Advice on CyberPower configuration. (Gaming)

[Sylantis]

Case: * CoolerMaster 690 II Advanced Mid-Tower Gaming Case [+43] (Silver/Blue Color [+17])
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: None
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-930 2.80 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366
Freebies: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
Cooling Fan: * CoolerMaster V8 Gaming CPU Cooling Fan (Extreme Silent Operation at only 22dBA + Overclock Proof) [+22]
Motherboard: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P6X58D-E Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3/1600 SATA-

III RAID w/ 7.1Audio,GbLAN,IEEE1394a,USB3.0,SATA-III RAID,3 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+24]
Motherboard Expansion Card: None
Memory: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [+18] (Corsair or Major Brand)
Video Card: None [-205]
Video Card 2: None
Video Card 3: None
Dedicated PHYSX Card: None
Multiple Video Card Settings: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
Power Supply Upgrade: 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready
Hard Drive: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
Freebies: None
Data Hard Drive: None
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (SILVER COLOR [+9])
Optical Drive 2: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
3D Vision Glasses: None
LCD Monitor: None
2nd Monitor: None
3rd Monitor: None
Speakers: None
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Modem: None
Mega Notebook/Netbook/Server Bundle: None
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Gaming Gear: None
Extra Thermal Display: None
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (SILVER COLOR)
Video Camera: None
Headset: None
Printer: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
Surge Protector: None
IEEE1394 Card: None
USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
Floppy: None
Operating System: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: None
Games: None
Ultra Care Option: CoolerMaster Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal

Dissipation [+10]
Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

Price as configured, 1146 USD.

No video card, but I have a Radeon HD 5770 I can pop in from a previous computer. I may plan to upgrade later. I'm pretty sure this can be had for cheaper buying componant by componant, but just wanted some general advice, suggestions, what have you. If I can save a bit of money, it's fine, but this is within my budget.

Please help, thank you.

 

[Sylantis]

Just looking for quick feedback (especially on things like processor and memory choices and speeds) Trying to make sure everything matches up, no bottlenecks, ect.

 

[RandomText]

It is very difficult to sort through all the extraneous information in that setup, but I gave it a try.

As for the setup itself there are a couple of things I would change.

-The SATA III hard drive is largely a marketing gimmick, you can't saturate 3 gb/s with a hdd, so why would you need 6gb/s? Changing to a SATA II would save $35.
- I couldn't find a tech review on that power supply, but it is most likely garbage. The corsair 650, which is a quality unit, is $36 more for something that supposedly puts out 150 less watts. I would rather get a lower powered unit that will actually run the specs it claims rather than some inflated piece that can fail and potentially take some expensive hardware with it. A 650 will power that rig with plenty of headroom.

Out of curiosity I put all the components into a newegg cart to see how much of a premium you would be paying to get someone else to assemble your computer. Assuming the computer exactly as you specced it (with the exceptions of faster RAM and a MUCH better Corsair 850 psu) I came out at $1052, not as much difference as I expected. When I changed the hdd and psu with the suggestions I had above it went down to $982, getting closer to the point where you could add a GTX 460 for the same price you would pay for the CyberPower. I didn't even look for rebates or combos. If you have a Microcenter near you you can also knock another $80 off on the processor.

Hope you got through all that wall o' text and hopefully there is some good info in it for you. In the interest of full disclosure the homebuilt option would be black rather than silver. Enjoy your new system regardless.

 

[hunter315]

Im very confused how they are about to charge over 1k for an i7 930 without a GPU, getting a machine of this level prebuilt for you comes with a large price hike so it seems like highway robbery.

I would stick with the SATA III HDD, as the only one i know of that matches the specs there is the Western Digital Caviar Black that is sporting the 500GB platters so it will give you good performance and isnt too much more than most other 1TB drives.

All the parts you picked look pretty good except i would see if you can select the brand of the PSU the generic ones arent too good, but i still feel 1k for a build with no GPU is wrong, definitely consider homebuilding.

 

[Sylantis]

Im very confused how they are about to charge over 1k for an i7 930 without a GPU, getting a machine of this level prebuilt for you comes with a large price hike so it seems like highway robbery.

I would stick with the SATA III HDD, as the only one i know of that matches the specs there is the Western Digital Caviar Black that is sporting the 500GB platters so it will give you good performance and isnt too much more than most other 1TB drives.

