I've got ~$2800 for a gaming pc...let's play!

[rick4937]

I'm strongly considering Cyberpower for the build below. I intend to play on my new 30" monitor in 2560 x 1600 in as many games as possible. I'm looking for advice on how to tweak the build to either improve performance or drop the price slightly by trimming unnecessary parts. For example, I'm not sure the Asus premium mobo is worth it, but the side by side x16 pcie slots of the Gigabyte udr3 worry me about the heat. Similarly, I could be convinced to use a cheaper, non 6 gb/s HDD. I'm also looking for a relatively quiet build and could be convinced to use a different case, fans, etc. Water cooling scares me, so I intend to stick with air.

Any ideas? Thanks!

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CARE1: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
CARE2: CoolerMaster Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
CARE3: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
CAS: * CoolerMaster Storm Sniper Mid-Tower Gaming Case [+89] (Original Color)
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-940 2.93 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366
CS_FAN: Maximum Enermax 120MM Case Cooling Fans for selected case (Maximum Silent Operation) [+29] (500-1,200 RPM White Color with White LED Twister Bearing 8-14 dBA [+16])
FAN: * Thermaltake FRIO Overclocking Cooler Fan (CLP0564) [+20]
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
HDD: 128 GB Corsair Nova Series V128 Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+263] (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+112] (Single Hard Drive)
MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus P6X58D Premium Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX Mainboard Triple-Channel DDR3 FCLGA1366 ATX Mainboard w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III, SATA-II RAID, 3 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1, & 2 PCI [+114]
MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz Triple Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
NOISEREDUCE1: Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels [+29]
NOISEREDUCE2: Power Supply Gasket [+5]
NOISEREDUCE3: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium [+104] (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK: Extreme OC (Extreme Overclock 20% or more) [+49]
POWERSUPPLY: * 850 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gaming Power Supply [+75]
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+91] (EVGA Superclocked [+14])
VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+341] (EVGA Superclocked [+14])
VIDEO3: None
_PRICE: (+2611)

 

[davcon]

Looking at that you could save hundreds if you built it yourself without all the extra crap you don't need.
There are step-by-step build guides found here and plenty of help from knowledgeable members.
Plus the added bonus is you'll learn more about pc's.

 

[rick4937]

I completely agree. However, I have limited time and would prefer spending a few hundred extra bucks to have it assembled for me.

 

[rick4937]

Anyone else have any thoughts? Different parts? Different vendor?

Thanks!

 

[dredj]

I'll build it for you for a few hundred bucks. Plus I'll do a REAL burn-in!
/joking

I'm going to assume that the noise reduction stuff isn't going to be very important. You're going to hear air moving in and out of the case regardless. It's not normal to hear vibrating sounds coming from a computer so it's not very necessary unless in extreme situations.

Also, save $20 and reroute the cables yourself.

Get the i7-930 and clock it to where you wanna be.

 

[rick4937]

Great, thanks. Any thoughts on the HDD? Is there any reason to go the 6 gb/s route? Is there a real benefit from the asus premium mobo compared to the gigabyte udr3?

 

[brennon7]

I am currently selling a build of mine on ebay.... I would drop the price to 2,000 if you didn't want the monitors.

i7 with GTX 480s in SLI

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=290464469657&Category=179&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D1#ht_1156wt_1137

 

[Namagoroshi]

So i have a better build set then yours for almost $160 less before adding any coupons...






