Tweaking my configsPost Date: 2009-06-28 |
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Belstaff 
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Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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 Topic: Tweaking my configsPosted: 28 Jun 2009 at 6:10pm |
Edited by Belstaff - 28 Jun 2009 at 6:21pm |
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e.fruman
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Joined: 14 May 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 140 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 6:31pm |
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Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 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 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Extreme Performance) (Model: SDSA2MH160G1C5) 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) (LightScribe Edition) 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: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU Liquid Color:UV Green: High Glowing Non-conductive Fluid (Requires H20: Stage 3 & UV Lighting) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Green) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Green) 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: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE 
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 7:29pm |
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1. for your use 1600 is pointless.
2. for your budget you can go with a SSD now 3. HDD1 is always the fast one, HDD2 is the slow one. the model of the 500GB is Caviar Blue from western digital 4. not down grading just going with a smaller one, you have no use for 250GB if you put your media/personal files on HDD2, which is how you should do it. 5. yes 5 year is well worth it, its what I'm going for. 6. if you are going with LC stage 1 then heat will not be an issue, but HAF does provide better temps overall, with LC or not. 7. what will you being needing the 2 x 1TB HDDs for? 8. for cheap speakers the on-board should do, but that is up to you. 9. I'm not a sound expert but you should be fine. now some points you need to know. A. you won't notice the difference between ram speeds for your use. B. you won't notice the difference between 975 OCed to 3.6 vs 920 OCed to 3.6, so save your money. C. for you use you won't notice the difference between being OCed 3.6GHz to 4.0GHz. D. when you order this PC you will need to ask for the quick-release valves to be used to make upgrades easy. E. Ask for a drain hose to be installed so in 3 years when you need to flush the system it will be easy. F. I know you said you don't want to upgrade but if you want to play the future games say in 3 years or so, odds are you will need to add another GPU, and that GPU will need to be LCed also, for this reason you use the quick release valves to make adding a third card easy and also for this reason you go with a 1000w PSU. G. remember the third card you add will need to be a GPU with water-block so it can be connected to your LC system. H. if you don't want to bother with adding a third GPU in 2 or 3 years then go with 3 GPUs now but I personally advise against that, and advise you do for upgrades later. so you want a 950si? ok then here: Here you go Ticket# 300640 --- Price: $4381 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $3981 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Digital Storm 950Si Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: - No Thanks 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: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) 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: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 896MB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: Specialized FrostBite Separate Dual Loop System for CPU & Two Video Cards 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 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) 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: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) now if you want to go with a stage 2 OC, heat apparently becomes an issue and you will need to add fans, which make going with the 950si pointless. If that is the case and you still want stage 2 OC let me know and we will need to config a system that is going to cost more. Edited by DST4ME - 28 Jun 2009 at 7:34pm |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 8:26pm |
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e.fruman: Any reason(s) for your particular recommendation?
