Help me spec a build at Ironside plz

stayghost · October 2011

Time to replace and upgrade my old off the shelf Dell from BEST BUY and get a dedicated gaming rig so I won't need to continue running everything on low settings. Also want to make sure it's something with good cooling because this thing nearly melted down and I had to replace vid cards because of poor airflow. Going to play SW: ToR, Diablo 3, Torchlight 2, GW2, maybe Skyrim and other random games.

Goals:

i7
atleast 8gigs ram
high end vid card (single is OK .. I'm leary of crossfire / SLI )
excellent cooling, case, etc
Budget approx $1500

Looking to grab a build off of this base model from Ironside:

http://ironsidecomputers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_13&products_id=20

I don't know much about mfr brands, mobos, psu's, etc.

I realize I am going to pay a premium if I don't build it myself.... but I've never built one myself and don't want to experiment now or put blind faith in a local shop.

Any recommended build is GREATLY appreciated!

Robgmur · October 2011

intel 2500k cpu

AMD 6950 or 6970 (6950 can flash to a 6970 if you OC it)

or throw in a gtx580 (costs quite a bit more than the top 2) or even a gtx 570 (still play them all quite well)

850w psu

coolmaster makes some nice cases. you wouldn't really need a fullsize tower unless you're very concerned about heat issues and or will upgrade to sli/cf later on as well as making sure all the items fit in the exact case you go with.

These would be your most common practical recommendations.

Robgmur · October 2011

Also, if you wait here a few months the prices will drop quite a bit on all these items, due to the newer released one's coming out shortly. So you may want to wait and check out the new lines.

Quizzical · October 2011

Why that particular site? You can get better parts for cheaper elsewhere.

Ridelynn · October 2011

Originally posted by Robgmur
Also, if you wait here a few months the prices will drop quite a bit on all these items, due to the newer released one's coming out shortly. So you may want to wait and check out the new lines.

Actually prices don't tend to drop - there may be a short term sale as vendors try to clear the shelves to make room for newer products, but the prices usually creep right back up.

For instance - go try to find a new nVidia 460GTX 1G (non-SE) - they are still about $160-$210 - which isn't a lot cheaper than when they were introduced.

stayghost · October 2011

Originally posted by Quizzical
Why that particular site? You can get better parts for cheaper elsewhere.

Quizz - I'm not looking to buy the parts and assemble the PC; I'm looking to pick items out of a list and get a custom built. That site seems to be one of the best cost / quality balance out there so it is likely who I will go with for this.

If anyone could make a build there and list the end results here I would sincerely appreciate it. I seriously need advice on case, ram, cooling system components etc. Thanks!

Robgmur · October 2011

I cannot access that website from this computer (govt) but here is a build from a similar site that might match up for about 1300-1400$$ will max any game out easy (Metro 2033 / Witcher 2 might make it breathe through its mouth maxxed out..

CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case

Processor ( Intel® i5-2500K Processor (4x 3.30GHz/6MB L3 Cache) )

Memory ( 8 GB [4 GB X2] DDR3-1333 Memory Module - Corsair XMS3 Dominator )

Video Card ( AMD Radeon HD 6970 - 2GB - Single Card )

Motherboard [SLI] ASUS P8P67 PRO -- 3x PCI-E 2.0 x16, On-Board Bluetooth

Power Supply 750 Watt – Thermaltake/coolmaster

120gb SSD (intel? or OCZ?) (for OS and any games you want to play at extremely fast load rates)

500gb 7200rpm 16mb cache (data ect)

~1200-1400$$

now you can get the h67/P67 LE Mother Board and save 50-60$$ but won't be able to sli or CF later.

*Also will need an OS if you don't have one. 80-100$$

*Power supply I'm not too sure about. I just threw in the average one.

*You could also get the 6950 gpu for 50-80$$ cheaper but lose a small amount of performance.

WaldoCorn · October 2011

Silver Series

Intel Core i5 2500

•Case - Cooler Master Storm Enforcer (Mid Tower)

•Custom Airbrushing - None

•Intel Processor - Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo Boost (Quad Core)

•CPU Cooling - COOLER MASTER Hyper TX3

•Intel Motherboard - ASUS P8H67-M LX [VGA DVI HDMI] SATA 6Gb/s {2 DDR3 Slots Max 1333MHz}

•Overclocking - [FREE] Overclock Processor up to 10% (Req. upgraded CPU cooling)

•Memory - (50% Off) 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz

•Primary Hard Drive - Corsair Force 120GB SSD Read: 285MB/s Write: 275MB/s

•Secondary Hard Drive - 500GB 7200RPM

•1st Optical Drive - DVD Writer

•2nd Optical Drive - None

•Graphics Card - ($20 Off) AMD Radeon 6950 1GB (Min. 600 Watt Power Supply)

•[SLI / Crossfire] Second Video Card - None

•Power Supply - Corsair Enthusiast Series TX650 650 Watt 80 Plus Bronze

•Operating System - Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit

•Networking - Standard Onboard Ethernet

•Office Software - None

•Media Card Readers - None

•Sound Card - Integrated HD Audio

•TV Tuners - None

•Fan Controller - None

•Monitor - None

•Second Monitor - None

•Mouse - None

•Keyboard - None

•Speakers & Headsets - None

•FREE Ironside T-Shirt - No Thanks

•Packaging - Ironwall Protection - Custom foam to protect and secure internal components from shipping abuse

•Wiring - Professional Wiring - Cables will be organized to achieve maximum airflow

•Technical Support - Life-time U.S. based technical support and customer service by our own in-house technicians

•Rush Service - [Standard] Shipped Out in 2 - 10 Business Days

•Warranty - Standard 3 Years Parts and Labor

$1,434.95

$1,434.95

Not sure how many fans in the case, but thats from Ironside. You'll prolly get better builds than mine.

