Question for Alex/DS/forums on a customization

So i was thinking about this build:

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploaddreadnought.asp?id=668786%20

But i was talking to a friend that is supposed to be "know it all" since it works in microsoft, keeps on telling me to build it myself. Obviously i suck at it and i didn't wanna go with it. However, his comments/suggestions may seem valid and I'd like to run it by you guys first :)

1. He says that the stock 570's that it comes with on the site is decent, but could use more cooling and he recommends this over the stock one on the site: (comes with 2 fans instead of one)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127582

Arguement: "the original card is decent, runs a bit hot though. the colder your card is the better it will run. You can have a tri SLI 680 system, but if you dont have good enough cooling they'll run slower than a 550 with good cooling. Right now, video cards arent the bottleneck in a system. Ram speed and hard drive speed are the biggest killers.That's why I spent $800 on solid state disks, and $150 on a vid card."Newegg twin fan 570



2. On DS forum , everyone recommends the P8P67 deluxe because of its reliability.

My friend says to get the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 (Intel Z68 Chipset) (Features Intel Quick Sync Technology) over the delux

Argument: "z68 board has more sata ports, a pci 3.0 x16 slot instead of a 2.0 slot, better integrated sound, and it is newer. The delux board is 2 generation old."

However, what i remember was that the delux board was the best if you want to get enough spacing for the D14 fans, is that true? because people always complain about how their D14 cpufan/ram/video card get all jacked up and out of place because it's hard to put it on.



All i have for now. help?

Hi darbedo.....If you put the stock 570 from config page in to the p8p67 deluxe board or put the Twin Frozr 570 into the z68 gen 3 mobo will make no difference in performance,  The Twin Fozr might run quieter and allow for higher gpu oc, but that's it.

Darbebo,

I understand where you are coming from. When I was piecing together my system, I sounded exactly like you.

At the end of the day, everyone is going to have their own opinion. There are many factors people take into consideration when determining if a component is "good" or not. Some go for pure performance, others reliability, and some like a combination of both.

You made valid points to your friend and your friend made valid points as well. He seems very tech savvy -- for him having the latest and greatest might be an important factor. Also, it sounds like he knows how to build his own computer. Swapping or changing parts will be fairly easy for him.

According to your post, you're not exactly looking to get your feet wet with installing your own hardware. I might be over stepping my bounds here, but chances are you have a budget. I would assume you would like to stay within that budget. As a result, you will have to make sacrifices on certain parts. If you don't have a budget, then go nuts.

The build you posted looks almost identical to my build -- I bought mine in November. The highest temperature I have seen my GTX 570 get is ~70 C. This is after playing BF3, Batman Arkham CIty, Skyrim, Diablo 3 Beta, SC2, and SWTOR. If you are really worried you could add an additional fan inside of the case that would help cool the GPU. Also, you could upgrade to the 680 -- from what I have read it is very efficient and runs cool.

One of the things I would change regarding your build is the PSU. I would opt for the Corsair 1050. This would leave extra room for additional GPU or other hardware. I would also recommend upgrading to Windows Professional -- but that is just my opinion.

I have the Intel 320 SSD -- actually I have two of them. Sure they are not the latest or the fastest but they are reliable. Your friend is trying to compare the 320 series to a 32 year old card, which is just silly. Why not just get the WD Caviar Black and buy an SSD after you receive for your system. SSD are very easy to install.

Ooops, forgot the D14 question......theD14 fins overlap one of the 4 ram slots and the inboard fan overlaps one and almost two ram slots.    The fan is usually off set a little away from mobo to clear the stick.    For most gamrrs who only use 8gb, 2x4gb or 16gb, 2x 8gb sticks, it's not usually a problem.   If it does , DS will use lower profile sticks without the heat spreaders that add height to the ram.    Taking a fan off to reseat ram or change ram is pretty simple.       The safest thing to do is ask DS about the D14 on your mobo.   They do it everyday.       Yes, the 750HX will be great for a single gtx680.    Hope all this helps you make the right decision.    Good luck.

Edited by bprat22 - 26 Mar 2012 at 2:11pm

Hello Darbebo, primarily just to fill in regarding your dilemna over the SSD's, you can generally categorize SSD's in to two different archetypes, your first type is:

    Flash-Memory-Based: This type of SSD uses non-volatile computer storage (basically means the memory can retain information while not even being powered). More popular due to lower costs compared to DRAM. Incredibly reliable as well, but your friend is right, not AS fast. Hell when they first came out, they were still slower than the HDD's of the time,but have progressed marvelously since then.

And the second type is:

    DRAM-Based: You can tell by the name, but this type of SSD is build around the volatile memory such as DRAM. Superfast access time, generally <10microseconds (10/1,000,000 sec), while not the MOST reliable, most manufactures are now including some form of backup power in case of power loss/ fluctuation to copy information from the RAM to backup storage.

Overall, as a gamer, you would be looking for a DRAM-Based SSD, while more costly, their speed is definitely worth it. So when looking over different companies, look at their format for their drives, and kind of mull over what fits your needs best.


Edited by Avelict - 26 Mar 2012 at 2:30pm

Just thought I'd add my two cents here regarding real world GPU temps.  I have the following setup:

HAF X w/2nd 200mm fan on top
i7-3930K/Asus x79 deluxe mobo (mild OC to 4.4GHz)
EVGA 3XGTX 570 2.5GB GPU's driving 3600X1980 resolution (3 monitors in portrait)
H80 CPU cooler
Air cooled GPU's

The most strenuous game I play is BF3 and I regularly see temps of 75C (top), 71C (middle) and 65C (bottom card).  The hottest I can get it with Furmark is 91C on the top.  I get these temps with an ambient temperature of around 72F.



Edited by BF3Addict - 26 Mar 2012 at 7:19pm