$2500 Budget - How Powerful ?

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   Hi All, 

I am probably aiming for around $2500 ( give or take $100 ) for my powerful gaming rig. So far I think this is what I configured .... ticket #  412451 

I am not too computer or tech savvy so I do not know how to cut & paste all the specs.

$2553 

I am thinking HAF 932, the i7 960  3.2Ghz, the ATI 5970 2GB, the Air Stage 2 Noctua, the upgrade for Zalman Case fans, and a 1000 watt Power supply.

I have a 24 inch Samsung SyncMaster 245t LCD Display ( it was Maximum PC's choice at the time ). 

I chose the upgraded case fans because I was hoping it made a difference in how high they can overclock it. BUT if it is way too loud like a loud weed whacker I might reconsider. 

I do use Logitech G-35 Headsets almost all the time. 

I play a lot of FPS like Crysis and Modern Warfare 2. I like shooters and like to make it as max res and beautiful as I can get with whatever I can get with the specs I have. 

THANKS for any replies.

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BrianSLA Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Quote Reply Topic: $2500 Budget - How Powerful ? Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 6:18pm
	Hi All, I am probably aiming for around $2500 ( give or take $100 ) for my powerful gaming rig. So far I think this is what I configured .... ticket # 412451 I am not too computer or tech savvy so I do not know how to cut & paste all the specs. $2553 I am thinking HAF 932, the i7 960 3.2Ghz, the ATI 5970 2GB, the Air Stage 2 Noctua, the upgrade for Zalman Case fans, and a 1000 watt Power supply. I have a 24 inch Samsung SyncMaster 245t LCD Display ( it was Maximum PC's choice at the time ). I chose the upgraded case fans because I was hoping it made a difference in how high they can overclock it. BUT if it is way too loud like a loud weed whacker I might reconsider. I do use Logitech G-35 Headsets almost all the time. I play a lot of FPS like Crysis and Modern Warfare 2. I like shooters and like to make it as max res and beautiful as I can get with whatever I can get with the specs I have. THANKS for any replies.

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 30727	Quote Reply Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 6:36pm
	some of the parts are not good choices so you will see them changed in my config, once you see something changed, even if its a lower model, understand it was changed because it offered the same performance as the higher model so there was no reason to go with the higher, none what so ever. case fans will have nothing to do with your oc, your oc't temps mainly depend on the chip itself and the cpu cooler you put on it, the upgraded fans are loud, don't bother with them. the 5970's vram max is actually 1GB, its 1GB per card in there. Nvidia system: Here you go Ticket# 412572 --- Price: $2673 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2673 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Not Available Trim Accents: - Not Available Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1250W Enermax Galaxy EVO (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) 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 24x / 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 EVGA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI) 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: - Not Available Chassis Mods: - Not Available Noise Reduction: - Not Available Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - Not Available Boost Memory: - Not Available Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - Not Available Office: - Not Available Benchmarking: - Not Available Install/Test Game: - Not Available 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 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support --------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------- Ati system: Here you go Ticket# 412574 --- Price: $2463 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2463 Copy of Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Not Available Trim Accents: - Not Available Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1000W Corsair (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) 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 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x CrossFire Dual (ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI) 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: - Not Available Chassis Mods: - Not Available Noise Reduction: - Not Available Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - Not Available Boost Memory: - Not Available Boost OS: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - Not Available Office: - Not Available Benchmarking: - Not Available Install/Test Game: - Not Available 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 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support
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ablahblah Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2313	Quote Reply Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 9:44pm
	don't go Zalman, they make a helluva racket. case fans overall won't make any difference in overclocking, unless you go with the ridiculously loud and powerful Delta fans, which aren't worth it, lol. anyways, any i7 right now besides the extreme series is based on the exact same chip, so go with the i7 920. if you're overclocking, i7 920 = i7 930, i7 965, i7 940, etc. the only reason to not go with the 920 is if you want some extreme overclocking with an Extreme series i7, or, if you're not overclocking and you want a higher speed. for airflow, HAF 932 and the Noctua are the way to go.
	R4D4RPR00F Core i7 920 @ 3.9Ghz Asus Sabertooth X58 EVGA GTX 570 Mushkin 6GB 1414Mhz

