Buying New Computer - Need advice from experienced Gamers

[thehim87]

Hello,

 

Everyone, I've decided to buy a new PC and here's what come up with, on Vigors website. It is in my budget and is quite powerfull I would say.

 

If you have any advice for a better customization (make it faster yet cheaper) please tell me.

 

My priorities is gaming but ALSO Video/Graphic/Website creation as I aspire to be a FilmMaker with High-End Cameras and technology. Tell me if there are things I should or remove from this configuration.

 

Eventually I will also buy a MAC for this, but having two computers is one advantage for our team to work faster in studio.

 

Here's the website to see the options availiable :

 

http://www.vigorgaming.com/product/config_deltaforcenxe.html

 

 

Here's my config :

 

SPECIAL PROMOTION None.

BACK TO SCHOOL PROMOTION None.

PROCESSOR Intel® Core™i7-860 Quad-Core Processor at 2.80GHz, 2.5GT QPI, 8M Cache

RIG Vigor CYCLONE Screwless Chassis powered by Antec

RIG COLOR Black

RIG STYLE Metal Mesh Side for Improved Ventilation

RIG COOLING Vigor TyphoonTM Air Vent with 250MM Intake and 120MM Exhaust Case Fan

RIG POWER Vigor Orion 900 900W Powered by Topower Multi-GPU Ready 900Watt Power Supply

RIG DIMENSIONS 8.94" Width X 22.99" Depth X 21.10" Height.

MOTHERBOARD MSI P55-GD80 Intel P55 Dual Channel DDR3 w/1600MHz/ 3 Gen 2 (2X8+1X4) 3-Way SLI & CrossFireX

MEMORY 8GB Mushkin PC3-16000 Blackline 996731 CL8 X 2 DDR3 2000MHz Memory (4 X 2048MB)

OPERATING HARD DRIVE 1 OCZ 30GB SATA II SSD Agility Series Solid State Drive For Fast Gaming Performance

OPERATING HARD DRIVE 2 OCZ 30GB SATA II SSD Agility Series Solid State Drive For Fast Gaming Performance

RAID SETTING RAID 0 Performance - Striped Drives (2 or More Identical Hard Drives Only)

DATA HARD DRIVE 2TB (2000GB) SATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive

VIDEO CARD SLI SLOT 1 nVidia GeForce GTS 250 512MB DDR3 @738MHz, DVI and TV Out

VIDEO CARD SLI SLOT 2 nVidia GeForce GTX 295 1792MB w/480 Shaders DDR3 Dual GPU@576MHz, DVI and TV Out

OPTICAL DRIVE 1 SONY/NEC Internal SATA AD7240S 24X Dual Layer DVD+/- RW + CDRW Rewritable Drive

OPTICAL DRIVE 2 None.

RECORDING SOFTWARE Bundled DVD/CDRW Software

SOUND Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 24-Bit 7.1

NETWORK PORT Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000Mbps) PCI Network Card

WIRELESS NETWORK PORT PCI WiFi Wireless 802.11b/g Wireless Card (Included w/Zotec 780i/790i MB)

I/O PORTS 1 Parallel, 1 Game/Midi, 1 IEEE 1394 Firewire and 6 to 10 USB ports (Varies by Motherboards)

MONITOR Asus VH226H 21.5" HDMI Widescreen 1920X1080 1000:1 2ms Gaming LCD Monitor

SPEAKERS Creative Labs Inspire T3100 2.1 Stereo Speakers w/Subwoofer

KEYBOARD Standard Black Internet Multimedia Keyboard

MOUSE Standard Black Optical Wheel Mouse

CARD READER DRIVE None.

EXTERNAL FLOPPY DRIVE None.

OPERATING SYSTEM Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit w/Original DVD & Free Windows 7 Upgrade Coupon

SERVICE Standard 3 Year Limited Parts and Life-Time Labor Warranty

STORAGE MEDIA None.

SOFTWARE BUNDLE None.

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE Norton Anti-Virus

Price: $3340.00

 

My max budget is reached hear. If it is worth I would be keen to add an extra 400bucks, but not more. Also as I am far from being a pro, I can't see the real difference between the Vigor rigs themselves since you customize what is inside. So maybe I could have all these option here on a lower rig at a smaller price.

