Need help trying to keep it under $1400Post Date: 2010-07-20 |
Post Reply 
|
| Author | |
bartmanb 
Newbie 
Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
 Quote Reply
 Topic: Need help trying to keep it under $1400Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 10:23am |
|
This will be my first "Gaming PC" and although i have done a bunch of research i really am unsure how i should use my budget wisely on a rig. I am ready to purchase and will be purchasing today, i just need a little advice. I pretty much want the best i can get for under $1400. I have a nice 24'' samsung monitor so i won't need that. I want a nice video card, but more importantly, a good processor and motherboard since i can upgrade the video card later. here is what i have so far, let me know what you think. Any advice is welcome.
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Maelstrom Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Micro Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) System Memory: 6GB 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 (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 460 768MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: Standard Factory Heat-sink and Fan 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: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial 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: 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: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty Thanks, Brandon |
|
 |
|
|
bartmanb
Newbie
Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 10:44am |
|
My main application will be SC2 and Diablo 3 with a little WoW thrown in here and there.
Should i consider going with a cheaper processor and upgrade the cooling components a bit? Something like this instead: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA P55M SLI (Intel P55 Chipset) 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 (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 460 768MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i5/AMD Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 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: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial 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: 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: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty |
|
|
|
|
!ender_
DS Veteran 
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 11:01am |
|
right idea but you can fit more power into the budget, for 1400 max the bottleneck in gaming right now is all about the graphics card, so i present to you a $1400 gtx 470 build:
you cant fit more power in to the price range, its not going to be an overclocking beast but it will play the games you listed on great settings with no issues
oh and you get a free game
and you dont have to overclock the 470, and it will still beat your 460
i also wouldnt reccomend overclocking the gpu with any budget build
definitely leave out the OS tweak, windows 7 is easy to tweak on your own, but it doesnt need it anyway Edited by !ender_ - 20 Jul 2010 at 11:06am |
|
|
|
|
!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 11:12am |
|
just thought id throw this in as food for thought:
i know its right over 1400 but you really have to consider what youre spending your money for.. sure, you could finagle the price down a few dollars, but i gave you what i feel is the msot effective use of your money. you could drop the HDD to a 250gb but that would only save you $17... so look at objectively, why would you give up paying $17 for double the storage?
several instances of this could shave a few dollars, but in the long run, you would be costing yourself more than helping yourself
|
|
|
|
|
bartmanb
Newbie
Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 11:32am |
|
good and Interesting stuff. Got a couple of questions.
1. Why not overclock the gpu on a budget build? not enough cooling? 2. Hmm, i noticed you had the i5-655K on your build, what is the difference between that and the i5-750? 3. I don't see the gtx 460 1gB available as an option, only the 768. Does DS not have the bigger gtx 460 avaialable? 4. I have heard that the gtx 470 and 480 run a lot hotter than the new 460. With the cooling you have in the build, would I have to worry about heat issues? Thanks alot Brandon |
|
|
|
|
bartmanb
Newbie
Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 11:43am |
|
Also i noticed that you picked the Cooler Master CM 690 for the chassis. Was this just because it is the cheapest one? How much does the chassis matter?
|
|
|
|
|
chanman
Newbie
Joined: 19 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 11:57am |
|
the 655K overclocks better than the 750. other than that, i think they are pretty much the same. I would stick with the 470 personally. I have a larger budget, so i'm going with a 480. You might have to worry about heat, but only if you overclock the video card. Generally, new video cards don't need to be overclocked, and if you need to later you can do so easily yourself with say, rivatuner.
The chassis has a few factors you need to consider. looks, price, size, weight, and airflow mainly. emphasis on the airflow. you can look at the specs of each of them and decided which one you like best. |
|
|
|
|
justin.kerr
DS Veteran
Joined: 06 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5084 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 12:20pm |
|
655 is dual core, 750 quad..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 12:52pm |
|
1. Why not overclock the gpu on a budget build? not enough cooling?
why waste effort on the heat and noise when you can get a 470 which is better and you dont really need to overclock, at least not now. beyond that, it is noise and cooling, its just not nessesary
2. Hmm, i noticed you had the i5-655K on your build, what is the difference between that and the i5-750? as was stated its a dual core vs the 750 quad but with hyperthreading, that becomes pretty insignificant. the 655 can run 4 logical cores, providing you the same logical power as an older quad core, and for the budget range you are in. it makes the most sense. if you had some wiggle room, i would go up to the 860 before id take a 750 even though these are both quad cores
3. I don't see the gtx 460 1gB available as an option, only the 768. Does DS not have the bigger gtx 460 avaialable?
i dont see it so i would guess no, but thats, again, not nessesary becuase you can make it to the 470 and its substantially better than either 460 4. I have heard that the gtx 470 and 480 run a lot hotter than the new 460. With the cooling you have in the build, would I have to worry about heat issues? liable marketing, i have yet to find one person who actually OWNS AND USES the fermis to complain about thier noise and heat when they are not overclocked. i am included in this group. mine is cool quiet and powerful as hell
|
|
|
|
|
bartmanb
Newbie
Joined: 20 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 18 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 12:58pm |
|
Awesome, thanks for the help guys. I just placed my order. Hopefully i didn't screw it up too badly....
 You guys did talk me up to the 470  I decided to go with the i5-750 after reading a couple of reviews and comparisons online, I hope that wasn't a mistake. I also added on a few other things that i could use as well... a decent mouse, and new speakers. here's my build, tell me what you think: System Configuration: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA P55M SLI (Intel P55 Chipset) 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 (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(s): 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:Coolermaster V6 Single 120mm Fan Performance Cooler (Compatible With AMD, i5, i7) 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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks CPU Boost: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory OS Boost: - 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 Pre-Install Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer) Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: Razer Deathadder Gaming Mouse (High-Speed Gaming Grade) External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty Sub-Total: $1,527.00 |
|
|
|
|
justin.kerr
DS Veteran
Joined: 06 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5084 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 1:00pm |
|
very good choice on the 750, and the GTX 470.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 2:10pm |
|
looking pretty good, if you were going to come up to $1500, id get the i7 860
http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=423743%20
and id be careful buying speakers from DSO, from what ive read on the forums from DSO staff you will pay extra shipping and these are not covered under warranty
|
|
|
|
|
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