* CD: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [-47] (BLACK COLOR)
* CARE1: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
* CARE2: CoolerMaster Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
* CARE3: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
* CAS: AZZA Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans [+7]
* CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-940 2.93 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1366 [-800]
* FAN: Asetek 570LX Liquid Cooling system w/ 240MM Radiator and Dual Fans (Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) [+43]
* HDD: 128 GB Kingston 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+23] (Single Hard Drive)
* HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
* MOTHERBOARD: (3-Way SLI Support) Asus Rampage III Extreme Intel X58 Chipset SLI/CrossFireX LGA1366 ATX Mainboard - Overclockable w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, Bluetooth, SATA-III, RAID, 4 Gen2 PCIe, 1 PCIe X1, & 1 PCI [+206]
* MEMORY: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1800MHz Triple Channel Memory Module [-186] (Kingston Hyper-X [+18])
* NOISEREDUCE1: Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels [+29]
* NOISEREDUCE2: Power Supply Gasket [+5]
* NOISEREDUCE3: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
* OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
* POWERSUPPLY: 1,000 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold Power Supply (80+ Gold) [+126]
* TEMP: Aerocool Touch 2000 Dual Bay Touch Screen Fan Control [+39]
* VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA [+4])
* VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 1.2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+341] (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA [+4])

PRICE: (+2451) 2408 without the noise reduction stuff

Your case is 40$ more than AZZA Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans and you wouldn’t need to buy the Extra Fans and if your really want them get them for Christmas ( same as a nice keyboard and mouse) ... which would save you 85$. The OC of the 470 SC is so minimal that you’re wasting $30. The Asetek 570LX Liquid Cooling system w/ 240MM Radiator and Dual Fans Is much better and only $23 more. The Asus Rampage III Extreme, I think it’s a better MB for gaming and OCing and if you’re going to spend that kind of money on a PC you have to OC, It’s a huge waste of money IMO to have them OC it for you... The memory I chose is only $36 more and WAY better. The PSU I chose is only $52 more and SLI / CrossFire / 80 Plus Gold Certified (90% or more efficiency) more than good enough for OCing and Gaming.. Don’t know why you need to spend the extra money for 128 GB Corsair Nova Series... Don’t really have extensive knowledge on SSD’s but it doesn’t seem like it’s too necessary. Finally I Added the Aerocool Touch 2000 for better control over your heat issues ( Nvidia gets hot! and for better OCing )


P.S. I personally would go with AMD, imo better video cards In reality you don't need a bad-ass processor for gaming. I know a bigger cache ( 8MB) and the triple channel memory are really good for gaming but it’s going to do almost as good with a 2Mb smaller cache and I hear the triple channel can actually slow down gaming. BUT more importantly SO much cooler (less heat FTW); HD 9870X2 out performs the GTX 470x2 as well stays cooler. One of the issue I think about Nvidia Sli is you almost have to get them their own cooling system. The AMD Phenom™II X6 1090T can Oc to 4.1 Ghz cool, stable, and easily.

 

[Namagoroshi]

Looking at that you could save hundreds if you built it yourself without all the extra crap you don't need.

I'm not sure I agree with that. I have tried to buy each piece individually(Mock) but its always been about a few hundred dollars more. Getting it cheap by building it yourself was something you could do about 5 years ago. Unfortunately with more and more people being interested in custom computers; company's like Cyberpower can buy mass bulk offering cheaper prices then what we can do for ourselves.

 

[Namagoroshi]

My Ideal AMD build in consideration of your spending limit



# CAS: Thermaltake Armor A60 Gaming Mid-Tower Case with SideClick EasySwap and SSD Support [-12]
# CS_FAN: Maximum Enermax 120MM Case Cooling Fans for selected case (Maximum Silent Operation) [+29] (500-1,200 RPM White Color with White LED Twister Bearing 8-14 dBA [+16])
# CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1090T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+90]
# CD: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [-47] (BLACK COLOR)
# CARE1: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
# CARE2: CoolerMaster Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
# CARE3: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
# FAN: CoolerMaster V6 GT CPU Cooler (Nickle Plated Double-V Heatpipe w/ Color Changing LED Cap) [+22]
# HDD: 128 GB Kingston 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+170] (Single Hard Drive)
# HDD2: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+93] (Single Hard Drive)
# MULTIVIEW: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
# MEMORY: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module [+114] (A-Data Gaming Series with Heat Spreader [+36])
# MOTHERBOARD: Asus Crosshair IV Formula AMD 890FX Chipset CrossFireX Support DDR3 Socket AM3 ATX w/ 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, IEEE1394a, USB3.0, SATA-III, RAID, 3 Gen2 PCIe, & 2 PCI [+151]
# OS: Microsoft® Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
# POWERSUPPLY: 1,000 Watts - CoolerMaster Silent Pro Gold Power Supply (80+ Gold) [+126]
# TEMP: Aerocool Touch 2000 Dual Bay Touch Screen Fan Control [+39]
# VIDEO1: ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card [+445] (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
# VIDEO2: ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by ATI)
# _PRICE: (+2558)


