Looking for some configuration advice

This is a ddr3 board.  This is a very nice setup with great advice from a former (and missed!) customer!

were is your ticked number?

here you go $3689

Chassis: Digital Storm 850Si
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 Q9550 2.83GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)
Motherboard: Asus P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP (Intel X48 Chipset) (Supports CrossFire)
System Memory: 4GB DDR3 Corsair at 1333MHz
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
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: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 WindTunnel (Copper Heatpipe Heatsink & Additional Case Fans)
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: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (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
External Storage: - No Thanks
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

I can't believe you are not going for liquid cooling and OC for that price and for buying here

OK then let me explain.

if I told you for $45 you can get a qx9780 3.4GHz which is going to be much faster then your current q9550 2.8GHz, would you get it? keep in mind that a qx9770 3.2GHz would cost you $1200 and its at 3.2GHz not 3.4GHz.

now cosmos s is a great case, but for air cooling you can save the money and go with 850si which another great case. Unless you specifically want cosmos s for your own reasons then never mind. that why I changed your case.

change your HDD cause for $22 more you could get 200GB more. that why I changed your HDD to 500GB

upgraded one of your DVD drives to lightscribe cause its just a great feature to have.

removed your second DVD cause most cases there is no use for 2 DVD drives, I have 2 myself what a waste. but again if you have a need for 2 then never mind.


upped your air cooling from stage 2 to stage 3 cause you got 2 ATI cards in there and cool air is your friend.

those where the reasons behind my changes, think about them and if they don't apply then discard

as for your own build/ticket, there are no problems, everything looks good, I would raise the warranty to 4 years

hope that helps.




Edited by DST4ME - 09 Sep 2008 at 4:24pm

Ok, lets see, you have choosen 2 ati cards, (4780 x 2) = 2 cards at a total of 2GB of ram (1GB each card) so you looking at some heat.

As for cosmos s, to be honest I'm just letting you know that the 850si will do just fine for air cooling,but I love comos s myself and I would get comsos s if I was in your shoes, for the same exact reasons you have choosen it.

2 dvd drives, its your money, you do what ever you think will be fine for you, we are just advising what things you can cut if you like

2nd HDD, I only upgraded that because 22 dollars for 200GB is a steal, but again what ever you like

you never answered this question of mine:

if I told you for $45 you can get a qx9780 3.4GHz which is going to be much faster then your current q9550 2.8GHz, would you get it? keep in mind that a qx9770 3.2GHz would cost you $1200 and its at 3.2GHz not 3.4GHz.

-takes a guess-  More processing power, less likely for the processor to be a bottleneck when both that and the ATI card start working on your games?

(Since FPS can also be affected if your processor is not up to it)


Edited by Axel Daemon - 09 Sep 2008 at 5:57pm

Gotcha...but you're making it sound like the processor I chose is a chump that can't handle anything but Peggle.  I think it's pretty good, and since I'm obviously not going to "top end nothing beats it" build, isn't it sufficient for what I am looking for?  However, if I can overclock and stick with air cooled, I may explore it.  If you haven't guessed it by now, I really, really do not want liquid cooling.  :)  Nothing I've read and have been told have convinced me it's the right choice for what I'm looking for.

Art, widdlecat is our sound expert if you will, you can wait for her or call DS to make sure the integrated sound will satisfy what you have.

OK your processor is great, but you are not taking advantage of its full capabilities, to do so you need to over clock.

you can't achieve the speed/stability with fans that a liquid cooling can deliver. not to mention liquid cooling is very quiet.

the thing to consider here art is this:

do want a PC that has a speed is 2.8 for $3717

or

do want a PC that has a speed of 3.4 or higher for $80 more?

the difference is that you gain speed but lose one DVD drive and sound card.

I'm pretty sure the sound card and DVD are not a necessity, and your money is better spent on a faster/more quiet PC then a needless DVD drive and possibly needless sound card.

what resolution is the monitor you are running?

Edited by DST4ME - 09 Sep 2008 at 6:23pm

I think I did answer that question and pointed out to you that have picked 2 graphic cards and I would say stage 3 is a better idea, if you want less noise and better cooling, liquid is the way to go. But I'm not sure how stage 2 cooling is gonna go with 2 4780 cards, and because of that I don't think you will see much OC for stage 2 and those 2 cards combined.

you won't get 3.2 from stage 2 cooling, you will need better cooling to get that. however details, DS would know better.

I don't want you to think that I'm pushing liquid cooling on you.

but

if you want to upgrade and be able to achieve maximum speeds then you can't do it without liquid cooling, (think down the road when you want to upgrade)

liquid cooling is very quiet comparing to fans.

my arguments for liquid cooling with anybody is: faster/more stable speeds, more quite PC, upgradability.

my advise is money better spent at $3800 with water cooling due to reasons above.

now you pick what you think is right for you, but with your graphic card choice you are going to be better off with stage 3 cooling, not sure how stage 2 will do for you.

I asked for your monitor to see if you needed 2 gpu-s (graphic cards)and yes you do. so 2 gpu-s = stage 3 cooling best choice.

OK, so if I were to go with liquid cooling, which option should I choose?  Do I need to cool everything, the CPU, the GPU?  It gets very expensive and can quickly put me over my limit - though I said $4000 is max, I certainly don't want to spend that much.

you want:

Extreme Cooling: Liquid Chilled FrostBite CPU Only

pick that option art and its only the cpu, yes.

Extreme Cooling: Liquid Chilled FrostBite CPU Only