Please take a look at my config

Budget:
[$3000-$4000]

Expectations:
[Looking for a solid gaming rig to replace an older Alienware system. My current monitor is a Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP (24") with a max resolution of 1920x1200]

Usage:
[Part-time gaming.. mostly first person shooters like COD and MOH, but I also enjoy strategy games such as Rome:Total War. I'd like a system powerful enough to allow me to continue playing upcoming games for the next few years (at least). I also do quite a bit of video capturing and video/audio editing for web publishing and CD/DVD creation.]

Special Needs:
[This will be my first overclocked system. I'm an older gamer who's not exactly "hard-core", so I'm trying to strike a balance between a sweet gaming rig and powerful work computer that's suitable for video/audio editing.]

Saved Ticket #: [637150] $3,626.00

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)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79 (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series)
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: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA Edition)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium HD 24-bit 96KHz
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Corsair A70 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: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - 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 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 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: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 5 Year Limited Warranty

I've spent a few days reading through the forum to give me a decent idea of what I need. Please review my choices and give me your opinions.... thanks! :)

Don't get the overclocked video card. They are less stable and make more heat for little gain.

Edited by hotshot146 - 28 Dec 2011 at 7:39pm

Thanks for the replies.

I can upgrade to 2X SLI GTX570 1.2GB for just another $266. Would that be a better overall choice for most FPS games?

The 2600k uses the p67 mb. The x79 will be faster at video editing. How much editing do you do?

We are not sure x79 will be faster in editing, depends on the software.

for your res sli 570 is much better if the games you use take advantage of sli.

if you want reliability and better performance you need to change config to this, assuming you want sli 570:

Here you go Ticket# 637205 --- $4,164 (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 3930K 3.2GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Six-Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P9X79 DELUXE (Intel X79 Chipset) (Features USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s)
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 (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series)
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: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs)
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 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Tech) (EVGA Edition)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium HD 24-bit 96KHz
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: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - 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 Professional (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 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: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 5 Year Limited Warranty

we can do the same thing in p67 for $600 less or even less then that, fyi.

1. The direction apps/games are going (multi core/thread support) one would have to assume that more cores should equal better longevity performance-wise.

2. If money makes no difference there are no cons I can think of by going with sli, since it can be enabled/disabled via ncp, the sli is a non issue, the second gpu at idle will not do much as far as power draw/stress/heat, so I don't see any cons there either.

However if money is no issue then I would go x79, and being the power hungry money wasting fool that I am, I would go 3960 for the extra 3MB of cache that makes very little difference. and if I'm not mistaken the E chips still run warmer.

Oops, one more question:

When it comes to lighting on the 942 HAF X, things are a bit confusing. According to what I've read the case comes with a red led front fan. If this is true it seems my only real option is to select red internal lighting and end up with... red.

I'm guessing going "blue" would involve buying my own fans and installing them myself(?)

Thanks for that.

Is there any need for the internal lighting at all or is that just overkill?

Also: Never had a system with this many fans before. How would you describe the noise level?

Edited by banjoman - 29 Dec 2011 at 11:22am

Thanks much for the help!

One more thing. I keep going back and forth between x79 and p67 config. I'll probably end up with x79 but would you mind scrolling up and letting me know if my p67 config looks ok? :)

Will do... thanks!

My special instructions for the case and fans (including the web addresses) are exceeding the 254 character limit in the "Special Assembly" box, causing an error when I try to save the config.

Is there a way to insert web links in that box like you've done here in the forum?

When done right there is no extra wear and tear that comes with oc.

oc makes the biggest difference in work then it does in gaming, its not a good idea to take away from cpu speed and cooling, you could get into bottleneck situations, not to mention the big performance loss.

if you have problem putting your order and instructions, email managment with your ticket number and then in the email explain the instructions and ask them to reply to acknowledge receiving your order/special instructions, they will tell you what to do from there and process it and all.

[email protected]

Congrats Let the torture begin

My pleasure

Originally posted by Brewtus I've got the same case with an extra fan on top -- the machine is pretty damn quiet. The only thing I hear is the fan on the graphics card.

That's good to know... thanks.

DST if you're still around I have a follow-up Q:

My order is in and I won't be changing it.. just curious if the system I'm getting can run a 3 monitor setup as long as I don't go over 24" and 1920x1200 res. I don't know if I'll ever spring for 2 more 24" monitors but I kinda like the idea of having more side-view for fps games. Whatcha think?

Don't know how much difference it will make but I just had John at DS upgrade my GPU's to 2x 570 2.5GB. It was only $100 more and extra memory never hurt anyone.

Don't know if I'll ever get to 3 monitors but I think the heat and noise of 3x sli would just be too much for me to bear. Besides I stink so much at fps now I don't think 3 monitors would help me much. :p