Looking to buy a new computer

here you go Ticket# 187325 --- Price: $1541 (To see this build click here)

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis: Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: AMD Phenom 9750 (2.4GHz) (Quad Core) (2 MB Cache) AM2+
Motherboard: Asus M3A (AMD 770 Chipset)
System Memory: 4GB DDR2 800MHz OCZ
Card Reader: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Wireless Access: D-Link Wireless-G 108Mbps (Supports 802.11g/b)
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes)
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: - No Thanks, Please test my memory, I will be responsible for software based support
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


better case, better cooling

I like to advise you to go vista 64 bit but in this case you have picked no operating system, was that intentional?

Originally posted by DST4ME here you go Ticket# 187325 --- Price: $1541 (To see this build click here) Copy of Specifications: Chassis: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Power Supply: 750W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Processor: AMD Phenom 9750 (2.4GHz) (Quad Core) (2 MB Cache) AM2+ Motherboard: Asus M3A (AMD 770 Chipset) System Memory: 4GB DDR2 800MHz OCZ Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive 1: 150GB Western Digital Raptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - No Thanks Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Wireless Access: D-Link Wireless-G 108Mbps (Supports 802.11g/b) Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes) 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: - No Thanks, Please test my memory, I will be responsible for software based support 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 better case, better cooling I like to advise you to go vista 64 bit but in this case you have picked no operating system, was that intentional?

Edited by Zandra - 25 Sep 2008 at 8:29pm

okay one of my friends looked at the specs and he said that since I already have an 8800 video card I should just spend a little more and go ahead and get it sli compatible.  He suggested getting another 8800 video card and I can put that one in the extra slot.  This is what he suggests:  187344 He agrees with you DST that I should def get that case and he even thinks I might need the stage 3 cooling?  Though is now 200 over my budget but, thats okay it wont totally break me.  :)  I can live off of chocolate grasshoppers for a few months. 

Edited by Zandra - 25 Sep 2008 at 9:33pm

HM if he runs out of space he can add another drive, atleast this way he has a fast os now.

so its 8800gts? well then 4850 is better not sure by how much, I mean if he already has a card then I guess for the price difference its better to stick with 8800.

HM is right, if your resolution is under 1680 x 1050 then you should be find with one card.

HM is right but I'm not sure how big of a difference there is.


HM does make some good points, aside from the the raptor one

Oh I thought you knew, if its ultra then its a great one.

4850 and 8800gts are pretty close,

as for warranty, its just an hdd being added, I got 8 of them, well more but we will just count the 8.

HDD is cheap and easy to replace, don't you agree.

yes she sorry

in that case since he has a card and his budget is limited and the card is no where near the cost of hdd, I think money is better spent getting duplicate of what you have and a fast hdd.

An Sli pair of 8800GT's will nearly keep up with the HD4870x2 in most situations at a 1680x1050 resolution. That card doesn't really get rolling until you hit a 24" screen with AA enabled, or a 30" screen without. A 650W PSU is plenty for a pair of 8800GT's. There isn't room in a $1600 build for a luxury HDD IMO, but there is room for a tremendous amount of performance.

$1591

Edited by Tyler Lowe - 26 Sep 2008 at 12:26am

I think you are gonna be good with 2 x 8800 GT.

Zandra, you'd be very hard pressed to outperfrom a pair of 8800GT's at the resolutions you'll be gaming at. Your friend gave you excellent advice in my opinion. I will try to make my suggested build less confusing by explaining my choices.

I selected this chasis, because the case air flow is very good without paying for an upgrade to the fans used. The 8800 GT is a sinlge slot graphics card, which means it can't exhaust the hot air it creates outside of your case. Since you will be running two 8800GT's, and both of these will be leaving any heat they generate inside your case, it is very important to provide adequate air circulation. The HAF does this, and it does this very well.

