need advice on new configPost Date: 2009-11-15 |
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17blue17
Newbie Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 41 |
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Topic: need advice on new config Posted: 15 Nov 2009 at 9:00pm |
Ticket Number: 353838
My budget is 4,000 or less. I normally use a resolution of 1024 by 768 and play strategy games. I have a NEC multisync E700 monitor that I like and would like to keep using. My goal computer wise is stability. I looked at a configuration here about 10 months ago but decided to wait to see which motherboards ended up the most stable with the least problems. I see recommendations here for the EVGA X58 LE. Is this a stable board? I have always had ATI video cards but their drivers seem to be getting worse so I am not sure what to do. I like clear sharp colors and images and the only comparison I have had to ATI is a low end Nivida at work which seemed to have washed out colors. I don't know much about the DVD / CD players or sound card so anything you care to suggest is appreciated. Same with the power supply. I am willing to spend more on a quality power supply with some extra power. In a perfect world I would have a dual boot windows XP and windows 7 (what ever you recommend.) I like windows xp and the only reason I am upgrading to a new system is to get away from a AGP video card. Thank you in advance for your help and advice |
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BriSleep
Groupie Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 171 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 12:02am |
Try this config, when I spec'ed it, it was $4319- but that's before your discount. For some reason the e-mials never get to me, I had to call and order mine with Sarah, she saved me close to $1000- if it's a little too costly, you could change to only one SSD, drop down to just a regular DVD drive. I'm sure DST4ME will come on and drop a couple of configs on you but this is about what I'm getting. Mine was $3873-.
What do you want a floppy drive for? Does anything work in those now days?
load ticket # 353878
Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black OPS Edition) Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple 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) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 2x (128GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: CMFSSD-128D1 Extream Speed) 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 (1TB Seagate/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray Writer/Reader (Burn Blu-Ray discs and play them) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: FrostChill Cooling System: CPU Only H20 Tube Color:Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With Zalman Performance Fans (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - 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: - 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) 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 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 |
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BriSleep
Groupie Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 171 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 12:14am |
Hey, have you ever had or used a gaming mouse? I'm looking for one and the choices are just baffling. Enlighten me if you can.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 12:20am |
Nvidia system:
Here you go Ticket# 353891 --- Price: $3353 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $3053 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 (Black OPS Edition) Exterior 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) Expansion Bay: 1.44MB Floppy (Black Edition) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (128GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: CMFSSD-128D1 Extream Speed) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Seagate/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB 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) 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 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: FrostChill Cooling System: CPU Only H20 Tube Color:Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air 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) Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition) 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 Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: Lycosa Razer Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse (High-Speed Gaming Grade) 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 --------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- Ati system: Here you go Ticket# 353892 --- Price: $3464 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $3214 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 (Black OPS Edition) Exterior 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) Expansion Bay: 1.44MB Floppy (Black Edition) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (128GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: CMFSSD-128D1 Extream Speed) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Seagate/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB 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) 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 ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Razer Barracuda AC-1 (Recommended) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: FrostChill Cooling System: CPU Only H20 Tube Color:Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect for H20 Tubes) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air 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) Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition) 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 Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: Lycosa Razer Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse (High-Speed Gaming Grade) 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 here is the deal, win7 pro has an xp feature that allows you to run apps in xp mode, well basically you kinda running xp inside win7, its virtualization. at your res you will not notice the difference between stage 1 oc and stage 2 oc or the difference between a 5870 and 5850 or a 275. Edited by DST4ME - 16 Nov 2009 at 12:21am |
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17blue17
Newbie Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 41 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 4:29pm |
thank you for the reply and configs. A couple questions please.
My first question relates to heat. I do not have central air - just one big wall air conditioner which is down the hall from my computer room. I was reading some reviews on new egg and it appeared the I7's run more hot than my old P4. If I am concerned about the computer heating up the room in the summer should I go with liquid cooling for more than the cpu - like cpu and chip set - if this can be done? Second question relating to motherboards. Looking at reviews on new egg it seems the evga x58 board: 1) takes a long time to boot (I like a quick boot) 2) does not have a floppy drive connection (I like for bios upgrades - maybe this is not needed any more?) 3) does not have PATA (not sure what it is or why I would need it) 4) does not have E Sata (again I don't understand what this is or if I would need it). 5) seems to have a boot problem with some memory brands?? On the other hand the Asus Rampage II seems to have good reviews providing you are lucky enough to get one that actually runs but customer service is poor. Any advice here on these items? I don't mind spending more if it avoids problems. Next question - hard drives - I like a large fast hard drive for the system, a large drive for data, and a third drive for backup. Any recommendations for the 3rd drive type and set up? Next question - should I spend the money for the sound proofing? I don't mind a little noise. Last question - I see an option for a data card - what is it and would I need one? Thanks again. |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 5:33pm |
its exactly opposite, asus has a longer boot time then evga.
