New gaming rig advice

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   I'm looking to buy a new gaming pc that would last me awhile.  My current pc is a Dell Dimension 8300 (bought in 2003 I think).  It's been pretty decent to me but I'm in need of a update.  Plus, I ordered a one of Digital Storms pcs last year for my wife and I love it.  I need the new one to be able to run any mmo (currently wow and Rift), diablo 3, dragon age, or anything down the pipeline in the next few years.  I watch movies and do some image editing (photoshop).  I was gonna order one last month but I was waiting for the new generation of ssd.  I'm gonna buy a new monitor and any ideas on that would be great (250-300 price range from Newegg I figure).  I know next to nothing about liquid cooling besides what it looks like and how it cools.  (Does it require any work after install and is there a chance of leaks?  Water inside a pc makes me cringe.)  Most of the specs I see on the forums have integrated audio.  Are audio cards a thing of the past?  Playing games with headphones really isn't a option for me. (We have a 5 year old.)  My price range is 3500, maybe a little over.  Thank you for your time.

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Greebo28 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Quote Reply Topic: New gaming rig advice Posted: 13 Apr 2011 at 2:46pm
	I'm looking to buy a new gaming pc that would last me awhile. My current pc is a Dell Dimension 8300 (bought in 2003 I think). It's been pretty decent to me but I'm in need of a update. Plus, I ordered a one of Digital Storms pcs last year for my wife and I love it. I need the new one to be able to run any mmo (currently wow and Rift), diablo 3, dragon age, or anything down the pipeline in the next few years. I watch movies and do some image editing (photoshop). I was gonna order one last month but I was waiting for the new generation of ssd. I'm gonna buy a new monitor and any ideas on that would be great (250-300 price range from Newegg I figure). I know next to nothing about liquid cooling besides what it looks like and how it cools. (Does it require any work after install and is there a chance of leaks? Water inside a pc makes me cringe.) Most of the specs I see on the forums have integrated audio. Are audio cards a thing of the past? Playing games with headphones really isn't a option for me. (We have a 5 year old.) My price range is 3500, maybe a little over. Thank you for your time.

FR3SHM3AT Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 494	Quote Reply Posted: 13 Apr 2011 at 3:11pm
	Won't give you a build, most here buying same thing lol. With that budget you will have no problem getting a great machine that will last you a long while. Also will blow that 8300 out of the water . Not a game in your list that these machines cant play at max res and settings. No matter which way you go. They will be along in a bit with your build. If want it quicker just go look at some of the others. Will be 85 percent same. Good luck and you will be getting a quality machine here. Fr3shm3at

FR3SHM3AT Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 12 Feb 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 494	Quote Reply Posted: 13 Apr 2011 at 9:15pm
	Don't want greebo to be lost in shuffle because of my post. Someone help him with a build. I would give him one that would not include a processor with a K at end Lol. And would be all EVGA and yes it would kick ass lol. But I digress Thanks guys

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Apr 2011 at 2:22am
	For monitor go with this: Dell UltraSharp U2311H 23 for system I gonna make you one that can do sli, I know wow won't need it but I hear different stuff about rift, this way if you need more gpu power in the next 2 years then you can go sli: Here you go Ticket# 521951 --- $2383 (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 (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX) 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 the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.5GHz (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) 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 (Medium) 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 top, so you endup with 4 x 200mm fans: haf 200mm non led fan LC is not needed but if you want we can add that in, LC is air tight and the liquid used is distilled water, which is non conductive, so if it does spill, it won't short anything. its best to flush your LC once a year, at most once every three years.
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

Greebo28 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Apr 2011 at 12:21pm
	Thanks for the build. I have a couple of questions. Are audio cards a waste of money these days. I remember years ago while playing Diablo 2 that a upgrade from a Soundblaster 16 to SB Live made a difference. I noticed more ambient sounds from the game which enhanced the game for me. I'm gonna need a new keyboard and mouse too since my current pc is gonna make its way to another part of the house. I was looking at the Logitech g110. Do you think 8 gig of RAM will be enough to last a couple of years? I also ordered my wife's pc last year with the windows 7 professional because of the ability to run older games on older operating systems. I haven't dealt with the Home Premium edition, does it also include this now? Thank you for your time.

Greebo28 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Apr 2011 at 7:54pm
	ok..this is what I ended up with 522422 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: 16GB 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 (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series SSDSA2CW160G3K5) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX) 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 the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.5GHz (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 Professional (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 (Medium) 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 decided that if i want a sound card..i'll just install it myself later. I will also add the extra fan up top that you mentioned. I added more RAM because I wanna be able to play anything or do anything I want for the next couple of years. Buying more RAM has always been a issue for me since 1995.

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 4:10am
	8GB of ram is more then enough, I doubt we will need that much in the next few years to come. You are right about the sound card, you can always add it yourself real quick, but listening to you, it sound like sound quality is important, so I think you will endup with one. win 7 pro has xp mode, win 7 home does not, its in xp mode that you run the older games, if you gonna be using this feature alot, then keep your 16GB of ram. also if you want 16GB of ram, then you have to go with win7 pro, win 7 home 64bit only sees 16GB total of ram, that includes vram, so your build has 17.2GB of ram, win 7 home 64bit would not see all of that. for mouse of keyboard recommendations, checkout the general and hardware section of the forum.
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

Greebo28 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Apr 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 39	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 12:15pm
	Awesome. Gonna order it today. I think I'm gonna bust the SSD back down to the one you recommended. Two hundred dollars for 40gig bothers me for some reason. Thanks for your help. I love what you guys do on this forum. I would have bought a pc a few months back with the SATA issue if it wasn't for you guys. Please keep it up.

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758	Quote Reply Posted: 16 Apr 2011 at 4:30am
	Our pleasure and good luck
	Nvidia Drivers----AMD Drivers

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