 

Thank you !

 

Edit :

Oh and how many years do you think I can last without having to upgrade and to be able to play new generation games at full settings. ?

 

Will I be able to play these games at full settings with no stuttering ?

Empire Total War / Napoleon Total War

Call of Duty Moderne War 2

Age of Dragon

Crysis

Euh and the next TES ?

[Nexus Set]

If you're getting 8GB RAM, then you should upgrade to a 64-bit Windows version. 32-bit Windows can't use/recognize more than 4GB.

[thehim87]

If you're getting 8GB RAM, then you should upgrade to a 64-bit Windows version. 32-bit Windows can't use/recognize more than 4GB.

 

Oops my mistake. I planned to use 64bit.

[Gishank]

That spec is seriously overboard and frankly a waste of money, here're my suggestions.... Also I hope you've investigated that company thoroughly to make sure that they're legitimate there are alot of fraudulent companies out there. Do note I don't know if additional equipment I am suggesting is available via that custom developer, but then you could always buy the parts seperately and have a specialised engineer in a independant computer shop set it up for you.

 

1) Scrap the 2TB HDD, you'll never use that much space believe me.... You should get 2 500GB's (one as your primary the other as a secondary for using Windows' built in backup system)

2) Get rid of the GTS 250, you won't be able to run it in SLi mode with the GTX 295 anyhow. Additionally, the 295 can handle pretty much anything you throw at it.

3) Don't get Norton Anti-virus. Remove it and purchase a license for ESET's Smart Security (NOD32) which includes anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, etc. It's the best program out there which is optimized for gamers.

4a) Get a motherboard based on the Nvidia nForce 980a.... Trust me, getting motherboards which are specifically branded for say Intel's stuff is a bad idea. The nForce 980a has support for SLi, 32gb or RAM, etc. Though that's by default, manufacturers may add or tweak things.

4b) Get a Phenom II 955 Black Edition (4x 3.2Ghz) instead of the i7. Why? Well, first of all it's significantly cheaper (plus better value for money) and honestly can perform any task you throw at it without straining.

 

If you apply the following things I stated above you'll save money and technically have an all around better PC which can also handle the games at their highest settings of which you asked.

[Pronam]

1) Scrap the 2TB HDD, you'll never use that much space believe me.... You should get 2 500GB's (one as your primary the other as a secondary for using Windows' built in backup system)

Mark my words.. it may look much at the moment...but wait and see...As this is a high-end PC, the owner will use it for quite some time. In 5 years...this might just enough for the avarage user. Although having two (additional) HDD's is a very good idea.

 

SOUND Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 24-Bit 7.1

Although that card is generally good, I had more trouble with it in win7. It refuses to boot up properly when something went wrong. But it is a good choice non the less...its official-support is diminishing though:dry: . But I don't know if the other options do offer it though..and next to that. sound-cards are easy to replace...

 

I can't say much about alternatives for the CPU and such as I think you'll stay at that website and its options...

Although it is strange they don't offer the new 900-series.

 

You should be able to run games on max, yes...

[Thor.]

I have no problem with my creative xfi 5.1, maybe you just need the latest drivers, sometime its just buggy because the firmware is so new.

 

Nice setup, but for me i rather go amd, simply because they are cheaper and highly overclockable :biggrin: .

[Syntax1985]

i know i keep singing like a fan boy but check these guys out,

 

http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk / .com for usa

 

i find them to be the cheapest after tons of research, great service as well.

 

VIDEO CARD SLI SLOT 1 nVidia GeForce GTS 250 512MB DDR3 @738MHz, DVI and TV Out

VIDEO CARD SLI SLOT 2 nVidia GeForce GTX 295 1792MB w/480 Shaders DDR3 Dual GPU@576MHz, DVI and TV Out

 

would it not be cheaper / better for 2x ati 4890's 1gb ?

 

 

SOUND Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 24-Bit 7.1

 

your mobo has a built in HD 7.1 surrond. id drop that its not needed.

 

your spending too much on uneceaary. not being funny but if i spent that much on a comp 5 years ago i wouldnt be playing crysis on the same machine now. future proofing is tricky subject but if for an unlikely example, DX11 came out next year, youd be slapping yourself.