Power Supply: 650W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible)

I selected this power supply because it is up to the task of providing power for this suggested system as I have it configured. The only disadvantage here, is that you really do not have much room to upgrade your graphics cards to something in the mid range in the future. for that, you might want to consider going to a 750W power supply. This would have put you very slightly over budget however, so I left it at 650W.

 

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)

 

With the processor price changes, the Q9550 is a logical upgrade from a Q9450. It overclocks well, and provides an excellent basis for a gaming system. You will find that the quad core will not only allow you to get the best possible performance from the latest gaming titles, but you will be much less apt to see any slowdown when opening multiple applications at once.

Motherboard: NVIDIA 750i SLI Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 750i SLI)

 

This is the least expensive SLI capable motherboard, and it does support the CPu selected. More expensive motherboards have more USB ports and support more overclocking features, but the 750i is a very good motherboard for the money. It will allow you to support both of your Nvidia graphics cards without breaking the bank. Just as a point of clarification, SLI capable motherboards will not allow Crossfire, so you have to choose one or the other, either you can run two ATI cards on a Crossfire capable motherboard, or you can run two Nvidia graphics cards on an SLI capable motherboard.

 

System Memory: 4GB DDR2 800MHz OCZ

800MHz memory is fast enough to support overclocking up to a 1600MHz frontside bus speed..... In plain English, it's fast enough for your needs. You do not need to pay for faster RAM. It's good enough to get you a decent overclock, and it's fast enough that you will not see any sort of system performance limitations based on your RAM. I selected OCZ because it has been the most reliable brand DSO offers recently.

 

 

Hard Drive 1: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)

I selected a single 500GB hard drive since it is the most economical choice, and it will provide more than enough storage for the average user. You can still ask DSO to create a seperate operatinf system partition when they build your system so that you can get most of the advantages of a dual hard drive setup without the expense.

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT 512MB (Includes PhysX Technology) (CLEARANCE PRICED)

Given the fact you already own a single 8800GT, there is no better or more economical choice for this system in my opinion. Even more expensive options offer next to no advantage over a pair of 8800GT's when used to support a 22" screen. The most powerful graphics cards on the market are designed with 30" screens in mind. You selection of a pair of 8800GT's is excellent, and you will be simply amazed with the performance.

 

Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio

There is no need to upgrade the onboard sound. This is something you can always improve later if you really want to, but the onboard sound on a premium motherboard like any of the 7 series offered, including the 750i is very good. If you have not heard modern onboard sound,  you are in for a treat.

 

Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes)

I selected this option to ensure you get the best possible overclock with an air cooled system. This is an upgrade to the heatsink used on the CPU. I highly reccomend this upgrade even for those not planning to overclock as it has a dramatic impact on operating temperatures.

 

Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Red Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes)

A little bit of "bling" and some "Wow" factor for the system. It's cheap, and can be turned off if you get tired of the effect, but it's a bit of fun, and says "customized" for $10. Drop it if you'd rather save the money.

 

Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability

This is a very inexpensive way to improve your system's performance in a noticeable way. The increase in system speed does not effect your warranty coverage. Your system is still 100% under warranty, and will perform like a CPU many hundreds of dollars more expensive. This is a "must have" IMO.

 

Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory

While I opted for the CPU overclock, these other services fall under the "nice to have but not neccesary" category. I would rather put the money I might have spent here into other improvements in this build such as the upgrade to the HAF case or the amazing Q9550 CPU.

 

 

Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)

