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"Bang for Buck" System. Advice appreciated.

Post Date: 2007-11-07
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juggernaut View Drop Down
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Posts: 31 		  Quote juggernaut Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: "Bang for Buck" System. Advice appreciated.
    Posted: 07 Nov 2007 at 1:27pm

A copy of the config:

Case: Digital Storm Twister PRO (Black Anodized Aluminum Finish)
Power Supply: 520W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz (1333MHz Front Side Bus) (4MB Cache)
Motherboard: nVidia 650i Core 2 Quad (By: eVGA) (nForce 650i Ultra)
Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz XMS2 (Dual Channel) (Performance)
Floppy / Media: - No Thanks
Hard Drive 1: 250GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks
Raid Option: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Network Card: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Modem: - No Thanks
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB (By: eVGA) (PCI-Express)
TV Tuner: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Motherboard Multi-Channel High Definition Audio (7.1 Channel)
Physics Card: - No Thanks
Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 3 (Silent Artic Cooling (TwisterBoost Overclocked)
Case Lighting: - No Thanks
Round Cables: - No Thanks
User Manual: Personalized Platinum Digital Storm Binder (Includes Paperwork/Benchmarks/CDs/Manuals)
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)
Protection: - No Thanks
Office: - No Thanks
LCD Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Support: Lifetime Toll-Free Platinum Care Technical Support
 
This system is a tad over my budget, but I think I have myself convinced its the best "deal" available at the moment.  I'm not one to buy "cutting edge", but I like to be far enough up the performance curve as to run today's games well enough, blow the lid off last year's games for a second run through, and be able to adequately run next years games as well. Perhaps with some minor upgradeabilty (is that a word) to stretch it 3 years to retirement.
 
With that said I'd appreciate any feedback on the configuration above.  I'll either be using my 4:3 20" Dell monitor (16x12) or I may switch to the wife's 20" widescreen Dell (1680x1050).
 
One question off the bat. A lot of the default systems have 667mHz Ram. Is the 800 a worthwhile improvement? Also, the Corsair 800mHz has a "Dominator" type that seems to have better heat dissapation. Will this make the Twister upgrade easier/more reliable? or is the Ram even being overclocked?
 
Also, I've heard the 8800 GT is pretty loud, since its single slot. Will this plus the Twister Stage 3 cooling solution make my computer sound like a Jet taking off?
 
I've got questions about prep time and shipping, but I'll hit up a representative directly, I think, when I'm ready to pull the trigger.
 
Oh, I'd also like to point out that I found DSO through Reseller Ratings http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Digital_Storm .  That lead me here, and the web-site and these forums had me sold.
 
Thanks for the help!
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Solo View Drop Down
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Posts: 395 		  Quote Solo Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Nov 2007 at 2:30pm
I am not the smartest person here nor am I qualified to answer any of your questions but I will say what a DSO rep just told me over the phone.
 
Stage 3 cooling they will overclock your processor, if you want to have the GPU or RAM overclocked you have to call in and ask, and pay a little more.  I was told that its not necessary to overclock ram, but if you wanted to, you will see an improvement in it.  He told me that its possible that the ram could burn out if something goes wrong, so I decided against it.
 
He also  told me a single 8800GT can handle crysis 100% and if you wanted to upgrade to SLI in the future, its not hard to do as long as you have exactly the same video card, which is the only way SLI is possible.
 
So if you were considering upgrading in the future you should buy the video card from DSO when you get the computer so there is no compatability issues. 
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Solo View Drop Down
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Posts: 395 		  Quote Solo Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Nov 2007 at 2:32pm
Also please read same disclaimer as above, but a sound card is only about $38(dont quote me on price) I think and it takes load off of your CPU, thus making things slightly faster.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Nov 2007 at 3:35pm
8800GT does give off a lot of heat but it isn't loud at it's default fan settings (~25%).. but it will probably sound like a jet if you turn the fan to 80%.

667MHz is out of the question because you need at least 800MHz to overclock.

8800GT will be able to handle the games at your resolutions for about ~3 years...

If you plan on going SLI, you going to have to upgrade to a 680i motherboard.
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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juggernaut View Drop Down
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Posts: 31 		  Quote juggernaut Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Nov 2007 at 3:42pm
Great points, all around.
 
The eVGA 8800 GT is covered under the "Step Up" program, which is available for 3 months, right? Can't imagine I'd see the need to upgrade in the next few months, so perhaps I should make sure I'm SLI compatible. That way I'm just a $200(ish) upgrade away if I want to throw another 8800 GT in there next year. Make sense?
 
Also, would the 520W PSU support two 8800 GT's?
 
skyR (or others), what are your thoughts on the onboard sound, versus a dedicated sound card? I've actually heard pretty good things about nforce onboard sound, but I'm not exactly in the loop.
 
My old system has an Audigy 2. Is it worth pulling that out and putting it in this over the onboard sound (or cheapest standalone sound card)? Last drivers are from last January I think, and not even sure Audigy 2 is Vista supported.
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skyR View Drop Down
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Posts: 2220 		  Quote skyR Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 07 Nov 2007 at 4:04pm
Yes, the Step Up program is available for 90 days.

520W will be able to handle SLI 8800GT just fine.

My view... If you don't have a quality sound system, the dedicated sound card isn't worth it.

Also a $38 sound card for like 2 FPS more? waste of money imo. On board sound cards are quite good these days..


Edited by skyR - 07 Nov 2007 at 4:08pm
The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.
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