Configuration Advice

Looking to buy a system in the next week or two and currently looking at Slade Level 2. I will be using a 23 inch monitor at 1920x1080.

Budget = up to around $3,500 (though happy to spend less).

Expectations = I expect my system to run games at the above resolution - mostly at hightest settings if possible. I play mostly MMO's and just a few others games here and there.

Usage = My system is mainly used for web surfing and moderate gaming. No video rendering or photo editing.

Special Needs = I'm concerned with keeping it as quiet as possible since I live in a small apartment.

I know very little about motherboards and cooling options.  I'm a little confused if I should go with Two GTX 680's or just start with one and add later if needed. At my resolution I'm not convinced I would need that much going on.

Here is my current configuration for your review and suggestions. Thank you so much for your suggestions.

Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=705262

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (Requires Z77 Motherboard)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Higher Overclocks and Unique Wi-Fi Features) <b></b>
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance) <b></b>
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS (Dual SLI Compatible)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Force GT Series CSSD-F120GBGT-BK) (SATA 6Gbps) <b></b>
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) <b></b>
Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks
Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA 02G-P4-2682-BR) <b></b>
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional 5.1 <b></b>
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance <b></b>
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: Noise Suppression Package Stage 2 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds with Noise Dampening Material) <b></b>
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
Boost Video Card: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability <b></b>
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 Home Premium (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 (Extra Large) <b></b>
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

Great build but a couple of things.  Drop the noise suppression package and save $79.  That 550D case is very quiet as is . Just a waste.

I guess one question I have if anyone can offer advice is if I should get SLI? I plan to get the GTX 680 card but wondered if I should go with that in SLI? I'm playing on a 23 inch monitor at 1920 x 1080 and don't plan to go any bigger than maybe 24 inch monitor.

Advice?

As Asangard so subtly hinted  you can get a gtx 670 for $250 cheaper than the 680 for almost the same performance.  Just a thought.  And your moderate gaming and monitor size, you probaly don't need sli unless you went to games like BF3, Metro, etc and had to have them on Ultra settings.

Edited by bprat22 - 10 Jul 2012 at 12:08pm

Hi John,
Great choice on the builders, DS is :thumbsup:

as for Ram, I'd go with Corsairs , just less of a headache
not sure if DS still uses mushkins, which is fine also.

I'd op for better PSU (For future proof)
at that resolution, a Single GTX670 is good, in the future if more demanding games come out, just add another at a lower cost

Take out the Sound damp , stick with onboard network and sound.
I have the soundcard and honestly it isnt all that great.
I'd spend alittle more and go Intel for SSD if you really must spend that much, if not just save alittle.

Id also aim for a slightly larger Case, Cramped cases are never fun in the future when you upgrade


Just my 2 cents

If I were going to go with a different case which would you recommend for good cooling but also helping to keep the noise level low. I'm in a very small apartment and can't have a system that makes much noise. 

Ok so I made some changes and wondered if this looks fairly good for something that will run games on a single monitor @ 1920x1080?

Do I really need 1050w PSU or is 800w more than enough? I don't want to run into problems if I decide to upgrade a GPU later on. Also I'm not 100% sure I should go with the Creative sound card or integrated sound (I"ve never done integrated sound).

Total Price with Instant Savings: $3,208.00

Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=706972

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 3.50 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core) (Requires Z77 Motherboard)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V DELUXE (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Higher Overclocks and Unique Wi-Fi Features)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance)
Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible)  <b></b>
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (180GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 520 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: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) <b></b>
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium HD 24-bit 96KHz 7.1
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 240mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (Extreme-Performance Edition)
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 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro/Deluxe/Sabertooth Motherboard)
Boost Video Card: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
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 Home Premium (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 (Extra Large)
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 10-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

I just switched from intergrated sound to the Sound Blaster 3D Recon Champion.  For me there was a big improvement in the sound.  If was much crisper and I could tell easily where things were just based on the sound alone.  Also reviews I have read say the 3D recon drivers are much better than previous Sound Blaster drivers.

Most have had a very good and knowledgable experience.    Of course, there have been exceptions.      If something sounds strange, get back to us.    I think you' ll be in good hands.     DS stands by thelr builds.

Just from my reading up on it..the 680 is Nvidia's flagship so to speak and deals with heat and noise much better than the 670. I know it costs more but my main goal outside of performance is noise so I think for me the 680 is an easy choice. Plus I know I'll upgrade in a  year or so anyway..

Thanks bpratt. I appreciate the info.

Good luck JohnD

Hi JohnD212......If you want to play it safe, go 1050Hx.   The 800W will work because DS in its testing will check thermals and loads.  Their ODE 4 has sli 670  and oc'd cpu and ship it with the 800W. 

I think its the way to go.  Keep us posted . 

Thanks Frank. I appreciate your ideas. Regarding the case, I went with that case because it seems to indicate (as does the Slade) that it was designed for the system to be more quiet.

The description of the case says:

Obsidian Series 550D is carefully engineered for noise reduction and sound isolation. But, it’s not just about keeping things quiet — there’s amazing cooling potential, lots of expansion flexibility, and the durability that Obsidian Series is renowned for.

I am definitely not locked into getting this case. Is there a case you would suggest that would be better for what I'm looking for?

The 550 will do the job for you or DS won't ship it.

You have a great system with your last build and you should go for it. I should not have introduced my personal preferences at this late stage.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 14 Jul 2012 at 9:54am

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll just go with the sound card. I figure it can't hurt and if I decide I don't want it I can just take it out. The case I've decided on the Corsair Obsidian 550d. I realize it won't cool quite as good but I also probably am not as demanding in games as a lot of people. I will definitely look to replace the fans with ones that are more quiet. Already done some research and see that the SilentWing series of 140mm fans come highly rated so I might swap those in during the first few months if necessary. I also don't mind adding a fan or two to the side panel which this case will allow. I like the ability to take the fans I add out if the sound is too much for me.

The video card I will definitely stick to the 2gb version. I know I'll most likely upgrade the grade within a year or so and doubt anything above 2gb is necessary. Definitely going with the 1050w PSU....

Now I just have to decide about the OC version of the video card or just rely on the regular version and let DS overclock it. I thought maybe the OC version of the card might have better parts to help deal with any heat. Do you think that's true or is it just the same card but factory OC'd?

I've decided on the 680 but you're saying it isn't worth the extra few bucks for the 680 oc over the regular 680? Should I still have DS do their video card oc'ing which they say is currently free?

Ok. Great. I think I'll go with the OC version of the card but discuss with them if I need any further OC. I suspect since I play on a single monitor at 1920x1080 that I won't really be needing the overclocking of the overclocked version of a card...lol. I read somewhere you really don't even need 16GB of RAM but it is just hard to go with only 8GB...common sense tells me I only need 8 but the gamer in me says Have 16GB. lol