DST: I am getting a new computer mainly because my Dell is 8 years old. The types of games that I like to play are usually grand strategies and occasionally FPS when I had a bad day at work. With my current computer, I haven't been able to play anything above Far Cry in any meaningful way and takes like 20 minutes to start up a grand strategy game. There is only so much I can upgrade with an AGP, no PCIe slot and 400W PSU. 1) I will be going with OC stage 2 and I am very open to the HAF- it saves me 100 bucks to spend on something else or save  .2) I will be going with 6GB 1333, but what's rationale with people here going with 1600? May be sort of the same reason why I want to go with OC stage 2? If you have to make a choice between OCing to Stage 2 or upgrading the frequency of the RAM, which for you? 3) What is the main difference (capacity aside) between the 160 GB Intel vs. 120 or 250 GB OCZ Vertex? Would you do the 300X2 raptor in RAID 0 instead for HDD1? The reason I am thinking about the 250GB SSD because it might fit into my budget and I can install twenty games/apps without having to uninstall them. 4) If I go with either SSDs for HDD1, what do you suggest for the HDD2- pics, personal files, movies? I currently have trouble managing space with 500 GB worth of storage. Yes, I am a hardcore movie watcher! 5) Any signifcant advantage of using the raptor over the WD Blue for HDD2? 6) I don't need a 2x1TB HDDs on top of my original config of 250GB SSD plus 2X300G raptor, but would like to know that if needed I can do it with a 1000W PSU? 7) I might just go with onboard audio. However, would u know what resources I should look at for more reviews comparing the razor, creative sound cards? 8) Yeah, I read the epic thread on fans or no fans for HAF with LC Tri Sli. I know to ask for the quick release valves and drain hoses? hopefully, they won't give me as hard a time as eastor. 9) If you feel I may need to upgrade to three GPUs in 3 years or so to at least keep up with the most current games, then should I go with the Tri SLI 275s now? It just cost way too much with the LCing 3 cards and going with the X58 Classified Mobo.This will push the system above 5000 bucks for sure. I don't even have a 30 inch monitor. 10) I seriously doubt I would have the time in the future to upgrade from a 2 to 3-GPU set up with all the liquid cooling involve, but you think a 1000W PSU can handle LC, OC'd CPU, One SSD, 2 HDD spinners, three GTX 275s? This is the should I go with the 1200W PSU question. 11) I thought u mentioned somewhere that lightscribe is not worht the money. Why have 2 DVD-RW drive on your recommendation? Edited by Belstaff - 28 Jun 2009 at 8:34pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 9:19pm |
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1. as I mentioned if you go with stage 2 OC, you will need extra fans an noise becomes an issue but if you want it then I will config one for you.
2. ram makes no difference in what you are doing, where as CPU speed makes all the difference in the world, so if I had to choose, it would be obvious, I would go with CPU speed, however keep in mind above 1600 x 1200 resolution, CPU speed becomes not important in games, look at Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, the cpus are all performing the same at your resolution, both 920 @ 2.66GHz and a 965 oced to 3.6GHz are producing the same fps: 
ram speed will make no difference above 1200 x 1000. but for stage 2 OC the 1600 is a better choice, at least here at DS. 3. the Intel has the fastest speed and its an SLC where as the other SSDs are MLC. the 250GB vertex and 120GB's difference are just size. I would rather go with 250GB instead of raid, raid tends to have its own problems and it doesn't really improve seektime, SSDs have no seektime. so I would recommend the 250GB vertex at this time. 4. if 1 x 500GB is not enough for you then go with 500GB HDD2 and 500GB HDD3 or 1TB HDD2. 5. for storage you will have no use for raptor vs 7200rpm. 6. yes your PSU can easily handle 2 or more 1TB HDDS. 7. you can read about sound cards here a bit 8. they didn't give anybody a hard time, I think there was misunderstandings, but ya get the drain hose for sure. 9. Like I said I recommend upgrading when you need it, cause in 3 years there will be much better/more powerful GPUs out, you may just want one or two of those instead of going Tri sli now. 10. 1000w can do Tri sli and a SSD and 2 HDDS. 11. lightsribe is not worth it if you don't use it, but for your budget I thought I recommend it and see what you say. Two DVD drives are also just luxury, if you have no use for it we drop it. Ok so stage 2 oc: Here you go Ticket# 300677 --- Price: $5981 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $5481 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 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 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (250GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX250G) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) 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: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: Specialized FrostBite Separate Dual Loop System for CPU & Two Video Cards 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: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) 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: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) now with this system you may not need to get the fan upgrades which will add another $80. --------------------------------------------------------- below you will most likely be asked to add the fans and have noise: Here you go Ticket# 300675 --- Price: $4923 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $4523 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition) Card Reader: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (250GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX250G) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (16MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) 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: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: Specialized FrostBite Separate Dual Loop System for CPU & Two Video Cards 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: Memory Fan Kit Only (Does not include memory overclocking service) 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: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) the difference between the 2 systems is gonna be noise, I would say go with the 920 OCed to stage 2 if stage 2 is what you want, if you want to add a sound card we will have to change the mobo to classified. |
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Belstaff
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Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 9:50pm |
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Thanks for the advice, DST.
