Planning/Questions - i7 975 build

Hi,

I've been lurking for a few weeks, trying to absorb as much info as possible.  Now that the Hailstorm case is about to launch, I'm ready to launch as well!  I know the i7 920 is deservedly loved by many here, however I've decided to go with an i7 975 build.

My budget is around $5000.   I currently use a 24" monitor at 1920x1200, but will likely upgrade to a 30" in the next 1-2 years.  Main uses are for high end gaming (current and future games), ripping/burning/converting multimedia files, photoshop, internet, and whatever else comes up. 

Questions:

1.  Vid Card(s):  I plan on upgrading my rig with the Nvidia 300 series of cards when they come out.  My current rig is a duel core AMD with an Asus A8N-SLI motherboard.  I have room to move the 2x275 sli cards into it when I do the upgrade.  However, it has a 650w power supply and I was wondering if that might be a problem.  Would I be better off going with 1x295?

2.  RAM has me quite confused.  I was just going to put the mushkin 2000mhz into it, but DST mentioned better timings and cpu overclock potential with the 1866mhz.  Looking at the memory in the upgrades section, both say that their timings are 7-7-7-20.  Can someone please explain why/how 1866mhz is more advantageous than 2000mhz?

3.  RAM again:  Asking DSO to overclock the RAM seems to ALWAYS be discouraged be the members here.  For only $20 bucks over the cost of the memory fankit, can someone explain why I wouldn't want to let them overclock the RAM?  Heat is mentioned sometimes, but it's all warrantied, so I don't understand why nobody recommends it.

4.  SSD:  I've been using 2 raptors in Raid 0 for the last 4 years and just love them.  I'm ready to jump into the SSD pool with this new build, but I want to start off with the new Intel x25-m Gen2.  I know they had the bios issue which delayed them getting to market (don't see 'em on New Egg today).  Has anyone heard if they are going to be an option with DSO in the very near future?  I would really like to start off with one of these for the OS etc... and just use some old drives to hold media files until we see what comes out in the next 6+ months.  My thought is if I can't get the Intel ssd, to just go with the default WD drive until Win7 comes out, then do a fresh install on the SSD at that time.  Not sure I want to clone and then upgrade vista to win7.  Thoughts?

5.  Sound:  I have a nice 5.1 speaker setup which I'll use on my new rig.  I've had  Sound Blaster cards in every PC I've ever owned, going back to my ancient 486.  The crappy drivers and bloatware that come with a SB card have annoyed me for awhile.  I put the x-fi fatal1ty card in my build just cause I don't know any better.  Does anyone have a suggestion as to what I might want to consider using instead, besides the motherboard?  (I rarely use headphones)

6.  Blu-ray: I have a blu-ray burner in my current PC.  Is it correct that I can pull out that drive and mail it into DSO, allowing them to include the used part in my build?

7.  Overclock:  Almost forgot...any word on whether DSO is going to offer a 4.5ghz overclock option yet?  That would be awesome! 

8.  Any reason I should go with something other than Vista Home > Windows 7 Home?

Thanks in advance for any help/input. 



Ticket Number: 325271
Total Price with Instant Savings: $5,210.00

Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=325271

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm HailStorm
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 975 3.33GHz (Quad Core) (Extreme Performance)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1866MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX120G)
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 20x / 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 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based)
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU
Liquid Color:UV Redish Pink: Medium Glowing Non-conductive Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 & UV Lighting)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (UV) (Creates Glowing Effect For H20: Stage 3 UV Fluid)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) With Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
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
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty

Edited by Gnomad - 25 Aug 2009 at 2:45am

why not drop the sound card, and upgrade the warranty
sound cards usually just cause problems because of driver issues,and onboard sound is goooooooooooooood

1. 650w will be low for both 1 x 295 and 2 x 275, you would be pushing the psu.

2. the info in the upgrade page is wrong, a). mushkin does not have a 2000MHz ram with 7-7-7-20 timing, b). pc10666 is 1333MHz ram, pc16000 is 2000MHz ram. c). 1866MHz has 7-7-6-20 timing, The 1866 has a memory divider which helps with the oc.

