New spec for gaming, hello kitty mod?

[MsKetchup]

Hello,

My Sager 5797 has been a champion for a few years but alas I am looking for something more robust to run Skyrim/Diablo on crazy amounts of pretty. It's been a long time since I speced my own gaming rig, so I need your help! I am looking to:

- Make sure I'm not bottlenecking my system
- Keep liquid cooling: I want it and it's quiet
- My budget is about $2,500 but obviously I don't want to spend unnecessarily
- What components can I buy separately that will be a SIGNIFICANT saving, as in, over 50%?
- I don't want to build my own because the convenience of warranty and support is important for me

As for the hello kitty mod:

IF, say, I wanted to paint my tower pink and put hello kitty decals on it, what would you recommend for some methods?

Current spec:

Case: * Cooler Master HAF-X Gaming Full Tower Case w/ 1x230mm Fan, 1x200mm Fans, 2xFront USB 3.0 Port [+64]
Laser Engraving: None
Laser Engraving Message:
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: 12in Cold Cathode Neon Light [+10] (Blue Color)
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-3820 Quad-Core 3.60 GHz 10MB Intel Smart Cache LGA2011 (All Venom OC Certified)
Freebies: None
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
Cooling Fan: CyberPower Xtreme Hydro Liquid Cooling Kit 240MM w/ Dual Fan(CPU & GPU Liquid Cool Capable, Extreme Overclocking Performance + Extreme Slient at 18dBA) [+49]
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: High-Performance Coolant powered by Koolance [+19] (Clear Color)
Motherboard: * (3-Way SLI Support) GIGABYTE X79-UD3 Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ UEFI DualBIOS, Dolby Home Theater 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 4 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI
Freebies: GIGABYTE GC-WB300D Exclusive Bluetooth 4.0/WiFi PCIe Expansion Card
Memory: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance [+22])
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+6] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
Freebies: None
Video Card 2: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card [+215] (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
Video Card 3: None
Power Supply Upgrade: 850 Watts - Thermaltake Smart Series SP-850M 80 Plus Bronze Modular Power Supply [+55]
Hard Drive: 120 GB OCZ Agility 3 SATA-III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 525MB/s Read & 500MB/s Write [-22] (Single Drive)
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 (BLACK COLOR)
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
Keyboard: Pixxo KA-75W1 Destroyer Series 2.4GHz Wireless Keyboard & Laser Mouse Combo
Mouse: None
Mouse Pad: Razer Sphex Gaming Grade Desktop Skins Mouse Pad [+13]
Gaming Gear: None
Extra Thermal Display: None
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: Linksys WMP600N Wireless-N Dual-Band Adapter [+66]
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 (BLACK COLOR)
Video Camera: None
Headset: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
IEEE1394 Card: None
Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USB Port: None
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: None
Games: None
Ultra Care Option: Ultra Enhanced Packaging Solution - Protect Your Dream System During Transit [+19]
Cooler Master 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 10~15 BUSINESS DAYS



- Diana

 

[proskillr]

I would definitely swap out the sli 560's and go for a 670. Read more here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/353644-33-tomshardware Other then that if you don't plan to overclock then it looks good.

 

[proskillr]

Check out this build: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1EAR63

 

[MsKetchup]

@proskillr

Thanks! Makes sense to me. Is 850w power supply enough? They had so many options for cases, power supplies and etc, it was difficult to tell what was better. This is my first time with CyberPower. I bought iBuyPower last time and wasn't happy with it --shoddy worksmanship and the laptop's configuration was awkward to me. I looked up Digital Storm and they were extremely overpriced.

 

[MsKetchup]

Check out this build: http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1EAR63[/quotemsg

Shouldn't the hard drive be the SSD? I already have several large data drives. Is the hard drive the boot drive?

Di

 

[proskillr]

850 is plenty and would allow you to sli in the future. Also your hard drive I believe in this case is your boot drive and you can remove the hard drive if you want, I didnt know you alredy had spare hdds.

 

[mojorisin23]

Yes, 850w is plenty.

go with the one card over the SLI route. this will allow for SLI'ing the one good card in the future when more power is required but the card costs half as much (or less hopefully).

as for the rest of the build:
- change the RAM to 4gb x 2;
- Do max case fans for +9;
- no data hard drive?
- i would not do the prof wiring; its unnecessary. the way cases are built now it makes it impossible to F it up. plus mine was superbly wired without selecting it.
- i would highly recommend losing the 12 n 1 reader. you can get an external usb one from newegg for like $6. this internal one is faulty and uses a whole 5.25 bay.
- i would also get the peripherals like keyboard/mouse combo from newegg or amazon. you will definately pay less.
- if/when you change the GPU to say the 670, go with a branded version, not "major brand". if youre spending that kind of money, you want the security spending just a tad more will give you on a name brand...