I am going to tinker some more with the options based on your listed suggestions. I was wondering why you suggested using the i7 975 as part of your 1st recommendation. Is it because OCing that would create less heat and no fans? 2 DVD burners are not essential for me, but it is within my budget and I will be considering them. Also, would you recommend overclocking stage 2 a 950 rather than a 920 to avoid the extra heat, fan and noise? Also, have u heard if DS also made people get extra fans for a LC'd Stage 1 OC'd processor? My ears have been ravaged by the roars of the fans over my P4 3.06 for years. In some ways, dead silence is more important than top performance for me. On storage, how about the seagate barracudas 1.5TB versus the WD Caviar Blue 1TB? Any advantages/disadvantages with 500 in HDD2/500 in HDD3 vs. 1TB in HDD2? Lastly, would the only reason I need to go with the x58 Classified mobo is if I go with a sound card? Edited by Belstaff - 28 Jun 2009 at 10:02pm |
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Belstaff
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Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 10:26pm |
Ticket Number: 300691 Edited by Belstaff - 28 Jun 2009 at 10:29pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 28 Jun 2009 at 10:47pm |
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975 would run cooler thus should not need the extra fans but we have been told that the fans are for northbridge and not the CPU.
for stage 2 OC I would recommend 1600MHz ram and 920. extra fan is so far has been only for stage 2 OC. don't get the 1.5TB remember they are hard to scan/search/backup, I normally don't even recommend the 1TB but sounds like you got lots of files, IMO the 500GB for HDD2 and 500GB for HDD3 is a better idea, that way they are much easier to manage. you would need the classified if you are going to go Tri sli and sound card, or if you want room in the future to go Tri sli and want a sound card now, otherwise the x58 Tri sli will do. you don't need ultimate, premium will do just fine but if you want the features of win7 ultimate then go with vista ultimate now. I like your second build, just change the CPU to 920 and drop the classified to x58 Tri sli if you are not gonna go Tri sli in the future. that should bring it back down to your price range. its not guaranteed that if you go with a 975 or 950 that your northbridge won't get hot and they won't call you and tell you that you need the fan upgrade, but some are saying the Zalman fans are not loud, I have 4 of them myself and think they are not quiet. |
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Belstaff
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Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 5:18am |
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DST, does doing a RAID 0 on the two 500 GB drives have any advantage over having them as separate entities? Disadvantages?
You had mentioned in another thread to get a larger CPU radiator. How much does that help with the heat issue described by DS? Thanks. |
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GeneralShrooms
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Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 12:07pm |
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In raid 0 if one of the HDD's fail the rest of the data is lost since each share half of each others load. Theoretically this doubles the failure rate but it isn't as much of a problem because the HDD's life span is about 4-5 years and regular backups can solve the problem entirely. The advantages to it would be faster read write speed because both HDD's read and write data at the same time.
EDIT: I wouldn't suggest a sound card unless your getting a 500 dollar set of 7.1 speakers. Edited by GeneralShrooms - 29 Jun 2009 at 12:08pm |
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DST4ME
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Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 12:38pm |
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raid can fail if one of the drives fail, the life span has nothing to do with it since they can go bad at anytime, also if the raid itself fails you can lose all data.
again for storage you have no use nor will you notice the a difference with raid, raid will only help apps load faster that is it, and since you have a vertex for HDD1 and OS/apps/games are on that SSD, they will all load supper fast, faster then a Veloci in raid. the larger rad will help but it all depends on your system, the CPU itself and room temp, if you are not pushing to the oc yourself then don't worry about getting a larger rad 
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Bill the Cat
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Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 6:07pm |
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I'm "old school", but I vote for the
Personally, I think on board (cheap) audio electronics are surprisingly good these days. IMHO, you're better off spending money on an external amp and serious speakers. You'll need them to drowned out the fans!  Edited by Bill the Cat - 29 Jun 2009 at 6:08pm |
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3.6 GHz E6850, 4 GB RAM, GTS 250, TJ9, Win 7 64-bit
4.4 GHz i7 3930K, 16 GB RAM, GTX 670, 550D, Win 7 64-bit |
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DST4ME
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 29 Jun 2009 at 6:14pm |
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If I recall correctly Bill D had a 950si and for better temp Alex suggested the HAF, cause the 950si doesn't not have the same airflow. The 2 extra fans that the 950si gets are 2 x 120mm I believe, and if the HAF's own fans (230mm side fan, 230mm front fan, 120mm top fan) don't do the job and 4 x 120mm Zalman fans are needed to replace the side fan, then I don't see how the 950si with only 2 x 120mm fans will do the job. Looks like for stage 2 OC the HAF has the best temps.
