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New game rig for mac user

Post Date: 2011-05-02

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Possum View Drop Down
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  Quote Possum Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: New game rig for mac user
    Posted: 02 May 2011 at 1:14pm
Budget:
[2000-2500]

Expectations:
Mainly going to be playing rpgs and strategy games (SC2, Sky rim when it comes out, mass effects etc.)
Usage:
Gaming and storing some music though not very much (60-100 gb). I won't be doing any work on this computer as I am a writer and a few of the programs I use are only available on a mac hence I have a 13" macbook pro.
Special Needs:
No real idea what I'm doing since I've been using a mac going on five years now since I started college. Now that I'm graduated I will have some time for gaming again. Plan on buying in a month or so and my current res is an embarrassing 1440x900 but that was fine with me five years ago but I hear I'm missing out on something so I will probably upgrade to a decent but not top of the line monitor later in the year. Thanks for the help!
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ablahblah View Drop Down
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  Quote ablahblah Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 May 2011 at 4:45pm
1920x1080 is where it's at, haha.

Assuming you're going in that direction...a GTX 570 should suffice well for 1920x1080. You can easily hit a i7 2600k in your budget, and additionally, since you're not storing too much on your hard drives (I can understand, barely using 100gb here), I'd think you can just load everything on one SSD for now and add a data drive later on if you truly need extra storage. So, that leaves the build at about $2000, which honestly, if you're shooting for $2000~$2500, I'd say why not go and splurge on a Sub-Zero CPU liquid cooling loop, for both the speed and looks, haha.
Build No. 533996
Total Price - $2371
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue)
System Memory: 8GB 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 (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5)
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 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 4: Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System: CPU Only
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 (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro or Deluxe Series Motherboard)
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: - 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

R4D4RPR00F
Core i7 920 @ 3.9Ghz
Asus Sabertooth X58
EVGA GTX 570
Mushkin 6GB 1414Mhz
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DST4ME View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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Posts: 36758
  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 May 2011 at 1:28am
Assuming you gonna go 1900 x 1200

for a system that can't do sli:

Here you go Ticket# 534277 --- $2085 (To see this build click here)

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - HAF 922
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 (Intel P67 Chipset) (New B3 Revision) (Does Not Support SLI)
System Memory: 8GB 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 (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD5002AALX)
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 570 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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
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: - 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

Ask DS specifically for this fan to be added to the side, so you endup with 3 x 200mm fans:

haf 200mm non led fan

now if for some reason you want sli ability then:

Here you go Ticket# 534278 --- $2380 (To see this build click here)

Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 Deluxe (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3K5)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (500GB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD5002AALX)
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 570 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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro or Deluxe Series Motherboard)
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: - 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

your hdd setup is suppose to be like this:

HDD1 = fast small drive: os/apps/games

HDD2 = regular large drive: media/personal/work file storage

I know you said you got about 60 to 100gigs of stuff, IMHO its not a good idea to fill your ssd with them.

Edited by DST4ME - 03 May 2011 at 1:29am
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Possum View Drop Down
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  Quote Possum Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 May 2011 at 8:12am
Awesome and thanks guys. Seems like I just need to decide if I will ever need or want sli capability down the road, tough decision. Either way I should have enough in the budget for a monitor as well, is there one you guys would suggest?
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ras9929 View Drop Down
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  Quote ras9929 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 May 2011 at 1:22pm
I know what they'll say.
I tried to prove them wrong and did a ton of research and totally failed.
If your looking for a great / affordable monitor.

U2311H 23 inch Flat Panel Display for $299 including task
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DST4ME View Drop Down
DS ELITE
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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Posts: 36758
  Quote DST4ME Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 May 2011 at 10:53pm
Originally posted by ras9929

I know what they'll say.
I tried to prove them wrong and did a ton of research and totally failed.
If your looking for a great / affordable monitor.

U2311H 23 inch Flat Panel Display for $299 including task


+1

Dell UltraSharp U2311H 23

you can find it cheaper, it goes on sale I have seen it for $250.

if your budget is much higher, ($1200), then we have a different recommendation, a bigger IPS panel than the u23
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