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       Alright, so after weeks of creeping your forums as well as the forums of several other companies, i decided that DS was the best place to look for building my PC. 

    Like many other posts I've seen however, it has been a long while, since I've had to be quite tech-savvy and am not up to date on all the new technology  out there.

   to start off, I have a few questions if help with them would be at all possible:

1. Liquid cooling systems, how do they compare to fans, and is it worth it?

2. Is delivery to Canada much of a hassle and/or cost?

3. Is there a significant difference between Nvidia and ATI, as well as intel, and AMD? Do they have different capabilities and uses?

    Questions aside, I have money to spare, so price as of course I'd like to keep on the lower side, I'd like to keep it as far below $3000 as possible (when all is said and done, being shipping etc.)

    The computers main use will be for gaming, some titles unfortunately hard to predict seeing as they have not been released, will be Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and Warhammer online: Age of Reckoning. I really want a computer that can successfully run these titles as i went through a terrible time tanking massive raid bosses for top server guilds on world of warcraft using a max of 10 fps computer. (anyone who knows what I'm talking about should know that is extremely frustrating)

   I spent lots of time reading up on motherboards, video cards, processors, and all the necessary hardware, but I'm still not confident I am able to configure a efficient and economic computer.

   All in all.. I'm looking to get something visually stunning, as most would be compared to the garbage i played o so many games on for these many  years.

   I hope I included any and all necessary information, if not, give me a reply and I'll be happy to further respond.

Sincerely, Chad.

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Chad Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Quote Reply Topic: Starting Config Posted: 13 Jul 2008 at 3:48am
	Alright, so after weeks of creeping your forums as well as the forums of several other companies, i decided that DS was the best place to look for building my PC. Like many other posts I've seen however, it has been a long while, since I've had to be quite tech-savvy and am not up to date on all the new technology out there. to start off, I have a few questions if help with them would be at all possible: 1. Liquid cooling systems, how do they compare to fans, and is it worth it? 2. Is delivery to Canada much of a hassle and/or cost? 3. Is there a significant difference between Nvidia and ATI, as well as intel, and AMD? Do they have different capabilities and uses? Questions aside, I have money to spare, so price as of course I'd like to keep on the lower side, I'd like to keep it as far below $3000 as possible (when all is said and done, being shipping etc.) The computers main use will be for gaming, some titles unfortunately hard to predict seeing as they have not been released, will be Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and Warhammer online: Age of Reckoning. I really want a computer that can successfully run these titles as i went through a terrible time tanking massive raid bosses for top server guilds on world of warcraft using a max of 10 fps computer. (anyone who knows what I'm talking about should know that is extremely frustrating) I spent lots of time reading up on motherboards, video cards, processors, and all the necessary hardware, but I'm still not confident I am able to configure a efficient and economic computer. All in all.. I'm looking to get something visually stunning, as most would be compared to the garbage i played o so many games on for these many years. I hope I included any and all necessary information, if not, give me a reply and I'll be happy to further respond. Sincerely, Chad.

Chad Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2008 at 4:08am
	Chassis: Antec 900 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Power Supply: 650W Corsair HX (Dual SLI Compatible) Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz (1333MHz FSB) (12MB Cache) Motherboard: NVIDIA 780i Core 2 Quad (Chipset: nForce 780i SLI) System Memory: 2GB DDR2 Corsair at 800MHz Dominator DHX (High-Performance) Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive 1: 320GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive 2: - No Thanks Raid Option: - No Thanks Hard Drive 3: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-ROM/CD-ROM (DVD Reader 16x / CD Reader 40x) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB TV Tuner: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: Air Cooled Stage 2 (Silent Artic Cooling Heat-sink Upgrade (Copper Heatpipes) Internal Lighting: Blizzard Internal Lighting (Blue Edition) (Cold Cathode Tubes) Modifications: - No Thanks Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor 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 Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) 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: Microsoft Multimedia Desktop 2.0 (Multimedia Keyboard + Optical Wheel Mouse) Mouse: - No Thanks my keyboard comes with a mouse External Storage: - No Thanks Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty This was one I put together, however I'm not sure if it is the right power level for what i need it to be. (see above)

!ender_ Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219	Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2008 at 7:46am
	your config i think you're on the right track but you could do plenty better for your price range with just a few small fixes 1. Liquid cooling systems, how do they compare to fans, and is it worth it? liquid obviously will give you better temperatures than air, however, you're system isnt even overclocked. whats more, for a budget system, liquid really doesnt have a place. i wouldnt start looking at liquid cooling unless i was getting near or over 3.6k 2. Is delivery to Canada much of a hassle and/or cost? i'm not sure enough to give you an answer so i'll let someone else grab this one 3. Is there a significant difference between Nvidia and ATI, as well as intel, and AMD? Do they have different capabilities and uses? with both of these comparisions youre essentially looking at the number one and two of the market. the cheaper, hotter, more power hungry budget company, and the money hungry performance beasts. its a matter of budget and preference really. every now and then the underdogs trip up the competition... while we have not seen this from AMD for a bit.. ATI is certainly catching some attention with thier new cards. consider: this config this beast gives you a nice sized snazzy case with plenty of cooling and headroom to house all your power and keep it cool. saving some coin by dropping to the comparable 260 card gives you room to get a more versatile and powerful system

Chad Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Quote Reply Posted: 13 Jul 2008 at 1:00pm
	Yah, other than an extra DvD drive it looks good

Gabe123 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 3:45pm
	Just to add my two cents (I haven't gotten my DS Comp yet, so this is just what I heard), I'm hearing great things about the ATI 4870 and how it can compete with the GTX 260 and 280 for a much lower price. In fact, you can get two 4870's ($300 a piece) in crossfire for the same price as one GTX 280 ($600).

SunfighterLC Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 18 Feb 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1527	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 4:10pm
	GTX 280s are down to 399.99 basic models, so they somewhat can compete with the 4870...still 99 bucks higher price, but slightly higher performance overall.
	E8500@ 4.03Ghz XFX 790i Ultra 1000W Corsair HX 2 280 GTX EVGA FTW 4GB OCZ Reaper 1800Mhz 250-80-300GB VR HD Logitech Z-2300 2.1 Speakers Asus Xonar 7.1 Hanns-G HG 281D 28" HDMI Monitor

skyR Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Digital Storm Apprentice Joined: 08 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2220	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 6:12pm
	The GTX 280 is $499.99 which will compete with the upcoming Radeon HD4870 X2. Edited by skyR - 14 Jul 2008 at 6:15pm
	The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star.

Gabe123 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36	Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 2008 at 7:54pm
	sorry, my bad. I know it's a cardinal sin to operate on old info when it comes to computers.

Kliebor2 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 22 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 659	Quote Reply Posted: 15 Jul 2008 at 12:46pm
	Looks like people ordering now are getting great choices for graphics, the 200 series and the 4800 series both look excellent right now as far as long term usability, I don't think given the current market you would really go wrong with either choice. Dave
	Digital Storm 950Si - Q9450 Quad Core @ 3 Ghz Dual PNY OC2 GTX 560Ti 8 Gigabytes DDR2/800 2 Western Digital 500 GB SATAII 7200 RPM HD

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