really want to buy a new computer...

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   Hello all !!!

I really want a new computer, my old one is finally starting to fail on me.  I heard really great things about the ODE level 3, but after looking through the forums it seems as if a custom build may be better for upgrading the computer in the future.

So here is my dilemma don't really want to spend for than 2,500 on a computer and the ODE level 3 is right at that price range.  

What I am interesting in doing with my future computer is play games and watch movies.  The games I play are WOW, SWTOR, Call of Duty, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2, Tera, Diablo 3 and some more games.

Gaming on 2 monitors to be honest isn't on my priority, however I would like to have the option of running 2 or more monitors in the future (i don't know why i just do ).

my monitor currently supports 1920 x 1080.

So my question should I purchase the ODE lvl 3 or am I better off customizing a computer?  My main concerns are gaming at max settings, future upgradability, and just making sure I made a purchase that will last for years to come.

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!

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yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Topic: really want to buy a new computer... Posted: 22 Feb 2012 at 12:49pm
	Hello all !!! I really want a new computer, my old one is finally starting to fail on me. I heard really great things about the ODE level 3, but after looking through the forums it seems as if a custom build may be better for upgrading the computer in the future. So here is my dilemma don't really want to spend for than 2,500 on a computer and the ODE level 3 is right at that price range. What I am interesting in doing with my future computer is play games and watch movies. The games I play are WOW, SWTOR, Call of Duty, Battlefield 3, Starcraft 2, Tera, Diablo 3 and some more games. Gaming on 2 monitors to be honest isn't on my priority, however I would like to have the option of running 2 or more monitors in the future (i don't know why i just do ). my monitor currently supports 1920 x 1080. So my question should I purchase the ODE lvl 3 or am I better off customizing a computer? My main concerns are gaming at max settings, future upgradability, and just making sure I made a purchase that will last for years to come. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 22 Feb 2012 at 7:38pm
	Anyone... Suggestions. ...

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5110	Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2012 at 5:41am
	Hi yuntanman...Welcome... The ODE 3 for your needs would be impossible to beat for the price. When you talk of multple monitors in the future that's an entirely different requirement and this might not do it. More info would be needed. But for your stated resolution, on I assume is a 24" monitor or less, this is an example for you to compare to ODE 3. Config # 658687 Cost $ 2629 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 P8P67 Deluxe (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue) System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) 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 GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Tech) (EVGA 012-P3-1571-BR) 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: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks 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) 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 (Large) 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 The custom config gives yo a better case, the HafX, tops in air cooling. The power supply is better and gives more growth for future gpu, if needed. And the 7 year warranty gives more confidence. The cpu cooler, the A70 is also tops for this build and very reliable. As far as years to come, no matter waht you get now, you'll probably want to upgrade gpu in 2-3 years to stay at max gaming. ODE 3 is one of DS's best bang for the buck. A custom config costs $300 more because of some better components. The other thing to consider is that , supposedly, in April, new Nvidia graphic cards are being released. The gtx 570 is a year old and newer cards will give you more longevity. But, it's still up in the air as to when, how much and the performance. sli 570 should be great for a few years. Compare the two and Best of Luck. Edited by bprat22 - 23 Feb 2012 at 5:51am

josephlee Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 158	Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2012 at 5:52am
	I am in the same boat. Have around a $2,500 budget. So I will be very interested in any other suggestions for topping the ODE 3 without a significant increase in cost.

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 1:16pm
	bprat thank you for the response, sorry I am responding so late, work is killing me =0(. So your config vs. the ODE lvl 3 gives me more benefits b/c the PS is better, and better case and cooling system without loosing anything from the ODE lvl 3 build right? If that is so for future upgradability I wouldn't mind shelling a couple hundred bucks! What did strike me was with April coming around the corner, should I wait in hopes the 570's go on sale if another graphics card comes out? Or pull the trigger this week with the rig you set up?

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5110	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 2:13pm
	I understand busy, no problem. Yep, my configure does give you better parts, but the ODE 3 is still decent for the $$$$. New Nvidia gpu's are supposed to be out in April/May timeframe but who really knows Plus the new cards might be. expensive being new. My thoughts.......for the money this configure is nice and has upgrade potential. There will always be something new coming out in a few months. If you have a decent rig now then wait. If your rig is dying and gaming has become a slide show then go for it now. Your money...your tough decision.. Best of luck

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 4:28pm
	sounds good, think i'm going with the Bprat22 lvl 3 instead the ODE lvl 3 for 300 more since its better for upgradability. I noticed in your build you didn't request to have the GPU's overclocked for free is there a reason? I also hear you when you say the new cards will probably expensive, my concern was not to get the new cards, just thought a new card in the market would make the 570's cheaper haha I'll pull the trigger on the build you recommended wednesday coming up, you recommend anything to add/replace to the build you gave me for what I use the computer for? also i noticed on the forum someone kept mentioning Vcore to be less than 1.4, and ask for a fan that goes on the top of this specific case? Should I do the same?

