My Budget ConfigPost Date: 2010-12-01 |
Post Reply 
|
| Author | |
NotAComm 
Newbie 
Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
 Quote Reply
 Topic: My Budget ConfigPosted: 01 Dec 2010 at 5:37pm |
|
Hello,
I'm here because I got cold feet after ordering a build from Cyberpower, I was too nervous about their quality control and shipping procedures. Their price was good, but I feel like it's a scam of some sort...I have heard many horror stories, especially with regards to their policy of "fixing" broken systems with refurbished hardware. So now I am coming to what appears to be the best of the best, Digital Storm. Anyway, I am looking to do somewhat of a budget build and I was wondering if anyone could be so kind as to comment on what I've come up with: Budget: Around 1500, would prefer to stay lower than 1500 before shipping if possible. Expectations: I want a system that will run modern and upcoming games at high-max settings (at lower resolutions, unfortunately my monitor has a max res of only 1280x1024 and while I plan to upgrade that in the future I cannot right now ) with power to possibly upgrade the video card in 2 years or so. I'd like to keep the CPU for as long as I have the system, I do not plan to make any future upgrades to the CPU. I do not want to overclock anything, ever. Usage: Mostly gaming. I'm a WoW nerd, so I want a machine that can handle raid environments. Also interested in FPS games like BF:BC2. Ticket Number: 465317 Total Price with Instant Savings: $1,478.00 Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline. Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master Elite 430 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 Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) 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: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: High Performance Cooler (Compatible With i5/i7/AMD Processors) 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: - No Thanks Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - 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 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: - No Thanks 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 Edited by NotAComm - 01 Dec 2010 at 5:45pm |
|
 |
|
|
NotAComm
Newbie
Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Dec 2010 at 5:42pm |
|
Also, I forgot to ask about the PSU and RAM. Do I get brand name quality if I go with the DS certified? Maybe it's just the Cyberpower fear in me, but those 2 options have me worried that I'd be getting junk if I do not upgrade to name brand, though my spec does have a name brand PSU, the RAM upgrades are much more expensive.
|
|
|
|
|
Dragoonseal
DS Veteran 
Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Dec 2010 at 6:20pm |
|
Yuck, get a new monitor ASAP.
For a budget gaming rig, probably prudent to go with a P55 system so you can squeeze more GPU muscle in. Perhaps: Ticket #465331, Price: $1388 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i5 760 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS P7P55 LX (Intel P55 Chipset) (Model: P7P55 LX) System Memory: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition 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: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 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: - No Thanks 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: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability 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 I was hoping to squeeze in a 480, but it goes over your budget by $100-150. The DS Certified memory is great for the price, stick with it. The DS Certified PSUs (TechNPS) are great for the money in most situations. The smaller Corsair PSU models are rated a little better, and also a little more expensive, your call if you want one or not. |
|
|
Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
|
|
|
|
Qwann
Newbie
Joined: 14 Oct 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 85 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Dec 2010 at 6:22pm |
|
HI there Comm- I figure I'd chime in because I just ordered my DS system with almost the same budget as you last week. I would also suggest you have a look at !ender's buying guide which is one of the stickied threads in the "config discussion" area.
1. Any reason you're going for the 1366 socket over the 1156? I7's have hyperthreading, which allows you to have more "virtual" processor cores- but these will show little to no benefit in gaming. 2. Do you need a full 1TB of space? You can save 40 bucks by going for 500g. 3. I wouldn't skimp on a case- The 430 is small, and has much poorer cooling than many of the other cases. Most recommended for your range would be the HAF 922, or if you'd like a little larger and cooler, the HAF 932. 4. All of the DS certified ram and psu's are fine- especially with the upgraded warranty right now. Keep in mind the 4 year warranty you get for free right now is 4 years of labor, and only 2 years of defective parts. You could pay a little more for name brand, but you'd see no performance increase. 5. There is no reason- I repeat no reason not to go for their free overclocking. It is true that your CPU will run hotter, but it's the best performance increase you will see - plus it's for free. If you still feel unsure about it, you can always set everything back down to clock speeds later. Also, I'm not sure about the "High performance CPU cooler" but the most recommended one on DS is the Noctua-U12P. 6. Your graphics card is also on the mid-low end. In my build I moved up to the 470, and I would recommend that for you as well (it's only 58 bucks more than the 460-the price of one pc game, and you'll get better performance across the board) You want to have the highest end graphics card you can get for your budget, and then upgrade other parts. Take everything I've said with a grain of salt. I'm no computer expert, but I've stalked the forums here for the past several weeks doing research for my build. I would look at ( 465333 ) on the 1156 socket- with the next upgrade being moving from a 470 to a 480. Or (465334 ) on the 1366 Socket- which is 70$ over budget. You can find !ender's guide here - http://www.digitalstormonline.com/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=11911 edit- Seems like dragoon beat me to it, and linked exactly what I put in my first build suggestion. With shipping that should be just perfect for you. Edited by Qwann - 01 Dec 2010 at 6:29pm |
|
|
|
|
NotAComm
Newbie
Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Dec 2010 at 7:07pm |
|
Thank you guys for the quick responses. I was looking at the i7-950 because I thought it would be overkill for current games, and I don't want to upgrade for a few years...and so I thought "overkill" now would end up being "good" in a year or two. I obviously didn't do my homework in this area. Is the only real difference between the i7 and i5 the hyperthreading? I'm sure Google will provide answers on this, but I'd like to hear what you guys have to say about it. Also, would you consider the i5-760 to be nearly as "futureproof" as the i7-950 as far as gaming is concerned?