evga is a great mobo, you couldn't pay to use asus anymore, their last driver fiasco was the straw that broke the camel's back, I'm never using them or recommending them again. on the other hand evga has been great, ask around, most of our members here have evga, evga is a great brand and their customer support is million times better then asus also. I don't recommend bios upgrades but there are other ways of doing it then floppy. not sure it does not have it either. as for pata and such don't worry about it, we are moving to faster platform soon anyways, sata is gonna be at 6GB/s soon and so is usb. just keep in mind, your system is build/tested/put under warranty by DS, if anything goes wrong they will fix it, it under warranty, and if it has any problems, then it won't even pass the test. HDDs, you don't setup your system like that. HDD1 fast small drive for os/apps/games HDD2 regular speed large drive for storage same as HDD2 for HDD3 and the rest. you don't want a big drive for your OS drive, it will take much longer to back it up, manage it, scan it and etc, the OS drive is always a fast drive with enough room for just os/apps/games, the rest of the crap goes on the storage drive. as for cooling, if your room gets to be 80f or higher then go with LC, if not you don't need it, keep in mind tho you if it is that warm, you LC the cpu but when you get the gpu under load, its on air, its gonna be hot too. I don't think sound proofing is gonna help much, if you need the fans to run on high cause its warm, you will still hear some noise, also it can hurt the airflow, to sound proof truly, you have to stop noise from escaping, if you stop noise from escaping then air is stopped also. what data card? |
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BriSleep
Groupie Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 171 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 11:06pm |
Data card reader to be picky. If you don't know what it is then you probably don't need one. I have an old 4Mp digital camera and my wife on the 22nd of this month for her birthday is getting a 12Mp (Mega pixel) digital camera for her 55th birthday. So, we need the data card reader because the cameras write to data cards, in this case SD & micro SD cards and we stick them in the computer, tranfer the pics to the hard drive and eventually to CD. The bigger the Mp, the bigger the file. A photo in RAW format at 4Mp can actually take 5Mb of space. Not much when you've got Terrabytes worth of storage and blu-ray disks that can take 25Gb, but look at 100 save game files from some of these games out there and you take up lots of storage. The good thing is, if you don't get a data card reader now, it's always easy to add, or plug in via USB or even a lot of printers are including a reader on the front as they can print a pic straight from the card without even turning the PC on. One other thing, like and iPod, you can also use these chips as data backups. Have a secret novel that you want to take everywhere you go, put it on an SD, lock the slide on the card and put it in your pocket.
As for hard drive 3. Take a look at the bottom of DST4ME's posts, there in blue are links, one of them is for cloning drives. A very good tool for taking an identical picture of your drive in case it fails or you corrupt the software or a gamma ray goes through it. Whatever, the one thing to think about is, if your 3rd drive is in the case with the others and you get a power blast from a lightning hit 30 miles away, there go all you copies and all your drives. Put drive 3 in an external enclosure and once you make your clone, you can unplug it both from the wall and the computer and the only thing that may wipe it is the gamma ray burst. I'm just trying to decide if I want 2 drive in an enclosure or just one that I can swap back and forth.
Oh, take it from me, I once spent $45- and many hours sound proofing a case, all it did was hold the heat in and make the case 15lbs heavier. It usually does affect airflow, that's one of the ways it deadens the sound, besides, don't you have your speakers cranked so you don't hear the system? I do.
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BriSleep
Groupie Joined: 26 Oct 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 171 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 11:12pm |
Oh, if you want e-sata, get a better EVGA mobo, mine has e-sata. You can also make e-sata, you get a kit from new egg, plug it into a sata port, run it to a expansion card slot, poof e-sata.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 11:48pm |
Oh is he talking about the card reader, ya it reads different cards, like sd cards, I think it has a usb port, and other kinds of cards.
I love my SD card, its a quick way to transfer data between pc and phone for me. most of my pcs have a card reader or the monitors have one, most laptops come with one. |
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17blue17
Newbie Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 41 |
Quote Reply Posted: 17 Nov 2009 at 12:57am |
Thank you for your help and advice
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DST4ME
DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply Posted: 17 Nov 2009 at 1:23am |
My pleasure
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