My config so far - Any advice?

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 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Mushkin (Highly Recommended) (Digital Storm Certified)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (16MB Cache) (Extreme Speed)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1.5TB Seagate Barracuda (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 1.792GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Cooler Master V8 (Compatible With i7 Processors)
Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
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: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: Crysis: Warhead (Pre-Install, apply updates, and test gameplay with my system)
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer)
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


I am not a gamer, though would like to start.  I do a bit of video editing.  I use excel, word, outlook, and adobe.  I'm on the net constantly.

I am looking for a computer that is FAST, FAST, FAST.  I want to run numerous apps at the same time w/o any lag.  I want it to be stable.

Any suggestions, replacements on my config?  Anything that is just overkill?  Am I missing anything?

Is the 12GB of ram worth it over 6GB?
Is the 10k rpm velociraptor worth the premium?
Where are the 32MB cache choices?

I've researched all the 2ms monitors (newegg, tigerdirect, etc).  What would be your recommendation for the best monitor in the $200 - $600 range?  My research points to 22"-27" samsung or lg.  Agree?  What resolution is best for my needs?  1920x1080?

I would appreciate any help!  Need to get something ordered soon!

Thanks!

give me your ticket number please, what GPU you use depends on what size monitor as far as games go.

you should be more then fine with 6GB of ram but if needed you can always add more.

don't pay attention to response time, those are not real indication of anything, they list GTG to BTB cause those numbers are lower and look better.

first decide what monitor size you want then decide what brand to get, actually you should first decide what resolution you want then based on that you'll know which monitors to look at and then from there we can decide what goes in your system to support that resolution.

so give me your ticket number and what resolution you gonna be at

the higher the resolution the better the picture, so its not a matter of what is best for your needs, its a matter of how much you want to spend and what kind of picture clarity you looking for.

so how much do you want to spend on a monitor? for about $1200 or I think right now for $1000 you can get a 30" Dell (Dell 3007WFP-HC) which has a 2560 x 1600 resolution which is pretty much as high as you can go in these monitors right now.

so question is back to you, what is your budget for the monitor?

Edited by DST4ME - 19 Apr 2009 at 4:19pm

No for games the singel 295 will not handle games well at 2560 x 1600

ok then $600 max means we will be dealing with a 1900 x 1200 resolution. now we can config a system:

here you go Ticket# 271902 --- Price: $2912 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2737

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 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Mushkin (Highly Recommended) (Digital Storm Certified)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
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: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition)
Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
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: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Cooler Master V8 (Compatible With i7 Processors)
Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Yes, Overclock the processor as much as possible with complete stability
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 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) (For Enthusiasts)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Install/Test Game: Crysis: Warhead (Pre-Install, apply updates, and test gameplay with my system)
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer)
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

this system is more powerful and quicker and can handle what every you throw at it up to 2560 x 1600, at 2560 x 1600 or higher you will need to tri sli for games.

drop the veloci cause much faster SSD drives are coming out and prices are dropping so I would wait a few month and see the price of the new faster SSDs and then decide if I want to go with veloci or SSD and upgrade to one of those at that time, the veloci is setting you back $300, why spend that much if in 2 or 3 month you can spend that and get something twice as fast if not faster.

the 1.5TB drive is a very bad idea, have you thought about how long it will take to scan, search, back up a drive that big once its 50% full? instead I have chosen 2 x 500GB for you for now, one for storage and one for the OS, once you upgrade to a veloci or a SSD then you push that 500GB HDD to HDD3 use for storage also.

your thoughts





Edited by DST4ME - 19 Apr 2009 at 5:40pm

Monitor I'm not sure about to be honest, checkout our hardware section there are some posts and a pinned topic with recommendations.

you can call and request the 32MB cache HDDs that you want.

yes 2 x 275 is a tad bit faster then 295, but cost much less which is why I picked them

the V8 was specifically chosen for best overclock temps possible with air

If I had 300 to 500 to upgrade, I would go with frostbite liquid cooling on CPU only, or better yet save that money for a nice fast SSD to purchase later this year, other then that your system is loaded, you got a great powerful PSU, a great mobo, great ram, great CPU, great GPU, there is not thing to upgrade but HDD.

The speaker set i use is the Logitech Z-5500.... i get complaints when i have it at 25% volume. They are really nice to have tho the box comes in at about 56Lbs.

Openoffice.org it can open any office document. and its free.

Once again DST does my job for me, and does it well, lol. If you have anymore questions, or would just like to further discuss your build when you are ready to purchase, give me a call, I will be more then happy to help you out.