All the parts you picked look pretty good except i would see if you can select the brand of the PSU the generic ones arent too good, but i still feel 1k for a build with no GPU is wrong, definitely consider homebuilding.

Yeah, it is a bit of robbery, isn't it? I went back and did some looking and poking around. The thing about CyberPower is that you can save / loose money by going into different configurators, so I found I could get that exact same build with a video card for about the same price. Does that change anything? The card is NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 1GB 16X PCI Express and the system comes out to 1142 USD. 2 bucks cheeper. LOL.

I already have an Radeon HD 5770 and I know that card is more robust than the NVIDIA GT 220 so that would get swapped, but hey, it's a free card, right?

Does that change anything?

Also, what brand of PSU is good? The default one selected is "XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply" which does sound a bit dubious, but the prices really jack up when you start making other selections. They do have quite a few choices though.

 

[lowriderflow]

Mite as well take the free card... sell it for $50 on ebay or something.

Basically for that computer with a 5770, 500watts is fine. But make sure it's a name brand... anything like OCZ corsair thermaltake whatever in the 550watt range is good. (if it ends up only being like 10 more dollars to get a 700watt or something, go with that so you can possibly SLI/crossfire in the future)

 

[Sylantis]

It is very difficult to sort through all the extraneous information in that setup, but I gave it a try.

As for the setup itself there are a couple of things I would change.

-The SATA III hard drive is largely a marketing gimmick, you can't saturate 3 gb/s with a hdd, so why would you need 6gb/s? Changing to a SATA II would save $35.
- I couldn't find a tech review on that power supply, but it is most likely garbage. The corsair 650, which is a quality unit, is $36 more for something that supposedly puts out 150 less watts. I would rather get a lower powered unit that will actually run the specs it claims rather than some inflated piece that can fail and potentially take some expensive hardware with it. A 650 will power that rig with plenty of headroom.

Out of curiosity I put all the components into a newegg cart to see how much of a premium you would be paying to get someone else to assemble your computer. Assuming the computer exactly as you specced it (with the exceptions of faster RAM and a MUCH better Corsair 850 psu) I came out at $1052, not as much difference as I expected. When I changed the hdd and psu with the suggestions I had above it went down to $982, getting closer to the point where you could add a GTX 460 for the same price you would pay for the CyberPower. I didn't even look for rebates or combos. If you have a Microcenter near you you can also knock another $80 off on the processor.

Hope you got through all that wall o' text and hopefully there is some good info in it for you. In the interest of full disclosure the homebuilt option would be black rather than silver. Enjoy your new system regardless.

Quick questions. So you're saying drop the HDD for SATA II (the MoBo is capable of SATA III) and drop the power supply for the Corsair one?

I can't really drop the HDD, the next lowest tier is only 500 GB, and it only knocks off 7 bucks as configured.
I see a Corsair PSU 650W (Corsair CMPSU-650TX) which does seem better.

But about this GTX 460. Does it run blazing hot? I had a high powered card back in the day and they ran very hot. I hated that. That's why I got the Radeon 5770 and I'm happy with it, but I may upgrade at some point. Looks like the price difference between this and Newegg (all things being even) is about 120 USD. I might be able to live with that, I dunno. Either way, it seems like most of the choices are solid.

One last question though -- what was that about memory? You said something about more powerful memory? 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory (Corsair) is not a good choice? I don't plan on overclocking.

Thanks for the feedback. ^_^

 

[RandomText]

Yes, I would go for a SATA II HDD, when I was browsing the site I saw that option (1 GB) and it was $35 less. I suppose it may be a difference of what pc we chose to modify, all other options I was able to get to exactly what you specced. If you do decide to build yourself (or find a local to do it for you) this is my opinion on the best current drive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&cm_re=spinpoint_f3-_-22-152-185-_-Product

As for heat on the 460 I have noticed zero difference and I dug up a link that shows I may be right in my observations.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-gf104-fermi,2684-13.html

The memory I was looking at was G.Skill with tighter timings. Small difference between it and Corsair if you are not overclocking at all. I have had no problems with any Corsair memory I have used. I'm guessing no heat spreaders on the base Corsair, but again, minor consideration.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231304


Edit: Oops, I forgot about your question on the psu. Yes I would go for the Corsair 650 if it were my money. I have one in the rig I am typing this on.

 

[Sylantis]

Best answer selected by Sylantis.