This thing will look bad-ass and run bad-ass. It will stay very cool for OCing and gaming, this thing is yummy!

 

[mrroguesr]

Try this for a build!

BUNDLE: None
BLUETOOTH: None
CD: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [+3] (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: Sony 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive [+24] (BLACK COLOR)
CARE1: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
CARE2: CoolerMaster Thermal Fusion 400 Extreme Performance CPU - Thermal Compound Optimized for Thermal Dissipation [+10]
CARE3: Professional Wiring for All WIRING Inside The System Chassis - Minimize Cable Exposure, Maximize Airflow in Your System [+19]
CAS: AZZA Solano 1000 Full-Tower Advance Cooling Case w/ Dual 230mm Fan + Extra 3 Fans [+54]
CASUPGRADE: 12in Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10] (Blue Color)
CS_FAN: Default case fans
CPU: AMD Phenom™II X6 1055T Six-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology [+156]
FREEBIE_CU1: FREE Game: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
FREEBIE_CU2: FREE Game: DiRT™2
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
FREEBIE_MB: Power of 3 Rig Game Coupon - Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil, or Dark Void (with purchase of any Asus Motherboard)
FREEBIE_VC: StarCraft II Free Trial Coupon with purchase of NVIDIA GTX460 video card or above
FREEGAME_VC02: FREE Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
FA_HDD: None
FLOPPY: None
FLASHMEDIA: INTERNAL 12in1 Flash Media Reader/Writer (BLACK COLOR)
GLASSES: None
HDD: 1TB SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD [+24] (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: None
HEADSET1: Connectland™ Stereo Headphone with Microphone [+8]
IEEE_CARD: None
KEYBOARD: None [-4]
MOUSE: None [-3]
MONITOR: None
MONITOR2: None
MONITOR3: None
MULTIVIEW: Xtreme Performance in SLI/CrossFireX Gaming Mode Supports Single Monitor
MB_ADDON: None
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
MOTHERBOARD: Asus M4N98TD EVO AM3 NVIDIA nForce 980a SLI Chipset DDR3 ATX w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, IEEE1394, SATA-II, RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 2 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI [+44]
NOISEREDUCE1: Sound Absorbing Foam on Side, Top And Bottom panels [+29]
NOISEREDUCE2: Power Supply Gasket [+5]
NOISEREDUCE3: Anti-Vibration Fan Mounts [+9]
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: None - FORMAT HARD DRIVE ONLY
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
POWERSUPPLY: 800 Watts - XtremeGear Gaming Power Supply - Quad SLI Ready [+41]
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SURGE1: OPTI-UPS SBAL600B Surge Buster Series Outlet Surge Protection [+5]
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: Logitech S120 2.0 Stereo Speaker Set [+4] (Black Color)
TEMP: Aerocool Touch 2000 Dual Bay Touch Screen Fan Control [+39]
TVRC: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBX: None
USBHD: None
USBFLASH: None
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+123] (EVGA Superclocked [+20])
VIDEO2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+232] (EVGA Superclocked [+20])
VIDEO3: None
VC_PHYSX: None
WNC: None
_PRICE: (+1500)

 

[mrroguesr]

And use the promo code REPEAT and save 5%

 

[mrroguesr]

Better go look at the benchmarking for the 470 compared to the 460 also heres a link

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GTX_460_Amp_Edition/6.html