BrianSLA Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Quote Reply Posted: 07 Jun 2010 at 12:30pm
	THANKS DST4ME & Ablahblah for the replies. DST4ME,,, which system would you get of your two example systems ? Does the 480 Nvidia have heat issues or will I see major electricity bills by choosing the Nvidia system ? I am leaning for the Nvidia now and the SLI. THANKS -Brian

DST4ME Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS ELITE Joined: 14 Apr 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 30727	Quote Reply Posted: 08 Jun 2010 at 5:09pm
	I'm an nvidia fan, and with more vram, better 3d and tessellation, I like the 480. but with current games, it more preference then anything, unless you play games like gta4 that need more vram, in that case you will need to change ati system's gpus to the 5870 2GB version, so that you have enough vram for games like that, once you do that, the price will be the same or higher as the 480 sli. heat should be fine from what I'm seeing on other forums and will soon start asking our own members what kinda temps they are seeing. power should be like 80 to 100 bucks a year, from what I understand. Edited by DST4ME - 08 Jun 2010 at 5:11pm
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BrianSLA Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Jun 2010 at 6:48pm
	THANKS DST4ME - I just pulled the trigger & ordered. I was going back and fourth for a few days and last night I was going to go for your ATI build but switch out the 2 x 5870s for a single 5970 and save a few hundred bucks. The reason was PC GAMER & MaxPC both highly recommend the 5970 and say it beats a single GTX 480.... BUT then I today while thinking it over - I went for the dual GTX 480s. I did some online research and I did wonder what the heat generated by 2 x GTX 480s in SLI in a HAF 932 will do to the other components but Rahjiv at Digital Storm reassured me plus the warranty with hopefully cover me / allay my fears. Anyway I did choose your GTX 480 in SLI build but I decided to up the DVD burner to a Blu Ray player DVD burner plus I also added the free T-shirt ! Thanks Dude. -Brian

BrianSLA Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Quote Reply Posted: 10 Jun 2010 at 7:54pm
	Is everything good and is this a powerful rig ? This is my final order: System Configuration: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Not Available Trim Accents: - Not Available Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1250W Enermax Galaxy EVO (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: - Not Available Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA) 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: Blu-Ray Player/DVD Writer (Play Blu-Ray and Burn DVDs) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card(s): 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA EVGA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance (Does NOT fit on the regular EVGA X58 3X SLI) 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: - Not Available Chassis Mods: - Not Available Noise Reduction: - Not Available CPU Boost: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Graphics Boost: - Not Available Memory Boost: - Not Available OS Boost: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - Not Available Office: - Not Available Benchmarking: - Not Available Pre-Install Game: - Not Available 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 (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty with Life-Time Customer Support Sub-Total: $2,753.00

SemperFuzz Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 06 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 247	Quote Reply Posted: 11 Jun 2010 at 7:05am
	I say buy just 1 GTX-480 but keep the bigger PS and then later on you can get another GTX-480 when the need arises


BrianSLA Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Quote Reply Posted: 12 Jun 2010 at 6:14pm
	Hi Semperfuzz I am not a techie so I would rather buy powerful and keep it a few years... Plus the game I am waiting for is CRYSIS 2 so I want a powerful rig and not have to worry about updating later. -Brian

BrianSLA Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16	Quote Reply Posted: 12 Jun 2010 at 6:15pm
	Oh since I am already over the $3000 mark with this build I said ' what the heck ' and upgraded the the case to the HAF X for another $40. Unfortunately it will delay my build time to the 18th because that is when they get their supply in. -Brian

JJJJ_Shabadoo Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 22 May 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 320	Quote Reply Posted: 12 Jun 2010 at 6:39pm
	Definitely lose the free OS boost, I'm pretty sure it was a typo on DST's part. It'll add no noticeable performance increase and if you ever need any of the disabled services it's going to be a pain to figure out what was disabled and how to re-enable them (especially since you say you're not a techie). Personally I'd upgrade to Windows 7 Professional to have Windows XP mode.