 

P.s.

ADDITIONAL SOFTWARE Norton Anti-Virus

 

No. get kapersky.

 

http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens3221692module20344612photo_1236830457kstat.JPG

[LHammonds]

Stick with the 2TB hard drives. You will need every bit of it if you are serious about video editing. You might also want to figure out how you'd backup your data as well. The larger your data capacity, the larger your backup capability needs to be. Backing up to DVD will not work (too small and too time-consuming). Take a look at Drobo which uses a RAID configuration to make the external drives reliable and can use any size drives.

 

As for security, take a look at Comodo Internet Security. Not only is it a free product for home or business use, the quality of the product matches the best pay-for products.

 

Why Comodo Products are FREE

 

Comparison Results @ Matousec - Comodo Internet Security suite ranked #3 out of all products and is the #1 FREE product. (Kapersky is #4 and ESET is simply not recommended at all)

 

Best of Free Firewalls @ TechSupportAlert.com

 

LHammonds

[pwnedbyscope]

what about a power supply???, i use the rosewill 750watt with a whole bunch of numbers and crap after that, also I really dont think that you will need the extra fan, i have the same exact case and with the four built in, the one on my cpu, and the two from my video cards it stays quite cool, sometimes it will even cool my room down so yea, i would recommend you gettin the logitech mx518, it is relativity inexpensive, and with working on photos you are going to want an accurate mouse, norton anti-virus sucks, it about as useful as mcaffe, and finally scratch the two TB, get two 500gb, and a 250, or 160 viloceraptor.

 

and to anwser your question it is going to take a while for you to have to upgrade it, as long as you take care of, regular soft, and hard cleanings, i use cclearn every night, and update it every so often you will get at least 5+ years with out any upgrades. think about this way how much better can games get, right now its not the hard ware thats really changing, but the interface that you use.

 

btw good luck :)

[Triforce1]

I don't know much about these "fully customize online computer" sites; all I see in them is a do-it-yourself computer with a cool paint job and some sort of outside warranty. But for those who have just enough technical experience to know what they want, but not enough to plug a system together, it's a great idea. Back to the "I don't know much" thing, though. You have some very top-notch parts there my man, and I personally think you are set. Do get a security system that is streamlined for gaming though; all that money to have Norton screw with you would be a waste. I've had Norton 360 for years, and I vow that the next time I need security for a new computer, I'm gonna search for an alternative. Also, pick yourself out a good ASUS nVIDIA-based board. The one listed above could do you no wrong, either. Don't go with that Intel branded board; Gishank is right. Same on the 260 front, get rid of it. I've got a BFG 295 and it's great. I like your processor fine, it being an Intel i7 and all. I love me some Intel, but it is surely a personal choice between that and AMD. The chassis is good, totally personal choice. Good idea on the hard drives, however, I have all of those games (or similar ones) and I've already used up the more than 60GB of super storage you seem to intend games for. But that's your choice. Removing the 260 should give you a cushion for more room anyway. That 2TB is likely necessary for all the other things you do, too, LHammonds is very correct. I understand you intended to choose 64bt OS, that's good for the memory usage. Don't lnow what the step up monitor is for that setup, regardless you'll be very happy with that brand / size / resolution. You'll love your speakers; I've always had Creative and I've never looked back. Speaking of which, I would recommend upgrading your sound card to get the most out of your speakers / games / video editing. You'll be wanting something with X-Fi, that Audigy doesn't seem to have it. I'm quite happy with my X-Fi Xtreme Gamer, had it for several years, and I hear it has come down in price. If it was me, I'd also go with a different brand of RAM, OCZ / Corsair are my favorites, but that is choice as well. Also, an interesting point was brought up. What kind of power supply are you going to get? I highly recommend PC Power and Cooling, but you may like another brand due to their horrible cable management. Can't beat them for quality though. I have a PC P&C Silencer 710, and I couldn't be happier. I hear BFG is up and coming that regard, though.

 

Oh goodness, I seem to have written an essay. :D Sorry to be so long-winded / nit-picky, but I do like to see gamers get what in a system for what they want to pay. I hope this monologue has been at least as helpful as it was boring, and I hope you tell us how you get along when you do finally pick out a system. Good luck!

 

-Triforce1