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Ive configured 3 pcs from 3 different places and Id like advice on where to buy from. Ive only dealt with Dell before.
and before its suggested Im not comfortable putting together a pc on my own
I needed a new gaming pc that will handle games great and not more that $1800-ish. if you have suggestions of another setup from a different prebuilt, reputable site please feel free to add it
thanks
Digital Storm
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Corsair Obsidian 550D
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 3570K 3.40 GHz (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LX (Intel Z77 Chipset) (Does Not Support SLI)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
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: Neutron GTX Series) (SATA 6Gbps)
Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks
Hard Drive Set 2: MultimediaData: 1x (1TB Western Digital/Seagate (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache)
Hard Drive Set 3: BackupMisc.: - 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(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB (Includes PhysX)
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex 120mm Radiator Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade All Fans to Corsair Airflow 120mm Performance Edition (Up to 6 Fans)
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: Noise Suppression Package Stage 1 (Optimized Airflow & Fan Speeds Only)
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory
OS Boost: - 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 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: - No Thanks
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
ibuypower
013 Paladin Dr. I
1 x Case ( NZXT Phantom 410 Gaming Case - Black )
0 x Case Lighting ( None )
1 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System )
0 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
1 x Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7 3820 Processor (4x 3.60GHz/10MB L3 Cache) - Intel Core i7 3820 )
0 x iBUYPOWER PowerDrive ( None )
1 x Processor Cooling ( Liquid CPU Cooling System [Intel] - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow) )
1 x Memory ( 16 GB [4 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair or Major Brand )
1 x Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 - 2GB - EVGA FTW - Core: 1084MHz - Single Card )
1 x Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by AMD or NVIDIA )
1 x Free Stuff ( [FREE] - Thermaltake SHOCK Spin Gaming Headset - Free with purchase of System over $1599 )
1 x Free Stuff ( [FREE Game Voucher] - Metro: Last Light - Free with purchase of NVIDIA GeForce GTX660 or above )
1 x Motherboard ( Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 -- 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16 )
1 x Power Supply ( 750 Watt - Corsair CMPSU-750TXV2 - Free Upgrade to 850 Watt Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 ($20 Savings) )
1 x Primary Hard Drive ( 500 GB HARD DRIVE -- 16M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
1 x Data Hard Drive ( 120 GB Corsair Neutron GTX SSD - Single Drive )
1 x Optical Drive ( 24X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
0 x 2nd Optical Drive ( None )
0 x Flash Media Reader / Writer ( None )
0 x Meter Display ( None )
1 x Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
1 x Network Card ( Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card )
1 x Operating System ( Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit )
0 x Monitor ( None )
0 x 2nd Monitor ( None )
0 x Speaker System ( None )
0 x Video Camera ( None )
1 x Advanced Build Options ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis )
1 x Advanced Build Options ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Basic Pro Wiring )
1 x Advanced Build Options ( Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks )
0 x Case Engraving Service ( None )
1 x Warranty ( 3 Year Standard Warranty Service )
1 x Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - No Rush Service, Estimate Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days
Dell
Comments
Your first link goes to a default configurator. Your third link goes to the reader's shopping cart, not yours.
Dell doesn't offer the combination of a small SSD together with a large hard drive, so I'd dismiss that out of hand. Digital Storm doesn't offer any power supplies that aren't completely stupid for your needs (they only offer two below 1000 W, neither of which are very good quality).
I edited my 1st post and copy/pasted the details
$1800 is enough that you can spend some of that budget to pay someone to screw things together for you and still get something nice. You'll probably pay about $200 more than you would to build it yourself, but if you're fine with that, then go ahead.
Anyway, try this:
http://www.avadirect.com/desktop-pc-configurator.asp?PRID=24471
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 400R
Power supply: Seasonic X-650
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
Processor: Core i5-3570K
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Memory: Crucial 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) Ballistix Sport PC3-12800 DDR3 1600 MHz CL9 9-9-9-24 1.5 V
Video card: Gigabyte GV-797OC-3GD Radeon HD 7970
Hard drive: Crucial 240 GB M500 SSD
Storage drive: Western Digital 1 TB WD Caviar Blue (WD10EZEX)
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit
Everything else default comes to $1705.30.
I'm assuming that you don't need new peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, surge protector). If you do, then we'll have to cut back elsewhere to make room for those. Also, if you strongly prefer Windows 7 over 8, then you can get 7 instead for nearly the same price. They're not really that different, anyway.
