Opinions?Post Date: 2010-07-18 |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Topic: Opinions?Posted: 18 Jul 2010 at 9:50pm |
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Hey all,I am looking to get a system that will be used for gaming and media,FPS,MMO,and strategy games mostly.Newer stuff in general.
I already have a 28" Monitor. Obviously I am interested in liquid cooling and some of the light options and am not sure what is the best way to go about that with what DS has to offer..This is my preliminary setup, Any constructive criticism or ideas for improvement would help.Want to keep the cost to 3000 or less. Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Black OPS HailStorm Edition Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: ASUS P6X58D Premium SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s) 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 (64GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Nova Series CSSD-V64GB2-BRKT) 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: !PROMOTION: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: FrostChill Cooling System: CPU Only H20 Tube Color:Blue Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) 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: !PROMO BUNDLE: Acer 24 inch LCD + Logitech (Keyboard + Mouse) + Logitech Speakers |
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Runes
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Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 109 |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2010 at 10:52pm |
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Unless you want to be overclocking your computer manually, air is all that's necessary. The Noctua stage 2 is a monster.
Just so you know, those aren't true USB 3.0 ports on that ASUS. Change out the Corsair for an Intel SSD, they're significantly better. Do you only need 64GB of storage space? I'd put in another at least 500GB drive, just in case. I'm not sure about this, but you should probably go for a larger PSU as well. Why are you going for another monitor if you've already got one? I would reccommend buying peripherals from third party sites, as they're not covered in the warranty anyway. |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2010 at 11:06pm |
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What motherboard would you recommend instead?I have two hard drives already so I don't need the extra space.Also the Intel one is + $490,little too steep.
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Runes
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Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 109 |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2010 at 11:27pm |
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All you need on the SSD is op/apps, so you'd be more than fine with the 80gb, or even the 40gb ones (which are definitely not +490). The 40gb one is $110 retail, dunno how much DS charges. I'm not telling you to change the mobo, just making sure you know what you're getting. I defer to the experts on mobo selection. Edited by Runes - 18 Jul 2010 at 11:28pm |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2010 at 11:59pm |
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Thanks for the tip on the 40gb Intel ssd.If anyone else has any mobo suggestions I would be grateful.
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Dragoonseal
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Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 6:36am |
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You said you already have a monitor, but you have one selected in the DS config, are you planning on running dual monitors?
What resolution does your primary 28" monitor support up to? |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 12:49pm |
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The monitor is for my brother,I would rather give Digital Storm my business than some other crappy company that does not care.
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Dragoonseal
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Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 2:37pm |
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Ah alright, fair enough. But the resolution of your 28" monitor matters greatly and we need to know that to build around it. If it is a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor then a single 480 and a 750w power supply is perfect. However, if it is a 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 monitor then the requirements bump up a lot, you'd want two 480s for that, and that would also require bumping up the power supply to a 1200w or 1250w to support them. But anyway, as a baseline for a 1920x1200 build: Ticket #423400, Price: $2107 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: !PROMOTION: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE 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 (80GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) 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 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI) 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: 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: 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 OS/apps and a few games on the SSD, rest of the games/music/movies/media on one of the HDDs you said you were supplying. And again, this is for a 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 resolution monitor. If yours is actually 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 then select the 1200w or 1250w PSU and dual SLI 480s. You may also want to consider the 2 year parts warranty for +$99 or the 3 year parts warranty for +$199, both are great deals for the price. I know your budget limit was higher at $3k, but there just isn't much else worth getting without significantly inflating the price. In fact you could even save another $182 by bumping the SSD down to a 40GB Intel, just keep all games on the conventional HDD, and CPU cooler down to the smaller Noctua model, which cools almost as well as the bigger model, within a few degrees. Either Noctua cooler will already get you up to DS's max free overclock of 3.9GHz. |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 10:32pm |
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My monitor is a 1920x1200.
