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Ambidex
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Topic: "Up to date" hardware. Posted: 09 Nov 2009 at 8:49am |
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Hello My name is Christopher, and I have a few thoughts about hardware that I have not been able to solve by searching the net. Hoping that you guys here have a better knowledge base makes me write the following statememts: (Please give me an explained answer, not just yes or no /wrong etc.)
Relevant information: Games I play: Quake 4, CS, CS source, A.V.A, Other FPS and warcraft III based games.
Life time of the computer: I want the computer to be able to play thiese games in full graphics with excellent frames per second (fps) for maybe 5 years.
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Prosessors: [Intel I-5/I-7 & Core 2 duo/quad vs AMD Phenom II X4]
According to the specifications of the different prosessors, it looks like the most GHz on the prosessors for the money, is to go for the AMD Phenom II X4. But on the other hand, the Intels have newer technology, which makes me think: Is it worth it to buy the new Intels? Or is it smart of me to buy the AMD; since I can save a lot of money and still get better performance? [I am thinking to buy the AMD Phenom II X4 940 3GHz]
Graphic cards:
I am thinking to buy the ATI HD 5870. Should I get a cheaper one, maybe two cheaper cards or go for the best/newest one?
Cooling: [Water or Air?]
Should I get water or air cooling? Should I get water for Graphics in addition to CPU?
Final words:
Please help me through this. I just to order a computer from Digital Storm.
Thank you so much, Christopher
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DST4ME
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Posted: 09 Nov 2009 at 2:25pm |
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what is your budget? and what resolution will you be gaming at?
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Ambidex
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 2:42pm |
Budget: 2800 $
Resolution: High resolution.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 4:06pm |
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high resolution can be alot of things, can you tell me the exact res please? 1600 x 1200, 1900 x 1200 or 2560 x 1600?
Edited by DST4ME - 10 Nov 2009 at 4:06pm
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Ambidex
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 6:31pm |
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Resolution: 1920 x 1200 at least. :P I have never played at a higher resolution to be honest. But at least at that resolution, with sky high fps. (2600 doesnt sound bad either, so consider that too)
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DST4ME
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 6:47pm |
Here you go Ticket# 352283 --- Price: $2327 (To see this build click here) Price after current promotion $2327
Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932
Exterior Finish: - Not Available
Interior Finish: - Not Available
Trim Accents: - Not Available
Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
Power Supply: 750W Corsair TX (Dual SLI Compatible)
Card Reader: - Not Available
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM) (SATA)
Set 1 Raid Options: - Not Available
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 20x / CD-Writer 48x)
Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB
Add-on Card: - No Thanks
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-U12P High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors)
Liquid Color:- Not Available
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue)
Enhancements: - Not Available
Chassis Mods: - Not Available
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade)
Boost Video Card: - Not Available
Boost Memory: - Not Available
Tweak Windows: - Not Available
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (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
LCD Display: Acer 22 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display)
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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
Edited by DST4ME - 10 Nov 2009 at 11:26pm
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Ambidex
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 6:56pm |
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What about liquid cooling? Not recommended?
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Ambidex
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 7:04pm |
What bout this? Ticket Number: 352201 Total Price with Instant Savings: $2,779.00
Direct Load URL: http://www.digitalstormonline.com/comploadsaved.asp?id=352201
Specifications: Chassis Model: Digital Storm HailStorm Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Interior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: XFX X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports Triple SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Corsair Dominator DHX (High-Performance) Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended) Card Reader: - No Thanks 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 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 3: High-Performance Liquid Chilled FrostBite System For CPU Liquid Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a H20: Stage 3 Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Tweak Windows: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks LCD 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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
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hemi392
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 10:04pm |
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Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor u didnt oc your cpu but yet you got frost bite cooler or did you forget to do that. cause it would pointless to have the frostbite cooler with no oc. unless you plan on oc the cpu yourself?
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Q9650 oc 4.33
mushkin 889mhz 4gb 6-6-6-16-1T
single gtx 275 oc
Evga 790i SLI FTW
single 500 hd
frostbite cooler
antec 902 case
750w power
NB Water
SB Air
Mosfets Water
120/80 rad
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DST4ME
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Posted: 10 Nov 2009 at 11:24pm |
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Ambidex my build costs less and is gonna be much more powerful then your config you just listed.
you can add LC to my config if you like but its not needed.
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Ambidex
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Posted: 11 Nov 2009 at 6:17am |
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DST4ME:
What do you think about the Hailstorm chassis? It looks like the cable management in it is very efficient for the airflow. Like the holes in the board to make the cables go behind the whole motherboard and all the other components. (Btw, I can see that you added a LCD Monitor. Was that intended? Cause I was thinking of having two monitors)
So my question is: Hailstorm chassis? Frostbite + overclock lvl2?
