Hi guys, first time poster, long time reader. Here are the details, in the format described in the sticky.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as possible. BUDGET RANGE: US $2500-3000 (maybe 3400)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, watching videos, programming
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I do not need any peripheral, with the exception of a new LCD Monitor.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com - Indifferent really if the price is right, but newegg has great RMA
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU and Nvidia video card(s) are a must.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2560x1600
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I recently graduated from college with my Computer Engineering degree. The last time I built a computer was more then five years ago, and since then I have somewhat fallen out of the loop in terms of new hardware. My graduation gift is a new computer with the above budget range. Just some additional comments I should add:
1 - The most important thing to me is buying a good 30 inch monitor, while still maintaining a great PC that can support 2560x1600 at somewhat good settings in games. After doing a lot of research, it appears the Dell 3008 WFP is great if you have a ton of extras coming into your monitor, like in my case, a 360 and another PC. The downside to it is its got a much higher ms lag then the Dell 3007WFP-HC due to the scalar it has. The 3007WFP-HC is apparently the best (in terms of lag), if you don't plan on going below 2560x1200 and don't need multiple inputs. One question I had was about the GPU scaling resolutions for the 3007WFP-HC, if I were to buy that. I am unsure of how this process works, and the effects it can have on the image quality, if I were to say run the 3007WFP-HC on a resolution of 1920x1280. What do the drivers do in terms of scaling, and will the difference between the 3008 (which has the ability to run 1920x1280) and the 3007WFP-HC (which can only run 2560x1600 and 1280x800) be noticeable after the drivers have scaled the resolution for the 3007WFP-HC?
Also - I realize buying some of the parts I have listed, as well as the 3008 (brand new) would put me over 3000 by a couple of hundred, which is fine.
2 - I modified a swiftech cooling system for the computer I built ~5 years ago. Since then, I have come to realize that the performance difference between a good air cooling system and a water cooling system isn't all that noticeable (but that was probably due to the fact that I didn't do a great job on the cooling system). Anyways, I am really aiming to have a case with a good air cooling system, that is pretty quiet.
3 - I am really interested in using a somewhat small SSD for my OS and any games, but without having to buy a 32gb OCZ or Intel that costs ~300$, for example.
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Here is a list of parts I have selected after doing a bit of research. I am up for any changes you may suggest (that's why I am here!).
■Hard Drives
SSD - SUPER TALENT 32 GB: 135$
SATA II 3.0gb/s - WD 500gb 7200 rpm 32MB Cache: $70
■Case
ATX Full Tower - Antec 1200: 180$
Notes: Very partial to Full Tower for better air flow rate. In terms of design, something simple like Lian Li cases but very well made. Do not want to go over 200$, which is why I didn't chose a Lian Li.
■CPU
Intel i7 920 2.6ghz: 280$
■Motherboard
Asus P6T Deluxe V2: 290$
Very open to suggestions here as I have not done much research. I have had great history with Asus though. Keep in mind I am not looking to overclock everything to the extreme, maybe a couple hundred Mhz or so, but nothing crazy.
■Graphics
Nvidia Geforce GTX 295. I am pretty partial to this, as it appears to be much better then the ATI 4870x2 for 2560x1600. I want to buy the BFGTech version, but I am not sure what the deal is with them. There arent any on newegg and even stranger, there arent any on bfgstore.com (BFGTech's own store). For this video card, is there much difference between manufacturers? I kind of assumed BFG overclocked it out of the box, but if thats not the case then I am indifferent really. What do you think is best?
■Memory
Have not had much of a oppurtunity to research this. Was gonna go off of your guys input mostly. Need something that is triple channel, 2gb per stick and under 300$. I am very partial to OCZ, as I have good history with them.
■PSU
Simply skimming over newegg it appears that PSU prices have sky rocketed in the past couple of years. I cant believe that some cost around 400$ and they arent even 1000w PSUs. My main question is, what amount of watts do I need if I were to run something similar to the system with the details above with only one GTX 295? What about two (if I want to go quad-sli down the road)?
■CPU Cooler
What do you guys think? Anything under ~80$ is a plus. I am running a Full Tower, so space shouldn't be a issue.