Edited by Tyler Lowe - 26 Sep 2008 at 12:27am

Originally posted by Tyler Lowe Zandra, you'd be very hard pressed to outperfrom a pair of 8800GT's at the resolutions you'll be gaming at. Your friend gave you excellent advice in my opinion. I will try to make my suggested build less confusing by explaining my choices.   Copy of Specifications: Chassis: Cooler Master HAF 932 I selected this chasis, because the case air flow is very good without paying for an upgrade to the fans used. The 8800 GT is a sinlge slot graphics card, which means it can't exhaust the hot air it creates outside of your case. Since you will be running two 8800GT's, and both of these will be leaving any heat they generate inside your case, it is very important to provide adequate air circulation. The HAF does this, and it does this very well. Power Supply: 650W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) I selected this power supply because it is up to the task of providing power for this suggested system as I have it configured. The only disadvantage here, is that you really do not have much room to upgrade your graphics cards to something in the mid range in the future. for that, you might want to consider going to a 750W power supply. This would have put you very slightly over budget however, so I left it at 650W.   Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache)   With the processor price changes, the Q9550 is a logical upgrade from a Q9450. It overclocks well, and provides an excellent basis for a gaming system. You will find that the quad core will not only allow you to get the best possible performance from the latest gaming titles, but you will be much less apt to see any slowdown when opening multiple applications at once. Motherboard: NVIDIA 750i SLI Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 750i SLI)   This is the least expensive SLI capable motherboard, and it does support the CPu selected. More expensive motherboards have more USB ports and support more overclocking features, but the 750i is a very good motherboard for the money. It will allow you to support both of your Nvidia graphics cards without breaking the bank. Just as a point of clarification, SLI capable motherboards will not allow Crossfire, so you have to choose one or the other, either you can run two ATI cards on a Crossfire capable motherboard, or you can run two Nvidia graphics cards on an SLI capable motherboard.   System Memory: 4GB DDR2 800MHz OCZ 800MHz memory is fast enough to support overclocking up to a 1600MHz frontside bus speed..... In plain English, it's fast enough for your needs. You do not need to pay for faster RAM. It's good enough to get you a decent overclock, and it's fast enough that you will not see any sort of system performance limitations based on your RAM. I selected OCZ because it has been the most reliable brand DSO offers recently.     Hard Drive 1: 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) I selected a single 500GB hard drive since it is the most economical choice, and it will provide more than enough storage for the average user. You can still ask DSO to create a seperate operatinf system partition when they build your system so that you can get most of the advantages of a dual hard drive setup without the expense. Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT 512MB (Includes PhysX Technology) (CLEARANCE PRICED) Given the fact you already own a single 8800GT, there is no better or more economical choice for this system in my opinion. Even more expensive options offer next to no advantage over a pair of 8800GT's when used to support a 22" screen. The most powerful graphics cards on the market are designed with 30" screens in mind. You selection of a pair of 8800GT's is excellent, and you will be simply amazed with the performance.   Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio There is no need to upgrade the onboard sound. This is something you can always improve later if you really want to, but the onboard sound on a premium motherboard like any of the 7 series offered, including the 750i is very good. If you have not heard modern onboard sound,  you are in for a treat.   Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes) I selected this option to ensure you get the best possible overclock with an air cooled system. This is an upgrade to the heatsink used on the CPU. I highly reccomend this upgrade even for those not planning to overclock as it has a dramatic impact on operating temperatures.   Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Red Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) A little bit of "bling" and some "Wow" factor for the system. It's cheap, and can be turned off if you get tired of the effect, but it's a bit of fun, and says "customized" for $10. Drop it if you'd rather save the money.   Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability This is a very inexpensive way to improve your system's performance in a noticeable way. The increase in system speed does not effect your warranty coverage. Your system is still 100% under warranty, and will perform like a CPU many hundreds of dollars more expensive. This is a "must have" IMO.   Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory While I opted for the CPU overclock, these other services fall under the "nice to have but not neccesary" category. I would rather put the money I might have spent here into other improvements in this build such as the upgrade to the HAF case or the amazing Q9550 CPU.     Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts) You need a 64 bit operating system to take full advantage of that 4GB of system RAM, and this is the perfect operating system to allow for that.     I hope this clears up some of the confusion. If you have any questions, please, ask.

Edited by Zandra - 26 Sep 2008 at 12:37am

when calling to order ask them for the fan for the ram, it should run you around $20 well worth it

I have to 2nd what Harleyman said above.

Ram will add heat to your case, the less heat you let your case the better over all temps, cooler ram = more stable ram/loner living ram/less heat from ram to case.

I still say for 20$ its well worth the price.