 

[namdlo]

Why is everyone focusing on the machine specs and ignoring the most important part - the Hello Kitty mod????

http://www.kittyhell.com/2008/12/11/hello-kitty-computer-case-mod/

 

[vrumor]

Do you have any interest in building it yourself? Would get a lot more performance. I dont trust prebuilts, and Cyberpower, iBuyPower etc, altho probably better than most, still seem to ship a lot of crap.

 

[MsKetchup]

Do you have any interest in building it yourself? Would get a lot more performance. I dont trust prebuilts, and Cyberpower, iBuyPower etc, altho probably better than most, still seem to ship a lot of crap.

No. Keeping track of warranties and such is a nightmare and time is a premium for me. I'd rather pay for the service. I'm interested in someone looking at my specs and making sure that they are compatible.

 

[proskillr]

I believe the keyboard/mouse combo came free, ande definitely go 4x2 for the ram. And as i did in my build which i posted but is not loading correctly, pay the extra $10 and get a evga superclocked gpu with a lifetime warranty rather than a branded one.

 

[MsKetchup]

I believe the keyboard/mouse combo came free, ande definitely go 4x2 for the ram. And as i did in my build which i posted but is not loading correctly, pay the extra $10 and get a evga superclocked gpu with a lifetime warranty rather than a branded one.

Interesting. I'll look into it. Does that warranty apply even when I'm buying the system pre-built?

Di

 

[MsKetchup]

Yes, 850w is plenty.

go with the one card over the SLI route. this will allow for SLI'ing the one good card in the future when more power is required but the card costs half as much (or less hopefully).

as for the rest of the build:
- change the RAM to 4gb x 2;
- Do max case fans for +9;
- no data hard drive?
- i would not do the prof wiring; its unnecessary. the way cases are built now it makes it impossible to F it up. plus mine was superbly wired without selecting it.
- i would highly recommend losing the 12 n 1 reader. you can get an external usb one from newegg for like $6. this internal one is faulty and uses a whole 5.25 bay.
- i would also get the peripherals like keyboard/mouse combo from newegg or amazon. you will definately pay less.
- if/when you change the GPU to say the 670, go with a branded version, not "major brand". if youre spending that kind of money, you want the security spending just a tad more will give you on a name brand...

I already have a bunch of data hard drives. Will do on the RAM, fans, etc, much appreciated! The professional wiring was recommended by another forum and is cheap, but I'll put that on my list of non-essentials.

 

[namdlo]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hello-Kitty-Computer-Accessories-Bundle-with-Keyboard-Wireless-Mouse-and-USB-Flash-Drive/17011753

 

[MsKetchup]

Why is everyone focusing on the machine specs and ignoring the most important part - the Hello Kitty mod????

http://www.kittyhell.com/2008/12/11/hello-kitty-computer-case-mod/

I KNOW!!!

What would I Have to do to make mine pink and disgusting????

- Di

 

[MsKetchup]

I believe the keyboard/mouse combo came free, ande definitely go 4x2 for the ram. And as i did in my build which i posted but is not loading correctly, pay the extra $10 and get a evga superclocked gpu with a lifetime warranty rather than a branded one.

Okay more help needed:

- Turns out they don't offer 4x2 for the RAM so I'm going with 16GB for 4x4. Overkill? Or should I do 2x4 instead for 8GB?

- It says "Major Brand" because they only use major brands. Not any random ones, so I don't have to make any selections. I don't know what "pay the extra $10 and get evga" means. Should I do:

NVIDIA 670 2GB NVDIA
or
NVIDIA 670 2GB EVGA Superclocked
or
NVIDIA 670 4GB EVGA Superclocked
?

Thanks!

Di

 

[mojorisin23]

Thats not possible... they always offer 4gb x 2. on every build. where do u see that? Its probably the most popular configuration right now... i would call or check again.

when you select the bubble for RAM or the GPU, usually it opens up a few sub selections. this is where you will find the best "brands" and of course pay a little more for them.
For the 3 GPUs you listed, the second and third options are EVGA brand, considered one of the best. i'm sure next to it when you select say the second one, it will have a [+15] or whatever price increase they list...

 

[MsKetchup]

Thats not possible... they always offer 4gb x 2. on every build. where do u see that? Its probably the most popular configuration right now... i would call or check again.

when you select the bubble for RAM or the GPU, usually it opens up a few sub selections. this is where you will find the best "brands" and of course pay a little more for them.
For the 3 GPUs you listed, the second and third options are EVGA brand, considered one of the best. i'm sure next to it when you select say the second one, it will have a [+15] or whatever price increase they list...

That was the case when I did it, I'm not super mentally challenged so I'm sure it was just a website glitch or something. I decided to change the default build I was specing off of and it had an 8GB x 2 so I just went with that.

I should be receiving my new machine in two weeks or so.

Thanks everyone!

I will post pictures when the Hello Kitty mod happens. I may do cupcakes for a theme instead. Who doesn't like cake?

Di