Well find a friend... seriously buy him/her a case of beer. Putting my pc together last year, was as easy as hooking up a home theater system. Ask around, but do not buy a premade ie dell, gateway, etc. You will get more bang for your buck this way. I would say New egg they sell computers that are ready to go I think as well.
edit: My first pc, did a lot of reading, research forums, but it was well worth my time.
If you're not comfortable with picking things, then why did you swap out the video card that I picked for a substantially slower one that is actually more expensive? If you're willing to give up some performance by getting a slower video card, then at least save some money while you're at it. AVA Direct offers a Zotac GTX 670 for about $57 cheaper than the one you picked.
Also, make sure that the SSD is the primary drive, as that's where you want the OS and your main programs.
The AVA Direct build offers a much bigger SSD and a much better power supply than the iBuyPower build that you came up with. In the latter, you're paying a big price premium to get an LGA 2011 build, without getting a 6-core processor that is the main point of that platform in a desktop. LGA 2011 is really for servers (Xeon E5 series), and while Intel will sell it in a desktop, you pay server (i.e., high) prices for it.
ok i changed the video card back to what you suggested and switched the Hd's around. Is this setup going to be good for video card cooling? My old system ran hot on alot of the newer games And is the default onboard sound card good enough? does this look right for a final order?
I really appreciate your help and sorry to be a bother.
Not mad, but I do like to sleep at night.
I see that you've also added aftermarket thermal compound. Unless you're looking for an extreme overclock (as opposed to a more moderate overclock), that's a waste of money. And if you are looking for an extreme overclock, you'd need to beef up the motherboard and CPU cooler. But it's not very much money.
I also see that you've switched from a WD Caviar Blue to a Seagate Barracuda. That's fine, as it's an equivalent product with a different brand name on it.
You also switched from Windows 8 to 7. That's also fine, as they're not terribly different, and it's really a matter of personal preference.
great then things look good. I
did want to ask about the onboard sound that is default is that ok for gaming/mmos? Also is this setup and video card going to handle gaming temps okay? I know my current pc has issues with overheating but it only has 2 case fans.
Integrated sound is good enough for nearly everyone. I recommend trying the integrated sound first, and only if you decide that it isn't good enough does it make sense to add a discrete sound card. I've never had someone do that and then come back later asking what sound card to get. A discrete sound card could even be exactly the same chip as you might get from integrated sound, but merely on a discrete card rather than attached to the motherboard.
If you're a serious audiophile and already have a speaker system that costs several hundred dollars, then you might want a discrete sound card. Or if you have unusual needs, such as if you're a professional musician and need a card to do something other than just play sound, you might need a discrete card of some sort, though I don't know what they need. But for anyone else, integrated sound is plenty good enough.
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A Corsair Carbide 400R comes with three 120 mm fans, which should give you plenty of case airflow. If that's not enough, it has places to mount four additional fans, which would give you ridiculous amounts of airflow. As long as you don't block case fans or let the case get caked in dust, you should be fine.
one last question. Ive never had a SSD, So i should install the OS and my games on the SSD or would it be better to have OS and games on different drives?
thanks
Make sure your OS is on the SSD. Games can go wherever.
I have my OS on the SSD and a few games that I play the most . My movies, music, less played games, ect are on my HDD.
The only reason to put anything on the hard drive is to leave more free space on the SSD for other, more important things. Also, it is desirable to leave at least about 1/4 of the space on the SSD free. This isn't a hard rule, so don't worry that you're going to fry things if you use 80% or 90% of the SSD space, but don't put stuff on the SSD just because there's room.
You want to put anything that will do a lot of small reads and writes on the SSD. That includes the OS, as well as any games that you play a lot. It also includes many other programs if you use them a lot, especially web browsers.
Large data files that will generally only be accessed one at a time, such as videos, music, or pictures, do not benefit from the speed of an SSD, so you put them on the hard drive to free up space on the SSD. Anything that you don't want to delete but rarely to never access can also go on the hard drive to free up space on the SSD.
Solid state drives are so fast that even if several things at once want to read data off of the SSD, it usually doesn't matter. Don't worry about overwhelming an SSD with too many reads; about the only way to really push the read capabilities of an SSD is with synthetic benchmarks. That's nearly true of writes as well, though you can wear out an SSD with excessive writes. This isn't a serious concern with a typical consumer workload on an MLC drive, however; if you were to wipe your SSD and then completely fill it up once per day every single day, you'd probably get about 8 years of life or so before you wore it out from excessive writes.
F2P may be the way of the future, but ya know they dont make them like they used to
Proper Grammer & spelling are extra, corrections will be LOL at.
His/her parents probably saw the Scarlet Blade soft core this site won't stop running and made them purge the computer and go to church.