Just providing info I have seen, I also think the 950si is a great case, no my taste but to each his own  Edited by DST4ME - 29 Jun 2009 at 6:15pm |
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Belstaff
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 9:06pm |
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Busy couple days at work.
I can never have enough storage and I was sold on the HAF case. I ended up with the following (with stage 2 OCing): Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1333MHz 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 (250GB Solid State (By: OCZ) Vertex Series (Model: OCZSSD2-1VTX250G) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 20x / CD-Writer 48x) (LightScribe Edition) 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: Specialized FrostBite Separate Dual Loop System for CPU & Two Video Cards Liquid Color: UV Blue: 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 CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air 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 Ultimate (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: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) 1) The above system is under $ 5K. Should I go with 1600 RAM as it's "only" 70-80 dollars more? What the heck is the difference between the mushkin and cosair dominator? 2) DS recommended the LE edition or even 3X SLi (instead of the classified) Mobo if I plan on adding another GPU with the 1000W PSU as it has lower power consumption? Was told adding additional drives would be possible with current specs, just not another GPUs. Why almost 300 dollars difference between the 3 models of mobo? 3) I read the other thread and I don't know what eastor is trying to do with his latest fling with radiators among other things. Seriously, would I need radiator mods or should I request it only when DS call me back telling me that the system needs more fans? 4) didn't go with the drain hose as was told not needed. have the quick release valve included. 5) Thoughts on the contrasting color between the factory red LED fan included in the case and the UV Blue requested with the LC system? 6) I seriously believe I will need the storage above as I rarely discard stuff. Any thoughts on the HDD configurations (storage capacity aside)? Edited by Belstaff - 30 Jun 2009 at 9:15pm |
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DST4ME
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 9:45pm |
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1. your 1333 should do fine, its really upto you.
2. LE is the lowest model available and has only one 16x pci lane, it can only do 12GB of ram vs 24GB of classified, no EIDE, only 6 sata ports vs classified's 9 sata ports, classified has 10 Phase Digital PWM, 300% more gold content in the CPU socket, Super-low ESR and ESL film capacitors, delivers up to 600w of CPU Power, can do tri sli sound card and physx card or wireless if needed. 3. for stage 2 it sounds like they are gonna tell you that you need the fans due to northbridge, unless you want to ask them for a waterblock for the northbridge. if you are not pushing your system then dont' worry about bigger rads, they wont' help with northbridge anyways. 4. ok so in 3 years when you need to flush the system how are you going to do it? a drain hose makes it easy for you, who told you this one? what does quick release have anything to do with drain hose? 5. you can change the 230mm red led fans with 230mm blue led fans. 6. if you dont' mind the time it takes to deal with those 1TB HDDs then you are good to go. |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 9:54pm |
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Thanks for the reply.
1. I have not been told that the above specs in Stage 2 will require extra fans. So if they don't call about heat let it be? If they call, ask for a waterblock on northbridge? Is there a specific model I should ask for? I mean they WILL call if it needs extra fans right? I hope they won't ship the system with all extra fans without telling me. 4. Re: the drain hose. Was told by James I can disconnect the piping and drain from there. So is flushing something different? Don't know too much about LC maintenance. By drain hose, do you mean a tubing that is connected at one end with the LC circuit the other end with a plug or something that can be unplugged for emptying and flushing. 3. Re: Red fan and blue LC system- Was told that DS can replace with the available blue 120mm fan and was not offered a blue 240 mm fan. What's your thought on the discordant color? Edited by Belstaff - 30 Jun 2009 at 10:00pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 10:06pm |
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1. the water block for northbridge will cost more money and we will have to get you a bigger rad to deal with its heat, if you don't mind the bit of noise get the zalman fans if you do then go with northbridge water block.
