New FF 14 Computer - Suggestions?

Hello all! I am so glad I ran across Digital Storm, I was about to buy a crappy dell again. I am running a 630i XPS right now and it has run its course. It meets the minimum requirements for Final Fantasy 14 but I want to play it on high :)

I am a buying a house soon so I am trying not to spend too much money on a computer. Definitely wanted to keep it under $2000. I have a monitor I will be playing on that plays in 1400 x 900. It's old but I like it :). Take a look at my configuration and see if theres any suggestions and let me know. I was also wondering about the different cases, which one is the best for airflow and in my price range. I like the way the Malestorm looks but is the Assassin a lot better?

Ticket Number: 427227
Total Price with Instant Savings: $1,761.00

Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=427227

Specifications:
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 Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible)
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: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 768MB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Green)
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)
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: 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

i would go with this instead of what you got. Costs a little more at $1818, Ticket 427395

Edited by teaiewold - 01 Aug 2010 at 12:16pm

No..  A 480 will outperform two 460's.  Also, change to the corsair PSU.  And, maybe go with a gtx 470 instead, and try to upgrade your monitor to something with a higher resolution lol you won't regret it once you do.  You have find some for pretty damn cheap on newegg they always have good deals.  But, if you're gonna keep that monitor a gtx 480 is overkill at your resolution.

Originally posted by AmarantND Also, I am planning on upgrading my monitor somewhat soon as well. I was reading reviews of the GTX 460 SLI and it did look like it outperformed a single 480 in benchmarks but I do like the fact that I could upgrade later. Thoughts?

They do outperform a 480, anywhere from a decent bit to only a little bit, the difference between them being a lot smaller the higher the settings and resolution.

But what happens in games that don't support SLI, or don't scale well with it? Plus it can limit your upgrade options, though in a way it can also add options as well.

The option you'd lose going with dual 460s is not being able to expand to dual 480s, but keep in mind that you'd need a bigger PSU to support dual 480s anyway. The option you would gain is the ability to upgrade to triple SLI 460s in the future, but that too would need a bigger PSU.

Choices, choices...

i would switch from the 500g hdd to the 1tb hdd you will see a significant boost in performance. the old 32 mb cache version is 90% of the speed of the veloci's for much cheaper. i am not entirely too famililair with the 64 mb cache version but i would think it is safe to assume it is just as fast as a veloci for less money as well.

the swap is around a 100 bucks more and it is worth it.

one other possible swap would be to switch your psu to the corsair equivalent they are more reliable, better quality and they have a better warranty.

this was in reference to:
Ticket 427395

dont be fooled by the dual 460 vs 480 marketing, a single 480 is better and more future proof, and single card is always >>>>>>> multiple in your price range and monitor size

good article very informative

Originally posted by justin.kerr the GTX 460 is based on the 104 architecture, which is a cheaper, water downed setup.  It does perform well with Dx9 games, lower settings, low AA, AF.   Dx11 games, and max eye candy 3 GTX 460's will fall behind 1 GTX 480. so pick your poison. lol

Are you sure? I've only skimmed through the benchmarks from a few reviews, but I see dual SLI 460s beating a 480 across the board in every game and resolution in average FPS except for Metro 2033 at 2560x1600.

Or did you mean minimum frame wise? I did see a review that showed minimum FPS scores for a few games and the dual SLI 460s definitely fell very short in that regard compared to a 480. Also another review had a blurb about it, that even with lower numbers across the board gameplay with a single 480 was much more fluid. Also they noticed SLI didn't work correctly with the game Singularity.

the problem is that sli'ing the cards vs a single card skews the numbers, look at the graphs in your link, the 460 shoots through the roof in places that are low load, which skews the numbers for "average" comparison significantly, i didnt read the whole thing, but based off you saying "that even with lower numbers across the board gameplay with a single 480 was much more fluid" this is so important becuase maximum fps doesnt mean crap, minumum fps and consistancy are really the only numbers that matters in a 2v1 matchup in my opinion.

Which case would you guys recommend. I definitely want a full size case. I was thinking either HAF X, 932, or Maelstrom. Which case has the best airflow and would be the best for me? Also, when you order one of these cases, how many fans actually come with the case? I've seen some that didn't have the top fans.