Thanks a lot for any help in advance,
Alex
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: As soon as possible. BUDGET RANGE: US $2500-3000 (maybe 3400)
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming, watching videos, programming
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I do not need any peripheral, with the exception of a new LCD Monitor.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com - Indifferent really if the price is right, but newegg has great RMA
PARTS PREFERENCES: Intel CPU and Nvidia video card(s) are a must.
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Maybe
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 2560x1600
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I recently graduated from college with my Computer Engineering degree. The last time I built a computer was more then five years ago, and since then I have somewhat fallen out of the loop in terms of new hardware. My graduation gift is a new computer with the above budget range. Just some additional comments I should add:
1 - The most important thing to me is buying a good 30 inch monitor, while still maintaining a great PC that can support 2560x1600 at somewhat good settings in games. After doing a lot of research, it appears the Dell 3008 WFP is great if you have a ton of extras coming into your monitor, like in my case, a 360 and another PC. The downside to it is its got a much higher ms lag then the Dell 3007WFP-HC due to the scalar it has. The 3007WFP-HC is apparently the best (in terms of lag), if you don't plan on going below 2560x1200 and don't need multiple inputs. One question I had was about the GPU scaling resolutions for the 3007WFP-HC, if I were to buy that. I am unsure of how this process works, and the effects it can have on the image quality, if I were to say run the 3007WFP-HC on a resolution of 1920x1280. What do the drivers do in terms of scaling, and will the difference between the 3008 (which has the ability to run 1920x1280) and the 3007WFP-HC (which can only run 2560x1600 and 1280x800) be noticeable after the drivers have scaled the resolution for the 3007WFP-HC?
Also - I realize buying some of the parts I have listed, as well as the 3008 (brand new) would put me over 3000 by a couple of hundred, which is fine.
2 - I modified a swiftech cooling system for the computer I built ~5 years ago. Since then, I have come to realize that the performance difference between a good air cooling system and a water cooling system isn't all that noticeable (but that was probably due to the fact that I didn't do a great job on the cooling system). Anyways, I am really aiming to have a case with a good air cooling system, that is pretty quiet.
3 - I am really interested in using a somewhat small SSD for my OS and any games, but without having to buy a 32gb OCZ or Intel that costs ~300$, for example.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a list of parts I have selected after doing a bit of research. I am up for any changes you may suggest (that's why I am here!).
■Hard Drives
SSD - SUPER TALENT 32 GB: 135$
SATA II 3.0gb/s - WD 500gb 7200 rpm 32MB Cache: $70
■Case
ATX Full Tower - Antec 1200: 180$
Notes: Very partial to Full Tower for better air flow rate. In terms of design, something simple like Lian Li cases but very well made. Do not want to go over 200$, which is why I didn't chose a Lian Li.
■CPU
Intel i7 920 2.6ghz: 280$
■Motherboard
Asus P6T Deluxe V2: 290$
Very open to suggestions here as I have not done much research. I have had great history with Asus though. Keep in mind I am not looking to overclock everything to the extreme, maybe a couple hundred Mhz or so, but nothing crazy.
■Graphics
Nvidia Geforce GTX 295. I am pretty partial to this, as it appears to be much better then the ATI 4870x2 for 2560x1600. I want to buy the BFGTech version, but I am not sure what the deal is with them. There arent any on newegg and even stranger, there arent any on bfgstore.com (BFGTech's own store). For this video card, is there much difference between manufacturers? I kind of assumed BFG overclocked it out of the box, but if thats not the case then I am indifferent really. What do you think is best?
■Memory
Have not had much of a oppurtunity to research this. Was gonna go off of your guys input mostly. Need something that is triple channel, 2gb per stick and under 300$. I am very partial to OCZ, as I have good history with them.
■PSU
Simply skimming over newegg it appears that PSU prices have sky rocketed in the past couple of years. I cant believe that some cost around 400$ and they arent even 1000w PSUs. My main question is, what amount of watts do I need if I were to run something similar to the system with the details above with only one GTX 295? What about two (if I want to go quad-sli down the road)?
■CPU Cooler
What do you guys think? Anything under ~80$ is a plus. I am running a Full Tower, so space shouldn't be a issue.
Thanks a lot for any help in advance,
Alex