3. no you have to specifically ask them to change it with the 230mm blue led fan 4. yes the drain hose is at the bottom of the system basically and you just open the rad and the drain hose and drain. the quick release is to make it easier to change GPUs and stuff but its suppose to be on the GPU loop and maybe the rad but for easiest drain, a drain hose at the bottom is the way to go. have a look here, it kind of looks like that the T line has the drain hose coming off of it and just laying at the bottom, this way you don't need to worry about getting the liquid on anything and its best/easiest solution for people who have never worked with LC system. Edited by DST4ME - 30 Jun 2009 at 10:07pm |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 10:22pm |
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Thanks again.
Do you know if DS have been willing to do the drain hose? |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 10:36pm |
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My pleasure
Yes they do it. I have seen some people that have gotten it.Edited by DST4ME - 30 Jun 2009 at 10:36pm |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 10:42pm |
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Forgot to ask.
1) So they do drain hose.... do they usually charge extra? 2) DS always calls if they need extra fans for the heat, right? I am assuming fans are not needed if I don't receive a call from them. 3) A pre-emptive question: How much in cost should I expect with the waterblock and larger radiator? Edited by Belstaff - 30 Jun 2009 at 10:45pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 30 Jun 2009 at 10:45pm |
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1. yes if the heat is a problem they will call you and let you know, they can't ship a system that has not passed the tests.
2. for a dual rad and gtz water block, probably around $80 more I'm not sure could be a bit more. |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 07 Jul 2009 at 9:19pm |
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How long does a custom system usually take? Last update was 7/1 at Stage 3.
What's more I have been trying to contact DS via email, help mail, telephone message because I want to upgrade my memory three days ago. I don't have time to call them during the day and they close so early as I am not done with work until 5:30 their time. |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 07 Jul 2009 at 9:56pm |
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the system itself depends on what your ordered and if they have those parts in stock or they have to wait for the manufacturer to ship them the parts.
as for contacting them, best way is to call sarah and if she is not there, leave her a message with a number to call you back at, or email her directly. She is on top of stuff and will take good care of you
call Sarah at 1-866-817-8676 Extension: 115 and she will set you up or email here at sarah@digitalstormonline.com
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 07 Jul 2009 at 10:50pm |
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So u think she will be on top of this even though if I ordered thru James? The system I ordered was pretty much what we last discussed. I want to now upgrade from 6gb of 1333 to 1600 MHz ram. It's not a big deal but I figure if I am doing stage 2 oc why not.
I am just surprised at the lack of response after multiple attempts to contact them via multiple methods. Edited by Belstaff - 07 Jul 2009 at 10:58pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 07 Jul 2009 at 11:52pm |
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they were probably super busy, sarah seems to be top of her game tho, she is the one I contact, and yes she can help you even tho sombody else took your order
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
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Posted: 14 Jul 2009 at 10:52pm |
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Except for Sarah, I have trouble getting through to them via email, chat and phone. My job don't really allow me to contact them until the last half hour of their business hours.
For the past few days, I have been trying to contact them about upgrading again on my specs as well as ask more questions about the drain hose while my system was listed as being at Stage 3. Their phone was either busy or was a voice mail. I haven't heard from them, but rather got an automated Stage 4+5 production notification today. Hope they reply before it gets to Stage 7!- may be this is their indirect way of saying no to my upgrade questions? Edited by Belstaff - 14 Jul 2009 at 10:54pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 14 Jul 2009 at 11:20pm |
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na they are just busy, send sarah an email and she will respond to you
sarah@digitalstormonline.com
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 14 Jul 2009 at 11:32pm |
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Thanks for the encouragement. I tried emailing her again. Hope I will get some news before they ship the system out in a couple of days.
