which I believe is a requirement in your situation.  If you're looking for general FPS numbers you won't notice a performance increase at your current resolution with a more powerful card, the 5850 should keep you above 30FPS while raiding.  If you plan to upgrade to a 1920x1200 monitor I would go with a 5870 or 470gtx, and either dual 5870s, 470s, or 480s at extreme dual/tri monitor resolutions 3840x1200.  If   I were you I would stick with a single monitor solution for raiding, the bezel gap can be very annoying / distracting and IMO makes the game look ugly.  The only places I could see you dropping under 30FPS with my recommended set up would be in Wintergrasp where you're surrounded by 100+ people and possible Dalaran. 

Originally posted by Fearnot Q2) DST4ME , I noticed in your Nvidia system, you posted a vide card of : 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology) , would it be a better choice to go with a 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) card? And if yes, how much of a difference would it make?

It would make noticeable difference around the lag fire in ICC and in zones with hundreds of people like Dalaran and WG.

Originally posted by Fearnot Q3) Going over my options for Video Capturing , I've decided to use my current desktop for that, Instead this config would be completely for Gaming Purposes and to play music while gaming . making this change, would i be requried to change anything in your Nvidia system that you posted?

Nope.

Originally posted by Fearnot Q4) My current sound card is crap, Now having a Integrated Motherboard Audio would in theory slow down my gameplay correct? Would it be a better option to get a : Creative Labs X-Fi Fatality Champion (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot based)card instead? or will the Integrated Motherboard Audio not effect my gameplay (like I said don't know what exactly effects what here)

The integrated sound on the motherboards offered is quite good, even with a 5.1 surround sound system IMO, unless you are a audiophile or DJ I can't justify the cost.
 

Originally posted by Fearnot Q5) The Nvidia system you posted is under my budget by a bit, and I have the money to spend on a system that will last for a while (3-4yrs or so) With that left over cash , would it be a wise idea to get a new monitor with this new Gaming Rig offered here, such as a Hanns 28 inch (widescreen) (Black) (High-Preformance Gaming Display) ???

I would just bank the other 2 grand and upgrade in top tier PC in 3 years, I would not waste 700$ on a SSD it will not make a noticeable difference in your day to day use of the comp.  Anything more than what I've recommended is throwing your money away(IMO ). 

Originally posted by Fearnot Or say i wanted to do a dual monitor set up with 2x Samsung 24inch (Widescreen) (Black) (high-preformance gaming Display)?

You'll need a bigger video card, see paragraph one :). 

Originally posted by Fearnot Any info on these questions is a big help :) And thank you both for taking the time to post what you think is good for my Gaming needs :) much Appreciated

Originally posted by Fearnot alright thanks, very much apreciated one thing i just realised tho , the res i posted is the res i game at, the native resolution is 1600x1280 : / sorry , i screwed up there big time lol

Nah you didn't, the 5850 is a great card for that resolution.

Originally posted by DST4ME 2. no for your res and game the 480 would be pure waste, the 470 and 5850 to be honest are more then what wow needs.

I assure you that with your raiding needs the 5850 is not overkill for you in the least bit, I understand in a top tier guild like Paranition :P that even the smallest amount of FPS lag can result in a raid wipe, and with limited attempts and world/server firsts at stake that isn't quite acceptable. 


Edited by Herniter - 08 Apr 2010 at 11:14pm

Originally posted by Herniter I would just bank the other 2 grand and upgrade in top tier PC in 3 years, I would not waste 700$ on a SSD it will not make a noticeable difference in your day to day use of the comp.  Anything more than what I've recommended is throwing your money away(IMO ).

Bupkis. A SSD will make significant and very noticeable difference in day to day computer use.

SSDs have completely ruined me to standard HDDs, I will never again have a computer without one for OS/apps. I have a hard time even using my conventional HDD for mass storage, it's depressing, I've just been keeping a lot of my commonly used media on my SSDs. The access time is grueling even on the fresh scarcely used HDD and I know it's only going to take a nose dive over time from there. And the noise! I'm used to older 5,400 RPM drives, this 7,200 RPMer is much louder and very annoying, I couldn't imagine using a faster 10,000 RPM HDD. Luckily under power settings you can have it power down after a set time of no use, this makes it slower to power back on and access things when I need but the silence is bliss.

The better question is how much time someone spends on their computer. If you spend a lot of time on your computer I feel they are an absolutely vital upgrade. From there you just have to figure out how much you're willing to spend on them. You can get a top notch Intel 80GB SSD for $220 if you're on a budget, for example.

ATI does 3D..

Thank you very much DST4ME, im just going to go over some final things and then i'll probably place my order :D

and thank you for posting the last build too :)
and thank you guys for all the help you've given me :)