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2k budget, PC needed before Xmas

Post Date: 2014-10-31
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Syncaine View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote Syncaine Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: 2k budget, PC needed before Xmas
    Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 6:12pm
Hello again everyone on this awesome forum, back for round two of getting a DS machine!

My budget is $2,000, and I'd like the PC delivered a week or so before Xmas, so need a little help with what to order and when. I haven't kept up with hardware, so don't know when newer stuff is coming out or when people expect prices to move. Also unsure when DS is going to run a special, but this is my budget and time frame.

The machine will be plugged into a 24" monitor running 1900x1200. No plans for two screens (don't like it), though a bigger monitor might happen at some point.

Most of my gaming is online, playing EVE, LoL, FFXIV, etc. I also play a fair bit of 4X games like Endless Legend and the new Civ. I also play some FPS, and want a machine that will be able to run basically everything maxed for a few years.

I know I want an SSD-only system if possible, as I have one now and love it, but anything running on the older drive feels like molasses with loading times. Only other thing is I use Sennheiser PC360 headphones, so don't know if I need or would benefit from a sound card?

Happy to hear recommendations or answer any questions. Thank you everyone!
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Ariktu View Drop Down
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Posts: 492 		  Quote Ariktu Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 7:13pm
Configuration Code: 1074307

I added a MB that allows SLI. Went with a single SSD drive. If 500 GB is too small later you can easily add a second drive in the system. I upgraded the PSU since the 850 EVGA is a nice unit with a long 10 year warranty that should have zero issues with you adding components over the years.

It is slightly above your target price at $2033.
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Digital Storm Apollo
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.50 GHz (Codename Devils Canyon) (Unlocked CPU) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Gryphon Z97 (Intel Z97 Chipset) (Features Thermal Radar) (MATX)
System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 850W EVGA SuperNOVA
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD (500GB Samsung 840 EVO)
Storage Set 2: - No Thanks
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (Includes PhysX)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
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 Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU 4.0GHz to 4.4GHz
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
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 8.1 (64-Bit Edition)
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ArkansasWoman777 View Drop Down
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Posts: 4314 		  Quote ArkansasWoman777 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 7:23pm
Most motherboard onboard audio is apparently a lot better than a long time ago so having a sound card i believe wouldn't be necessary.
"Captain Sirius Black"
Storm Trooper
i5 3570k

Ordered: 11-27-12
Stage 1: 11-29-12
Stage 2: 12-2-12
Stage 3: 12-2-12
Stage 4: 12-4-12
Stage 5: 12-4-12
Stage 6: 12-10-12
Stage 7: 12-12-12
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Syncaine View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote Syncaine Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 8:18pm
That's what I thought about sound cards, but wanted to make sure.

Thanks for the spec Ariktu; few questions.

Is 8gigs of RAM going to be enough? For some reason I thought most people get 16gigs now.
About the case, is dropping to some of the cheaper options be a horrible idea? Like the K380 is $150 less, and I don't mind it in terms of look.
If I know I don't want SLI, is there a different motherboard choice, or is that one the best option here regardless of SLI?
Liquid Cooling; had a bad experience with an older setup, but this one says zero maintenance. So if I never touch it for 4 years, it will still be fine?

Sorry for all the questions.
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ArkansasWoman777 View Drop Down
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Posts: 4314 		  Quote ArkansasWoman777 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 8:31pm
Assuming the pump doesn't fail on you during that time frame yes it should be fine as its prefilled and sealed of course. 8 gigs should be good enough but of course 16 gigs is the sweet spot so its your choice really. No dropping to the cheaper options of cases won't be a horrible idea.

"Captain Sirius Black"
Storm Trooper
i5 3570k

Ordered: 11-27-12
Stage 1: 11-29-12
Stage 2: 12-2-12
Stage 3: 12-2-12
Stage 4: 12-4-12
Stage 5: 12-4-12
Stage 6: 12-10-12
Stage 7: 12-12-12
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bprat22 View Drop Down
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Posts: 20391 		  Quote bprat22 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 01 Nov 2014 at 6:24am
If you have no plans to sli, the Z97-P will work.   The Gryphon does have a better warranty.   Plus, you can drop the psu to the 750W EVGA for more savings and still have plenty of headroom.
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Guests View Drop Down
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 01 Nov 2014 at 11:54am
EvE Online, EvE?

Edited by KingHeikir - 01 Nov 2014 at 1:47pm
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Syncaine View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote Syncaine Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 01 Nov 2014 at 6:08pm
Yea EVE Online, love that game:)

For RAM, what is the general performance difference between the 1600 ram and the 1833? Price wise its only $21 for 16gigs, worth paying that or a waste?

Thinking Digital Storm Coridium for the case, decent choice?
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Guests View Drop Down
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Nov 2014 at 5:41am
I recently just stopped playing EvE, was running 3 accounts & 2 additional training queues on my ISK making account.

How long have you been playing EvE for?

I'm from Iceland, the back yard of the company that made EvE & that maintains the game, the few things good about Iceland, haha.
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Syncaine View Drop Down
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Posts: 19 		  Quote Syncaine Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 02 Nov 2014 at 8:15am
Since 2007, though with long 'EVE Offline' training breaks. Spent a lot of time in WH space, mostly in a merc alliance (SYJ)
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