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
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Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 1:11am |
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she should respond to you tomorrow
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Sarah
Newbie
Hardcore Gamer Joined: 07 Jun 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 879 |
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Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 1:01pm |
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I sent you an e-mail. Sorry for the delay, I have been very busy this week.
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 7:05pm |
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Me too, but anyway i got sarah's message. As expected, as it's at Stage 5 I would need to pay a significant rebuild fee. I wonder how I haven't heard from any one else because Sarah is actually the last person I contacted during these last rounds of communication as she wasn't in charge of my order originally.
I know what I am asking is pretty much overkill w/ upgrade requests of 12 gb ram and SLI 285 rather than 275 (yesh DST4ME i know- only 2-3 fps difference), but I have no intention of touching or add components to the computer other than maintaining the LC system.
Sarah is giving me this same explanation. Well, my system is now at Stage 6 with all these delays in communication (I do not mean you, Sarah). I haven't made my decision on this yet because I haven't received a concrete price on the rebuild fee.
Hopefully she replies before they close tonight. I am sure the system is at Stage 7 and all I get will be "Oops"! Edited by Belstaff - 15 Jul 2009 at 7:08pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 7:07pm |
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what would you want with 12GB of ram? 6GB will be good for atleast 3 years if not longer, and how did you get the idea that if you go with sli 275 you will need to change something, but if you go sli 285 you won't? whatever rules apply to sli 275 it will apply to sli 285, so in short if ever a times comes that your sli 275 is not enough power, the same will go for sli 285.
when did you contact them first? for the changes? Edited by DST4ME - 15 Jul 2009 at 7:10pm |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 7:15pm |
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Unless, there is a radical change in software. No good reason besides the weak ass excuse of Windows Vista 64/Window 7 can see and use all 12gb.
Re: the 285 vs. 275. tt has more to with the GPU RAM as people were joking about 512 mb vram being overkill or not needed back a few years. It's been like a year and a half, the tune has changed completely. Then I hear about weird games like GTA or flight simulator needs higher number of vram... May be I should go with 275 1.7gb instead, but that's too much vram the GPU processor cannot handle. Edited by Belstaff - 15 Jul 2009 at 7:22pm |
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Belstaff
Newbie
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 7:20pm |
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I contacted them first via email on Sunday. I know they are closed so with the highly regarded service I heard about I was thining I will hear from them on Monday.
Nothing on Monday and I was surprised. I called them couple times Monday night at 4:30 pm their time which had a busy signal. I then sent another email to 3 sales reps that I had communications re: this order before that Monday night. Nothing again on Tuesday so I left another message at 4:30 pm their time Tuesday night. By that time, all I have received was the automated email notifying me of a sudden jump from Stage 3 to Stage 5 of production. I then email Sarah again yesterday evening as you suggested.
It was not until today I had any repsonse anyone.
I also asked them if they can hold the order, but that hasn't happen yet. May be they had wanted to reply when system is at Stage 7, which will happen tomorrow and I haven't "officially" requested the change as I haven't received the exact cost of the rebuilding fee. Edited by Belstaff - 15 Jul 2009 at 7:39pm |
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DST4ME
DS ELITE
Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 36758 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 15 Jul 2009 at 7:41pm |
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what you are hearing is BS to an extent, the 275 896MB will give you smooth game play at high settings.
all the charts I have seen of 275 896MB have been at 8x aa and 16x af giving 60 fps (60 fps = smooth gaming). lot of people are running around and saying that the vram is important but its not, ram will always play a small part in everything, be it CPU or GPU. if games get to a point that they need more vram, you can bet your ass they will need a more powerful GPU to being with, you can stick a 100GB of vram on a 8800 gts, it still not gonna be able to provide the same fps as a 275 with 896MB of ram at 8x aa and 16x af. Edited by DST4ME - 15 Jul 2009 at 7:43pm |
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