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Looking for design advice

Post Date: 2009-10-04
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Musicmonkman View Drop Down
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Posts: 35 		  Quote Musicmonkman Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Looking for design advice
    Posted: 04 Oct 2009 at 8:52pm

Greetings,

I am comparing  the i7 Extreme - 5, to a custom built design (ticket # 337566).  The custom build is about $600 more but here are the specific differences:
 
Custom has slightly faster memory 1866MHz compared to 1600MHz on the pre-built
 
Custom is using a smaller power supply 1000W Corsair compared to 1250 Enermax on pre-built
 
Custom is using two WD 500GB HDs in a Raid 0 config, pre-built has WD 1T HD, and WD 500GB as a second HD.
 
Custom has Blueray player & DVD writer/pre-built only DVD.
 
Both are using the 2XSLI Dual GeForce GTX 275 1792MB. (Should I be putting my money into a better GPU i.e. Dual GTX 285 2GB?)
 
Custom uses a Razer Barracuda AC-1, pre-built on board audio
 
Custom uses FrostBite cooling for CPU and GPU and upgraded fans, pre-built, CPU only and no fan upgrade.
 
Other then that the rest of the differences are cosmetic - the prebuilt doesn't seem to have internal lighting, and this is my first real gaming PC, so I kind of wanted the lights!
 
SO I guess my real question is...are these alterations going to really improve perfornmance; are there others I should consider if I am willing to spend up to 4K.
 
Many thanks for any advice you can offer.  I have made the decision to purchase ffrom DS, they seem to be an exceptional company...with exceptional customers.
 
Cheers!
 
 
 
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venom View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote venom Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Oct 2009 at 11:11pm
Personally I would go with the custom build since you have specific needs and wants.
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Optimystic View Drop Down
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Posts: 64 		  Quote Optimystic Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Oct 2009 at 12:20am
IMO if you're going to use a dedicated sound card, it would be better to have the Asus Xonar instead of the Razer Barracuda.
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venom View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote venom Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Oct 2009 at 1:11am
Barracuda is excellent, the ASUS card has some issues.
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DST4ME View Drop Down
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Oct 2009 at 1:27am
1000w corsair is better then 1250w as far as quality and you will never have a use for the 1250w anyways, not to mention the heat and noise of the 1250w.

drop sli 275 1792MB and go with sli 275 896MB, since you will never notice the difference.

not the best idea to put th gpus on the same loop as cpu when you going for 4.0GHz oc, and btw the 4.0GHz oc is not necessary, stage 1 oc will do you just fine.

your custom has some flaws, it needs to be like this:

Here you go Ticket# 337628 --- Price: $3904 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $3604

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
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: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs)
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 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended)
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: Specialized FrostBite Separate Dual Loop System for CPU & Two Video Cards
Liquid Color:UV Blue: Medium Glowing Non-conductive Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 & UV Lighting)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect For H20: Stage 3 UV Fluid)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service)
Tweak Windows: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) With Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus 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
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

if your resolution is at 1900 x 1200 or lower you will not notice any difference what so ever between your config or exreme 5, you will however enjoy better temps and less noise with this one.

if you want a fast HDD then instead of raid upgrade to an ssd or veloci, personally I would upgrade to a ssd next year.


Edited by DST4ME - 05 Oct 2009 at 1:29am

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Musicmonkman View Drop Down
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Posts: 35 		  Quote Musicmonkman Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Oct 2009 at 8:12am
DST4ME,
 
Many thanks for taking the time to review this, & many thanks for the info! 
 
I was thinking of going with dual  NVIDIA GeFOrce GTX 285 2GB cards instead.
This may bump up the price a bit...but I think I'm okay eith that.
 
In the near future I'll be using a 24 inch monitor, but may bump that up in a year or so.  I want to pretty much be able to play any game at a maximum res, and have some insurance that this rig will be with me for a few years...I do like the upgradeability of SD!
 
 
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Musicmonkman View Drop Down
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Posts: 35 		  Quote Musicmonkman Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Oct 2009 at 8:24am
UPATED RIG - 337591
 
Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm 950Si
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 940 2.93 GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: XFX X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1866MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Set 1 Raid Options: Configure HDD Set 1 to a Raid 0 Config - Stripe Performance (Requires Two HDDs)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs)
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 285 2GB) (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended)
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: Specialized FrostBite Separate Dual Loop System for CPU & Two Video Cards
Liquid Color:UV Blue: Medium Glowing Non-conductive Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 & UV Lighting)
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect For H20: Stage 3 UV Fluid)
Enhancements: LCD Temperature Display & Fan Controller (Requires Chassis Airflow Upgrade)
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
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 (64-Bit Edition) With Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus 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
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

IIts a bit more then I planned, but okay.  Any opinions on Raid 0; I agree with DST4M that ssd would be choice one, but it's a bit out of my range for now.  is Raid 0 a compromise or a waste?
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DST4ME View Drop Down
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Posts: 36758 		  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 05 Oct 2009 at 9:04am
you will not notice the difference in gaming between 2 x 275 gtx 896MB and 2 x 285 gtx 2GB, so go back to 275 and don't waste your money. 2 x 275 will run 1900 x 1200 at max settings and high aa and af.

Should you upgrade your monitor in the future you will need to go tri sli, but somehow I have feeling that when that happens you will want a pair of then new gpus instead of adding a 3rd 275, but either way you are good to go, tho I believe that a dual sli Fermi will beat the heck of out of tri sli 275/285,and for 2560 x 1600 res, thats what you want.

I droped the upgrade fans from the config cause they are no use and all they will bring is noise.

over clocking the gpus will bring you no performance you will notice but they will bring more heat you don't need, which is why I had dropped that also.

the lcd fan control is pointless, instead of the fan control and extra fans, upgrade your case to the hailstorm and as them to paint its fans red like pic it has.

don't tweak the windows either, its pointless and you might endup needing one of the services that is disabled, but you will not notice any change what so ever from this tweak.

raid zero is ok but why not just use a 500GB for the next 6 month then upgrade to a ssd then, its real easy, you just follow the clone guide in from my sig and you are good to go.

btw when you pick raid, for the first drive you need to pick the 2 x 500GB option, right now you have chosen 3 drives, 2 for HDD1 and 1 for HDD2.

Edited by DST4ME - 05 Oct 2009 at 9:05am

Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers
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Optimystic View Drop Down
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Posts: 64 		  Quote Optimystic Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Oct 2009 at 1:59am
What kind of issues? I have been looking for information on the Barracuda, but the only reviews I can seem to find are over two years old!! And I cannot seem to find any for sale on any websites, everybody seems to have stopped carrying them. Even Razer's own website doesn't show the card in their Products list. Weird.....
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venom View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote venom Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 06 Oct 2009 at 11:27pm
I've had some random driver issues.  But I think the biggest thing I hate about it is that stupid floppy power it requires.  ASUS should have re-thought their design on that aspect.
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