Gaming Rig...Need Help

Budget:
Roughly $2500

Usage:
Mainly gaming. MMOs for the most part. I'm planning on purchasing a 27in monitor to go with the system in the very near future.

Special Needs:
Looking to to future as well. Want it to last a few years before needing too much.

A few questions before I post the config I have thought about.

1. I want to go with a blue setup. So with the system I have, if I want the red fan removed and a blue one in its place do I have to special order the blue edition of the case?

2. Does the motherboard I have picked out work with everything I have listed?

3. I know I don't need 16gb of RAM for gaming, but I figured why not just get it for the future since it is not too much more. What does this RAM look like? (I know, it is just appearance, but it is important to me)

4. With the two HDs...I know I have the OS on the first one...would putting my game on it as well make load times for it faster as well...and then just use the other HD for storage of other files?

5. The Air Stage 2 is not listed anymore when trying this build...can I request it anyway? Or is it just out of stock...because I really wanted the one I list below.

Well here is what I have, let me know what you think...and thank you in advance!


Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,504.00

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth P67 (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue) <b></b>
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
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 (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) <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 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA 015-P3-1582-BR) <b></b>
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Corsair A70 Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans) <b></b>
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) <b></b>
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 or Deluxe Series Motherboard) <b></b>
Boost Video Card: - 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 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition) <b></b>
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: - I'll pick one out when I order
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty





Edited by crawlins - 25 Feb 2012 at 9:55pm

Thanks for the reply!

The Air Stage 2 is the Corsair A70 Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler
Right now it is not showing it as available...I just had the build done yesterday, and now when I try it it is not listed.

Sorry guys, Corsair discontinued their air coolers to focus on liquid cooling solutions. We still have the A50 in stock.

Hi crawlins....They still have the D14 air cooler which you don't like.  It's more than the A70 was, bigger but also very quiet.  The other solution would be H80/100, which seems to be the way the industry is going. 

Edited by bprat22 - 26 Feb 2012 at 6:10am

Thanks Alex.
I'll probably go with the H80. I will probably call tomorrow and discuss a few things before I make the purchase. Is that fine? What time is best? I'm CST.

I'll probably get some time to call here in a little while.

I was thinking...I want the blue fan in the front so I was going to special order the blue edition of the HAF...but maybe I could go with the regular one and just replace the front fan myself. I only want blue fans in both the top spots as well as that front one anyway, so that might be better. I want a black fan in the door and one in the mid section (not sure how to explain that spot in the case).

How would I end up explaining the fan placements I want...do I just use the special section at the bottom to try explaining it? Also, with the H80, it uses the back fan spot for its radiator and fan right?

Ok....so I called in...

I was told that they could not help me on the phone with questions and that I had to email someone to ask questions. I said I was about to order but wanted to clear a couple things up and the lady told me that I have to email and she couldn't help me...so is that not allowed? :(




Edited by crawlins - 27 Feb 2012 at 3:22pm

Hi crawlins...I would just add the fan yourself.  Cheaper and faster.

Here is my final build (I hope)..I will be ordering today.
I changed the motherboard for a different one since my last build.


Ticket Number: 660560
Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,583.00


Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3  (Intel Z68 Chipset) (Features Intel Quick Sync Technology)
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) <b></b>
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 (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) <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 580 1.5GB (Includes PhysX) (Overclocked EVGA 015-P3-1582-BR) <b></b>
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H80 Liquid CPU Cooler (High-Performance Edition) <b></b>
H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected
Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Blue) (Up to 6 Fans) <b></b>
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) <b></b>
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 or Deluxe Series Motherboard) <b></b>
Boost Video Card: - 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 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 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty

Hi crawlins,

When I  was trying to specify a machine, and before, during and after the actual ordering process I had a number of phone calls and email exchanges with Rajeev in CS who was very knowledgeable and helpful. That's the kind of service you're paying for and should expect from a company like DS. You already have a config number as a basis for discussion so there should be no problems.

As bprat22 says the memory may vary depending on current pricing and whether you're using an air cooler or not (clearance issues). On my machine, built last Dec with an H80, DS used black Adata gaming memory with pretty tall heat spreaders. You really need to talk with someone who actually knows what they'll use.


    Marty

Congrats The dreaded waiting

Thank you to all of you that helped me. You guys are awesome and a big part of the DS experience!

Either the 230 or the 200mm fan will fit in that spot, and a few people have told me that the 200mm fan is actually a better performing one. I'm sure it would not be a 120mm...that would not fit. We went over all the fans on the phone, but he didn't specify if the front will be a 230 or 200...but I would guess probably the 200 since they are more common.

The monitor I am looking at is this one:

Model: VX2753MH-LED

This one uses the 1920 x 1080 which should work right? I hope so. If not, I can purchase a different monitor. 

Edited by crawlins - 28 Feb 2012 at 1:22pm

It wasn't them that told me the 200mm's were better, I read it from a few posts. But they did charge me a few extra bucks because they said they had to take it out of another case to get it...I'm not too worried about it.

The monitor I was not sure about. The Hardware section of these forums doesn't get much action and my question there was never answered. I have no idea about monitors. I may go with that Dell (I like Dell monitors as that is what I use now).

As for the 570s vs the 580...I just figured I could add another 580 if I needed more performance down the road. I was told that the 580 would be fine for 1920 x 1080 and max settings on almost all games...is that true? If not, should I upgrade to a 590?

Do you have any advice for any 27" monitors?


Edit: Actually, a lot of the 27" ones like that are out of my price range. And that Dell was a 16:10 ratio...isn't most gaming done at 16:9?

Edit 2: Maybe looking for a 24" with IPS and DVI that is in 16:9...and run it at 1920x 1080???

Edited by crawlins - 28 Feb 2012 at 2:44pm

Anyone else want to chime in about a good monitor for my system since the thread in the Hardware section is DOA? I would love to hear others ideas too.

The U2410, U2412M, U2312HM, or U2311H (All Dell UltraSharps) are excellent monitors. I've used all four and I own one of them. Nothing bad to say at all. 

Moving right along Boss