3. ram oc is not worth it, and at times can cause trouble, you will not notice the ram speed difference in games above 1200 x 1000 resolution, but they do help with high oc and other tasks but not by much.

4. you can ask DS for whatever parts you like, so what they carry does not matter, I'm sure they will carry the new ones once they sell whatever old x25 they have.

go with a fresh install when you upgrade to win7.

6. get the system and put the bluray drive in yourself.

7. no work on stage 3 oc yet.

your builld looks good just add the ram fan and you are good to go.

Thanks for the help everyone. 

1.  Ya I was worried about that 650w power supply.  Currently I'm thinking I'll either go with 2x275 and when the time comes, move 1 card to my current pc (which is going to my son's btw) and selling the other.  Or possibly just starting off with 1x285 and move that over when the 300 series cards come out.  hmmmmm

2.  Thanks for the clarification on the RAM.  I'll stick with the 1866 mushkin. 

3.  I still don't understand the RAM overclock.  Why would DS offer it as an option if it can cause problems?  I'll default to no overclock though since it really isn't going to make a difference in my build anyway.

4.  So let's say DSO doesn't have the gen2 intel SSDs yet, or hasn't sold out of their gen1 yet.  I can still find it from NewEgg or something and have it sent to them to be included in my build, right?  I really want to start off on the right HD so I don't have to hassle with it weeks after my system arrives.

5.  Sound sound? Anyone have preference on sound cards besides motherboard?  Have to have optical out.  At one point in the last few weeks of lurking I was pretty sure I saw a thread that gave a general overview of each of DSO's sound cards, but I can't find it now. 

6.  No problem for me to put in the blu-ray drive, I just didn't want to mess with DSO's cabling job.  I'm not nearly as neat as their technicians and didn't want to have to undue anything.  However, after watching the Hailstorm video from Corsair's web site leads me to believe the cables will all be right there anyway.  Was just curious if DSO would included a used part in a new build?

7.  DST *if* you ever pull the trigger on your uber system are you doing the stage 2 overclock?  Have you talked to them about anything beyond?

Those RAM fans are U G L Y (imho), I guess I'll ask DSO about whether they can order a matching fan for the rest of my system. 

I really appreciate all your help! The community here is awesome and is one of the reasons I decided to go with DSO for my new rig.

/salute

Originally posted by DST4ME 8. there only so many ram fans out there and you can't get one that is not blue, trust me I have already tried.

Maybe DSO can spray paint it red for me. 

I'd like to contact DSO today (Sarah I guess?) and go over my build, ask a couple questions, and get my order placed before the weekend.  What's the best way to do this?  I've read other posts about long hold times.  Should I just call and wait, can I go directly to someone's voice mail, or should I email someone directly and ask them to call me?

I'm home with twin 3 year olds today, so it's a little tricky for me.  Have to find the right window when they are occupied.  

Also wondering if some of the techs that build the systems are more up to the OC task than others.  I remember DST you had mentioned someone specific was going to do your build.  Should I/can I request someone specific?

Starting to get a little excited. 




Edited by Gnomad - 27 Aug 2009 at 7:30am

Stage 1  Woohoo!


System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm HailStorm
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 975 3.33GHz (Quad Core) (Extreme Performance)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1866MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Card Reader: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX120G)
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: DVDąR/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Champion (Includes Front I/O) (PCI-Express Slot Based)
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU
Liquid Color: Red: Non-conductive High-Performance Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 Cooling Package)
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red)
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 2: Overclock the processor between 4.0GHz to 4.2GHz (Requires H20 Cooling Upgrade)
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service)
Windows Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) With Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
Benchmarking: - No Thanks
Pre-Install Game: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
External Storage: - No Thanks
Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty


Also, I have a Blu-ray burner and storage HDD that I'll add to the system when it arrives. 


Edited by Gnomad - 28 Aug 2009 at 5:21pm