Thank you, Christopher
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DST4ME
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Posted: 11 Nov 2009 at 4:11pm |
if you want frostbite then go for it but its not needed.
all cases have the wires go to the back.
hailstorm is a great case but it more for people who have LC on cpu/gpu.
otherwise you gonna spend more money just to try and get close to the air flow of haf but spend much more money on fans and at the end it will be no as much airflow as haf and much louder then haf, since those upgrade fans are loud.
for your use you will see no peformance gain from stage 2 oc, if you did, I would have picked it for you  
Edited by DST4ME - 11 Nov 2009 at 4:11pm
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Ambidex
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Posted: 12 Nov 2009 at 12:14pm |
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In your ticket, there is a monitor: Acer 22inch. Is this good?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 12 Nov 2009 at 3:13pm |
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Ambidex
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Posted: 12 Nov 2009 at 6:53pm |
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Thanks a lot! This sounds like a really good deal! I might buy the 24" samsung gaming monitor. Any other tips? Any thing u suggest? I mean, any other upgrades?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 12 Nov 2009 at 6:57pm |
nope the 5870 will handle a 24" just fine.
and with that 750w, you can add another 5870 down the road if you think you need the extra power.
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Ambidex
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Posted: 12 Nov 2009 at 9:35pm |
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So this computer will be able to have high frames per second on the full graphics in the games?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 1:01am |
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with most of the games yes, far cry, cod, mass affect, World in Conflict, Grand Theft Auto , wow, etc.
games like crysis and such are gonna be a bit different, for those you want to have low aa and such and then you should have a good play.
Edited by DST4ME - 13 Nov 2009 at 1:02am
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titusmckieus
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 1:46am |
Originally posted by Ambidex
DST4ME:
What do you think about the Hailstorm chassis? It looks like the cable management in it is very efficient for the airflow. Like the holes in the board to make the cables go behind the whole motherboard and all the other components.
Thank you,Christopher
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The HAF case has very good cable management options and very roomy at that. if your running air this is the case to get. I love the Temps mine keeps
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DST4ME
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 2:47am |
are those idle temps? if not then those are some great temps  if they are idle temps then lets see the temps under load
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titusmckieus
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 7:53am |
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Yes, those temps are just at Idle, I will post the temps with the system under load When I get home from work. so we can see what it looks like . aside from playing a game what method can I do to work all components at the same time to test.
Edited by titusmckieus - 13 Nov 2009 at 7:58am
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Ambidex
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 7:55am |
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Hey
So I called DS, and they said I could ship the computer to Hungary, where I am studying medicine atm. :P Anyways. Will there be a problem with the power cable? Will I need an adapter?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 8:00am |
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I think you will need an adapter/converter but I'm not sure.
Edited by DST4ME - 13 Nov 2009 at 8:00am
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Ambidex
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Posted: 13 Nov 2009 at 10:26pm |
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OK
Then taking the question further. Adding another ATI HD 5870. = Crossfire 2x ATI HD 5870. Does this inpact much more performance, compared to only 1 card? In sense of FPS; graphics.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 14 Nov 2009 at 2:13am |
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at 1900 x 1200 you would not notice the difference in most games.
only games like crysis with high aa and af would see a difference.
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Ambidex
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Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 2:29pm |
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By adding stage 2 Liquid cooling. Does this improve anything? Cause the build changed, and they give u free stage 2 liquid now.
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DST4ME
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Posted: 16 Nov 2009 at 6:25pm |
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No it improves nothing and asetek has not been around long enough for us to know how long it will live, asetek is not real liquid cooling and it does not offer the performance of a real LC system like frostchill.
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Ambidex
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Posted: 17 Nov 2009 at 11:49am |
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Does it improve from stage 2 Air? I mean, in the package, it isnt possible to go to stage 3 or 4 liquid. So is it better than air?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 17 Nov 2009 at 4:28pm |
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no asetek will is pretty much the same performance as Noctua NH-U12P.
if you want improvement then you need frostchill or higher
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Ambidex
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Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 8:19am |
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DST4ME:
What do you think of this build?
Copy of Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm HailStorm (Black OPS Edition) Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire) System Memory: 6GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified by mushkin enhanced (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed) 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 20x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 1x ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Single Video Card & Chipset 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: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade) 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) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks Display: Acer 22 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display) 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 5-10 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty
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DST4ME
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Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 8:23am |
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looks good, add ram fan only and if you can change HDD1 to veloci or ssd.
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Ambidex
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Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 8:42am |
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+ Ram fan?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 18 Nov 2009 at 4:26pm |
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just noticed your psu, you need to change that to corsair.
under "Boost Memory" choose "ram fan only"
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Ambidex
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Posted: 24 Nov 2009 at 1:04pm |
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Hmm ok. But do you suggest me just go with the standard AIR, clearance saving builds?
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DST4ME
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Posted: 24 Nov 2009 at 8:37pm |
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the LC will give you better load temps then air and its more quiet then air.
but if those don't matter to you that much then go ahead and go with air, if you do, post the ticket number here so I can look it over from the ticket number.
Edited by DST4ME - 24 Nov 2009 at 8:38pm
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