Also why that Mobo and video card over others?I am looking to get as near as I can to top end as I can with a 3k budget so anything at all that could be added that you think would work well would be appreciated. The only reason I want liquid cooling for my cpu is because My media room gets really really hot.My current pc is always overheating.Better safe than sorry I say. Thanks for your input so far! |
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Runes
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Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 109 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 10:38pm |
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I can't really speak to the mobo selections, but with one 1900x1200 monitor, a 480 will run anything you throw at it on maxed settings. |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 10:47pm |
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So is the age old debate between ATI and Nvidia still raging or is there a clear cut top dog?Looks like you guys both recommend the Nvidia card.
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!ender_
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Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 10:53pm |
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+1 nvidia
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Runes
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Joined: 03 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 109 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 11:07pm |
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Right now, the 480 is the best card on the market, but the 5870 is a great card as well. Of course the debate rages on. Edited by Runes - 19 Jul 2010 at 11:09pm |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 11:12pm |
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480 it is then.
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Dragoonseal
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Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
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Posted: 19 Jul 2010 at 11:17pm |
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The EVGA x58 LE and Micro are amazing boards for the price, there is just plain not much else worth getting that these boards don't already offer unless you have some very specific needs. There is no real SATAIII 6Gb/s out yet, so don't bother selecting a board with it, and USB 3.0 is useless for most people. In the off chance you actually have a use for USB 3.0 speeds you can just get a cheap add on PCIe USB 3.0 card. As for the video card, at a resolution of 1920x1200 a single 480 will already max every single game currently out at 50-60+ FPS except for 2-3 ridiculously unoptimized games like Crysis and Metro 2033. So anything more than that is a waste, the extra FPS aren't doing anything for you. The problem is that the video card industry is a very fast moving technology, and with it the gaming industry as they'll always push the limits of current video cards. You can't reliably future proof video cards without wasting a huge amount of money, the technology is just advancing much too fast with better ones constantly coming out and prices always plummeting. So get what will max everything at 1920x1200 now (a 480) and then a few years down the road upgrade when needed, either by adding in a then cheaper second 480 or by replacing it with another new card altogether. You will need a 1200w or 1250w power supply to support dual SLI 480s, so this is the only area you can really future proof for video cards, should you choose to sink money into the bigger PSU. Single video card setups are the preferred route though.
Why is this? Are you in a situation where you can't pocket the remaining budget because someone else is making the purchase? Because you're pretty much already at the point of heavily diminishing returns and can't get much better without severely inflating the price. The remaining budget would be better off saved to spend on future video card upgrades.
The Noctua air coolers are top of the line, they will do fine even in higher ambient temperatures, especially in a HAF 932 case. I highly doubt your current PC has much in the way of cooling, nothing even remotely close a 932 + Noctua. |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 12:27am |
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Last question.What is the difference between the HAF 932 and the HAF 942 X?Any real point in getting the upgrade there?And why the HAF cases?They seem to be much cheaper than some of the other options but very popular.Any reason why besides they are a known quality?
Also I think your suggested build is what I will end up getting with a few tweaks to the chassis airflow fans and lighting extras. Thanks again for everyone's help and suggestions.Especially Dragoonseal.You guys have been an immense help and have made my decision to go with Digital Storm that much easier.Great community and very helpful. As you guys can tell from my questions,it has been a long time since I have purchased/built a gaming rig and you guys were very patient in answering my questions. Thanks again!!! |
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Dragoonseal
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Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
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Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 1:23am |
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Sorry, I was making a lot of changes to your original build so I skipped explaining the details on a lot of stuff. You originally had the HailStorm selected. The HailStorm only offers a little more room than some cases, but otherwise is otherwise woefully underpowered in air flow and has a ridiculously large price tag. The HAF 932 has much better air flow, is almost the same size, and is fraction of the price at a whopping $269 (!) less. For reference the HailStorm (Corsair 800D) has a measly 3x 140mm fans, the HAF 932 has 3x 230mm and 1x 140mm fans. I'm not a fan of the HAF 942. It does fit much larger motherboards, even bigger ones than the HailStorm can fit, but the rest of the additions are insignificant or gimmicky. My biggest problem with it is when you start seeing the word optional everywhere. It can fit optional 1x 200mm, 1x 120mm, and 1x 80mm fans, but stock only comes with 1x 230mm, 2x 200mm, and 1x 140mm fans. Since stock it already starts at $42 more than the 932 and you have to pay extra to buy at least the optional 200mm fan to get it up to 932 air flow level, we're talking at least $60 more just to be able to fit large overpriced motherboards that aren't even worth buying. Hurray. And yes the HAF cases are also a known quality, which helps. They are just too good for the price.