As far as overclocking goes, I guess I just have an irrational fear of it because of a bad experience I had trying to overclock a CPU many years ago. My main concern is that I want my system to last, and not have the CPU die thanks to overclocking. I will have to call DS to ask more about this, but I assume that if they do the overclocking I will be covered by their warranty. Anyway, thanks again for the quick and detail responses, and now I will have to spend some time on Google for more research. I would like to see gaming benchmarks in regards to an i7 vs the i5. |
|
|
|
|
Qwann
Newbie
Joined: 14 Oct 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 85 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Dec 2010 at 7:44pm |
|
It's not really my field of expertise, but with the launch of Sandy Bridge (intel's new CPU socket) in Q1 of 2011, both CPU's are getting old. In terms of gaming though, there are very, very few games that can benefit from hyperthreading. Either of the CPU's will last you for several years. Also, from my understanding, yes, the main difference between the 760 and 950 is Hyperthreading, although I believe the 950 will allow a slightly higher overclock.
Check out this article I found - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-core-i5,2410.html It's over a year old but contains some good information. Also keep in mind that building a PC for wow, the thing that will give you the most performance is your CPU speed. WoW only uses 2 main cores, 1 video and 1 sound, and will spill the rest of it's processes out amongst the remaining cores, but I'm not sure it can use hyperthreading. As far as other games like BF:BC2, it will benefit far more from a more powerful GPU. Edited by Qwann - 01 Dec 2010 at 8:08pm |
|
|
|
|
!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Dec 2010 at 8:26pm |
|
for gaming the difference between a p55 and x86 chip is near nothing
for wow, the difference is nothing
its true that some games can supposively MAKE use of more than 4 threads, however how effeciently they use the cores can be a different story. there have been extensive tests showing that hyperthreading can hurt as often as help currently
as far as future proofing any part of your PC...
aside from the case and maybe the power supply. its just not going to happen. buy what you can afford when you are ready to buy and dont look back, theres no reason to plague yourself with knowing that you arent at the top of the market the day after your purchase, its just the industry. instead, be happy that we live in a world that moves forward so fast
---------
as far as overclocking and its long term impact:
lots of current chips are using turbo, which in my opinion is far less trustworthy than a stable overclock on your computer. "stock" settings really means "auto" settings which are BAD news becuase you are relying on the mfg specs to know whats best for your system as a whole... not reliable
overclocking with a good cooler means you get more power out of your hardware, keep it running cooler than it would with a stock cooler, and means for a more stable system overall
for lack of a more gentle way of saying it, its stupid not to overclock.
think of buying a muscle car, and only driving it using 2nd and 4th gear. slow off the line, it still has some speed but not near the power of using 5 gears properly, thats the best way i can relate it
and if it helps: if you were to buy a new chip and not overclock it, my 4 year old q6600 would beat your benchmarks, thats just embarassing.
from a gaming perspective, you need to invest a lot more in video power than cpu power anyway
|
|
|
|
|
NotAComm
Newbie
Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 02 Dec 2010 at 10:47am |
|
Once again, thanks for all the suggestions and info, it has been extremely helpful. After looking over all of your suggestions and doing some research on my own I think I will be going will the following:
Ticket Number: 465524 Total Price with Instant Savings: $1,464.00 Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline. Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i5 760 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D PRO P55 SLI (Intel P55 Chipset) System Memory: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital/Seagate/Hitachi/ 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: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 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: - No Thanks 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: - No Thanks 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 |
|
|
|
|
Qwann
Newbie
Joined: 14 Oct 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 85 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 02 Dec 2010 at 2:16pm |
|
Nice! That's exactly what I ordered except I threw in a wireless card.
Edit- I also just went with the ds certified psu- I couldn't figure out why yours cost more for a while there. Edited by Qwann - 02 Dec 2010 at 2:19pm |
|
|
|
|
Post Reply
|
| Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You can vote in polls in this forum |
About Digital Storm
Contact Information
Facility Tour
Financing
Buy Now, Pay Later
Downloads
GSA Schedule
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Request Help
Call: 1-866-817-8676
(Hours 9AM-5PM PST)
Topic Options