Quizzical · October 2011

So you don't know what parts you want, but yet you're certain that whatever parts you get, that site will be the cheapest?

Here, try this:

http://www.avadirect.com/desktop-pc-configurator.asp?PRID=20821

COOLER MASTER Storm Enforcer (SGC-1000-KWN1) Black Mid-Tower Case w/ Window, ATX, No PSU, Steel/Plastic

CORSAIR TX650 V2 Power Supply 650W, 80 PLUS® Bronze, 24-pin ATX12V v2.31 EPS12V 2.92, 2x 8/6-pin PCIe

ASUS P8P67 Rev 3.1, LGA1155, Intel® P67, DDR3-2200 (O.C.) 32GB /4, PCIe x16, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 6 Gb/s /4, USB 3.0 /4, HDA, GbLAN, BT, FW /2, ATX, Retail

INTEL Core™ i5-2500K Quad-Core 3.3 - 3.7GHz TB, HD Graphics 3000, LGA1155, 6MB L3 Cache, 32nm, 95W, EM64T EIST VT-x XD, Retail

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler, Socket 1155/1156/1366/775/AM3/AM2, Copper/Aluminum, Retail

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) Vengeance™ PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC

MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II OC, GeForce® GTX 570 750MHz, 1280MB GDDR5 4000MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI+mini-HDMI, Retail

CRUCIAL 128GB M4 SSD, MLC Marvell 88SS9174, 415/175 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail

SEAGATE 1TB Barracuda® 7200.12, SATA 6 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB cache

RAID No RAID, Independent HDD Drives

SONY AD-7261S Black 24x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ Lightscribe, SATA, OEM

MICROSOFT Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM

WARRANTY Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)

$1433.36

That's a lot better than you'll do at Ironside. As I said, you can get better parts for cheaper elsewhere.

Quizzical · October 2011

WaldoCorn didn't do bad for picking from Ironside. But from AVA Direct, you can get a better CPU cooler, dramatically better motherboard, probably better memory, significantly better SSD, better hard drive, and much better video card, all for a lower total price tag. Ironside is overpriced, even if you want a computer built to order.

stayghost · October 2011

alright guys, I appreciate the input!

I was trying Ironside because along with the better quality / cost ratios, it had fairly consistent good reviews (along with Digital Storm). I'm willing to pay a premium for better quality build and service.

You guys recommend I go with AVA Direct?

Robgmur · October 2011

Originally posted by stayghost
alright guys, I appreciate the input!

I was trying Ironside because along with the better quality / cost ratios, it had fairly consistent good reviews (along with Digital Storm). I'm willing to pay a premium for better quality build and service.

You guys recommend I go with AVA Direct?

I would go with Quiz's advice on AVA direct, they get amazing reviews as well. My friend just got his custom built laptop from them, great quality and warranty.

stayghost · October 2011

Ok guys, what do you think of this AVA build?

Trying to get top level performance now and leave headroom to upgrade in the future. Let me know if there's fat to trim, better options etc.

Using: http://www.avadirect.com/desktop-pc-configurator.asp?PRID=20821

DESKTOP PC Core™ i5 / i7 Performance Custom Computer System

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 (RC-922M-KKN1-GP) Black Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU, Steel
CORSAIR HX1050 Power Supply w/ Modular Cables, 1050W, 80 PLUS® Silver, 24-pin ATX12V 2.2 EPS12V 2.91, 6x 8/6-pin PCIe, Retail
ASUS P8P67 PRO Rev 3.0, LGA1155, Intel® P67, DDR3-2200 (O.C.) 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /2, SATA 3 Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 6 Gb/s /4, USB 3.0 /4, HDA, GbLAN, BT, FW /2, ATX, Retail
INTEL Core™ i7-2600K Quad-Core 3.4 - 3.8GHz TB, HD Graphics 3000, LGA1155, 8MB L3 Cache, 32nm, 95W, EM64T EIST HT VT-x XD, Retail
CORSAIR CAFA70 CPU Cooler, Socket 1155/1156/1366/775/AM3/AM2, Copper/Aluminum
CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) Vengeance™ PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
MSI N570GTX Twin Frozr II OC, GeForce® GTX 570 750MHz, 1280MB GDDR5 4000MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI+mini-HDMI, Retail
CRUCIAL 128GB M4 SSD, MLC Marvell 88SS9174, 415/175 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail
WESTERN DIGITAL 1TB WD Caviar® Blue™ (WD10EALX), SATA 6 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 32MB cache, OEM
RAID No RAID, Independent HDD Drives
SONY AD-7261S Black 24x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ Lightscribe, SATA, OEM
MICROSOFT Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM
WARRANTY Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)
$1763.36

I noticed that a build from the "Desktop PC" base is about $150 cheaper than from the "Gaming PC" base. Although the gaming PC base includes "Free Mild Overclocking 10-20%", "Custom Wiring - standard wiring with round cables" an all in 1 card reader and options to add a fan controler to one of the bays.

Howdy, Stranger!

Help me spec a build at Ironside plz

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Help me spec a build at Ironside plz

Comments