Keep in mind that the chassis fan upgrade will replace one or two of a HAF 932's massive (and wonderfully quiet) 230mm fans with multiple loud as hell 120mm fans. The side 230mm gets replaced with 4x 120mm and I believe the top gets replaced with 3x 120mm. The 932 already has stellar air flow, especially for the low noise level because large fans don't need to operate at high RPMs, so the 120mm fans won't be able to improve air flow very much, and be sure you won't mind the loud noise if you select them. Also keep in mind that the HAF 932 comes stock with a red LED front fan when making lighting choices. |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 1:54pm |
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So this looks like my final build aside from my inner debate over the led fans.I am not a big guy for quiet,my room is loud in one way or another so it does not bother me.I also like the HAF 942 X better in terms of aesthetics and size(i like large cases.)The only thing I have been trying to figure out is what the led fans replace on the different cases,I know you were mentioning some of the replecements for the 932 but I was curious if it was exactly the same for the HAF X as well.Gonna try and get ahold of someone at DSO today.
Other than that I appreciate all your help and time in helping me put this rig together!!! Ticket Number: 423738 Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,456.00 Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline. 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 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE 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 (80GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) 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 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI) 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: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: !PROMO BUNDLE: Acer 24 inch LCD + Logitech (Keyboard + Mouse) + Logitech Speakers 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 |
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Sarah
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Hardcore Gamer Joined: 07 Jun 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 879 |
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Posted: 20 Jul 2010 at 2:30pm |
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In regards to the fan upgrade on the HAF X, I shot a message over to assembly and this is what I got back..
3x180mm fans: -2 on top -1 on side 3x120mm fans: -1 front -1 back -1 by gpu So hopefully that answers your question in that regard. When you are ready to place, give me an order and lets get this going for you! |
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Memento Mori
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 96 |
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Posted: 21 Jul 2010 at 5:06pm |
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Sorry for posting in your thread but I got a quick question. So the HAF X 942 stock fans are this... 1x 230mm (front), 2x 200mm (side+top), 1x 140mm (back)?
And does the Digital Storm Upgrade replace the two bigger stock 200mm fans for 180mm smaller and better ones? And add an extra 180 mm fan on top exhaust? Plus add another 120mm fan to the back next to 140mm stock back fan? (or replaces that one?) So do you guys like leave the 230mm intake fan in front thou? And put one more 120mm fan under the GPU bracket spot and one more 120mm fan next to the HDDs bays? Oops I just made it more confusing. ![]() |
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 21 Jul 2010 at 9:47pm |
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What I got from this was that they are all replaced.So more fans but smaller and louder.
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Memento Mori
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Posted: 22 Jul 2010 at 3:26am |
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Oh nooo! That better not be true. Why would they take out that huge 230mm red led fan in front, that thing is so useful and quiet supposedly?
Edited by Memento Mori - 22 Jul 2010 at 4:10am |
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!ender_
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Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 22 Jul 2010 at 8:27am |
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it is true, but if you want specific fans in specific places then just buy them and send them to dso to install when they build
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Alkader
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Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 11 |
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Posted: 22 Jul 2010 at 4:21pm |
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Well I pulled the trigger.I think I will enjoy this system for many years and am very excited about the purchase.
Thanks again to everyone who spent the time to help me out with advice and suggestions on different builds.I appreciate it greatly. |
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KKrusher
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Joined: 02 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 123 |
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Posted: 22 Jul 2010 at 8:25pm |
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Oh...I have been looking for information on the stock fan configuration for the HAF X and how the upgrade would look.
I think the stock configuration as mentioned in this thread - with the 4 fans - should be enough. And quiet...
KK
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