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New Gaming Rig, Counting down to purchase. Tips?

Post Date: 2013-01-03
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LadyJess View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		  Quote LadyJess Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: New Gaming Rig, Counting down to purchase. Tips?
    Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 7:12am
Budget:
~$3500 give or take.

Expectations:
Gaming smoothly at max settings and with hi-res mod packs

Usage:
Gaming (Mostly single player, RPG), modding said games with hi-res mods photo editing, taking/.editing in game screenshots, recording in game video, also music storage and playback, movie watching.

Special Needs:


Saved Ticket #: 770947

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 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core) <b></b>
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage IV Extreme X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) <b></b>
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) <b></b>
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition)
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: ASUS Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) (Model: BC-12B1ST)
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 680 2GB (PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance
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
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Standard Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Automatic Overclocking
Boost Video Card: 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: - 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 CD)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
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: Please Prioritize: Ship Within Four Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

I replaced the 120GB SSD with a 1TB HDD for now. I plan to order next week and that particular feature depends on finding out how that works with an SSD and an HDD installed. As I asked earlier.

If my save data won't automatically save to the SSD, and my game installs won't ALL go there (I know how to avoid this with Steam, but Origin is a pain about everything) I'll go back to the SSD option.

Otherwise, this is my new machine I think.
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 8:03am
Hi LadyJess..   Welcome to the forums.
 
That rig is pretty much right on.  Strong
 
I would suggest at least stage 1 overclocking.  It does make a difference and is a cheap boost in performance.  But your call of course.
 
The HafX case doesn't need the chassis fan upgrade.  Its 230mm front and 200mm top and side fans give you all the airflow you need, and quieter than 120mm higher rpm fans.  If they replace the fans on the Noctua D14 and its for eye candy then that's up to you.  I wouldn't want to replace larger slower moving fans.
 
As far as SSD....   A SSD as primary drive does load the OS and your most used games and apps lightning fast and makes loading hi-res mods like in Skyrim smoother.  In-game renderings are also a little smoother as scenes are refreshed.  I don't have an SSD but those that do say they'll never go back.  The secondary HDD would be for older games, downloads, music, photos and the other files that won't benefit from a faster drive.
 
Of course, todays HDDs are fast and pcs will work great without an SSD.
 
If you're running a 23", 1920x1080 monitor, you didn't say, then a single 680 might do it.  But the second card is for the few games on maxed out settings that might need the help of a second card. 
 
Its a real nice rig.  Big%20Smile
 
 


Edited by bprat22 - 03 Jan 2013 at 8:41am
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LadyJess View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		  Quote LadyJess Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 8:21am
Thanks! I am running a single monitor, 1920x1080. I considered a single card, but my former laptop had dual cards with SLI and I loved the quality. The fans were pretty much for "ohhh shiny" . So you'd suggest sticking with standard chasis fans and the Noctua?

And if you don't mind, my twitchy fingers here can't settle on a CPU. the 6 Core looks really tempting, but I know logically most games aren't even close to taking advantage of the tech yet. Stick with 4 core or make the leap ahead in your opinion?
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 8:31am
Yep, I would stick with the HafX, as-is.  Why mess with a great cooling case. 
EDIT...   Some hate the brown fan blades on the hafX and want something better looking.  That wouldn't mess with the case and would look nice.  You'd have to ask DS if they'd change the Noctua fans to the LEDs.  I think they do, but might be noisier. 
 
For gaming the 3820, 4 core chip is all you need.  But, the 3930k , 6 core chip might help with more intense video editing, renderings, aftereffects, etc.  Depends on your needs.  If in the budget, go for the 3930k and never look back.  Can never tell what the future holds. 


Edited by bprat22 - 03 Jan 2013 at 8:35am
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LadyJess View Drop Down
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Posts: 10 		  Quote LadyJess Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 03 Jan 2013 at 8:55am
Originally posted by bprat22






Yep, I would stick with the HafX, as-is.  Why mess with a great cooling case. 
EDIT...   Some hate the brown fan blades on the hafX and want something better looking.  That wouldn't mess with the case and would look nice.  You'd have to ask DS if they'd change the Noctua fans to the LEDs.  I think they do, but might be noisier. 
 
For gaming the 3820, 4 core chip is all you need.  But, the 3930k , 6 core chip might help with more intense video editing, renderings, aftereffects, etc.  Depends on your needs.  If in the budget, go for the 3930k and never look back.  Can never tell what the future holds. 





I thought the way it read it had a good cooling setup. But there's no option for "no thanks". It actually started with a liquid cooling setup. BUT I want the priority service. I've been without a computer long enough. Thanks again! I'm trying to stick around 3500k and have a 180gb SSD with a 1TB secondary. But that processor keeps calling to me...lol
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