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5110	Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2012 at 4:42pm
	We never recommend gpu Oc. No gain but stress on the card. As far as a cheaper 570.....that could go both ways. Cheaper with new cards or more expensive because of availability. Yes, ask that vcore be 1.4 or less and add the CoolerMaster MegaFlow 200 non- Led silent fan be added to the top. DS will know what you mean. We bug them enough about it Best of Luck and keep us updated.

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 6:10pm
	Bprat.. I'll probably pick up a new monitor, the dell u2412m, is that a good monitor and can your custom config n the ode level play all my games I listed in ultra settings with 60 fps you think? Sorry for so many nub questions ... I don't know too much about computer hardware I just enjoy gaming... any help would be appreciated

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5110	Quote Reply Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 6:38pm
	That's a great monitor. One we always recommend. The ODE 3 or my configure will Max out your games for great gaming. The only recent change in the last couple of days is that the A70 cooler has been dropped. A good alternative would be the D14 for air cooling or the H80/100 for hydro cooling. It's a little more because of the change. The industry is going liquid cooling but I still like air. Old habits hard to break. The H80 will work but is a little louder than D14. Best of luck. Your questions are no problem.

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 26 Feb 2012 at 6:49pm
	Sounds awesome now just need to wait for for my return and done... just need to figure out which cooling... thanks for the help bprat

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 2012 at 11:14pm
	A little hiccup in my purchasing plans... Budget issues but sticking with the build you suggested regardless. I'm going to buy all new peripherals too... Gaming keyboard mouse and headset and that u2412 monitor. Going to delay me for about a week... Next pay check ... So bprat below I will show you the rig you pretty much put together for me that I will be purchasing... » Printable 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 P8P67 Deluxe (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue) System Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 320 Series) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) 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 GeForce GTX 570 1.2GB (Includes PhysX Tech) (EVGA 012-P3-1571-BR) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 Extreme Performance 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 (Red) 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) 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) 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 (Large) 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 I asked for the additional 200mm fan and vcore to be less than 1.4 in the notes.... Did I miss ANYthing? Also since I'm waiting for my pay check I have about 300 more I can add to this rig... Anything worth an extra 300 for this build... Or better off saving the 300 and wait for future upgrades? Sorry to keep badgering you bprat but all I can do is think about my future rig... All I do at work recently is check ds website hahaha Again bprat thank you for your insight and help!

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5110	Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 7:22am
	Hi yuntanman....Real nice rig You're not badgering me at all. We like helping out. The top fan and vcore covers it. If you have another $300, you might consider upping the SSD to the 180GB 520, or upping the gtx 570 1.2 to the 2.2GB. The SSD is if you think you'll need it and you probably would, and the 570 2.5 version does help in gaming. Other forum members have seen a difference. Hope this helps.

yuntanman Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 22 Feb 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 28	Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 5:48pm
	you suggested upping the GPU to 2.2GB then later said the 570 2.5 does help with gaming... are you saying if I have an extra 300 bones an idea would be to do dual 570 2.5?

Tidgxor Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 17 Sep 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3249	Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2012 at 5:54pm
	At 1920x1200 I personally don't think you'll need the 2.5gb versions. I know someone who literally has the exact same GPUs as me, except his are the 3GB version and mine are the 1.5GB version, we both play at 1920x1200 and there is absolutely no difference in VRAM usage or performance, we've tested it multiple times. Unless you plan on going to a higher resolution in the future I'd save those 300$ smackers towards a future GPU upgrade Just my ole' 2 cents.
	Mr. Bojangles: 2 Years, 5 Months - And Going Strong!

bprat22 Members Profile Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List DS Veteran Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5110	Quote Reply Posted: 29 Feb 2012 at 6:16am
	I agree with Tigxor about the 2.5 GB version of 570. We usually recommend the 1.2GB in sli. I only mentioned it because some have seen, with a single 570 2.5 GB card, a difference in their gaming. Sli 570 2.5GB probably wouldn't do much unless you went to higher resolution. Depends on your future plans. You're better off saving the $$ or investing in a larger SSD if your needs are there. Edited by bprat22 - 29 Feb 2012 at 6:18am