High End Gaming Desktop

L

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A: Hardcore Gaming
2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A: yes

3. What is your MAX budget?
A: 100k
4. Planning to overclock?
A: Not anytime soon.
5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A: Win 7 x64
6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: 500GB
7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want?
A: 23/24"
8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 8
9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: Assembler
10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: December, 1st week
11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: I just want to get the best performance in my budget.

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Speakers, DVD drive
13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Will buy from Nehru Place.

14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary

-> I am still waiting for AMD 69xx, Nvidia GTX 570 to launch and will decide between gtx 580 and them. So i will omit writing anything abt the graphics Card for now.

I have followed digit forum closely over the past 2 months, and here is the config i have come up with:

Intel i7 950 - 14.6k
CM Hyper 212 Plus - 1.85k (I need the CPU to stay cool, room may/mayn't be AC'ed, willing to spend the extra buck for it)
Gskill Trident 3*2 GB 1333 Mhz - 5.75k (1600Mhz isnt worth the price raise)
WD Caviar Black 1TB - 5k (500GB suffices for me, If its still available, i would like to go for it and cut aboutt 2.5k here)
Corsair 750HX - 8.25k
Cabinet HAF 912 Advanced - 6k (already have, bought from SMC)
GA-X58A-UD3R -13k
BenQ G2420HD - 10.9k
APC 1.1kvA - 4.8k
Razer Deathadder - 2.2k (No reduction here)
Mouse Pad - 0.5k
Basic Keyboard - 0.5k (Will buy a better one later)

These prices are what I have picked from SMC's website mostly and some from digit forum threads.

I wish to leave 30k aside for the GFX card (worst case if GTX 580's prices dont fall). Anyways, The price of this rig is coming around 73.5k, still trying to cap it at 70k. Efforts in the same direction would be very helpful else i keep my fingers crossed that 69xx series launch will bring overall prices down due to competition.

-> I also require a basic graphics card for normal usage and movies, performance similar to an onboard solution. But it will not be included in the budget. No gaming on it, and budget - 3k

Suggestions/thumbs up would be great! thanks

You didn't post your budget for the low end card.

basic graphics card for which system? definitely not this. changing graphics card is painstaking job.

so please post the config of that PC

Intel Core i7 950 @ 14.3k
ASUS Sabertooth X58 / Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R @ 13k
G.Skill 6GB DDR3 1600 Ripjaws CL8 @ 6.2k
WD 1TB Black Sata3 @ 5k
Corsair TX650W @ 6.3k
CM HAF 922 @ 6.6k
BenQ G2420HD @ 11k
Razer Death Adder @ 2.2k
APC 1000VA @ 5K

Total - 69.6k

lost.thunder said:
WD Caviar Black 1TB - 5k (500GB suffices for me, If its still available, i would like to go for it and cut aboutt 2.5k here)
Anyways, The price of this rig is coming around 73.5k, still trying to cap it at 70k.

Black isn't that much better than blue. Get a 1TB Blue for 2.7k or 500GB Blue for 1.7k.

@ Jas he already has HAF 912.

U mean u pre ordered the haf 912 right? I mean last time i checked it was arriving in the lst week of nov..

As for temp gfx card..i guess buy something on the line of 8600gt or hd 5650 512mb..the 8600 gt will cost u around 3.5k and the 5650 around 4k..

1 suggestion though..for the monitor luk at DELL ultra sharp u2311(not sure abt the exact name..) at 13k..it has an ips plane and the display is plain awesome..

@ishu wd black has a 64 mb cache compared to 32mb of blue..so the performance will be much better IMHO..

now is 70k without a cabinet? if yes get Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 60GB @ 8.7k..definitely worth SSD.

L

Gollum said:
You didn't post your budget for the low end card.

Low end card Budget - around 3k

Sam.Shab said:
basic graphics card for which system? definitely not this. changing graphics card is painstaking job.
so please post the config of that PC

I need the low end card for this PC for normal usage till i get the actual one(this mobo doesnt have IGP). And after that, I will give it to my cousin for his PC.

Also do elaborate on "changing graphics card is a painstaking job". I'm new to dedicated card scenario, switching to the new one with this will be hard? how so

keviv219 said:
U mean u pre ordered the haf 912 right? I mean last time i checked it was arriving in the lst week of nov..

As for temp gfx card..i guess buy something on the line of 8600gt or hd 5650 512mb..the 8600 gt will cost u around 3.5k and the 5650 around 4k..

1 suggestion though..for the monitor luk at DELL ultra sharp u2311(not sure abt the exact name..) at 13k..it has an ips plane and the display is plain awesome..

The cabinet is available now, it was delivered yesterday to my house.

Talking about the monitor, I myself have been pondering over the Dell 2311h vs BenQ G2420HD dilemna. I just couldnt make any concrete decision on either, for eg, dell one has great display, but again lacks hdmi support and is a little expensive. Also, i really havent been able to conclude how the gaming performance of the latest fast paced games works out on this monitor since in every forum, people compare the response time of these 2 monitors and benQ comes out on top there. Also hdmi, price and generally great user reviews work in favour of BenQ.

I wouldnt half mind going for the Dell if any current owner&gamer can shed light on these issues.

Jaskanwar Singh said:
now is 70k without a cabinet? if yes get Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 60GB @ 8.7k..definitely worth SSD.

70k is including the cabinet. I did consider going for an SSD, but due to budget constraints, it will remain pending till a later date.

Ishu Gupta said:
Black isn't that much better than blue. Get a 1TB Blue for 2.7k or 500GB Blue for 1.7k..

I would like to stick to the black version, since its a performance drive. Blue is aimed primarily at the medium computer segment.

Jaskanwar Singh said:
Intel Core i7 950 @ 14.3k
ASUS Sabertooth X58 / Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R @ 13k
G.Skill 6GB DDR3 1600 Ripjaws CL8 @ 6.2k
WD 1TB Black Sata3 @ 5k
Corsair TX650W @ 6.3k
CM HAF 922 @ 6.6k
BenQ G2420HD @ 11k
Razer Death Adder @ 2.2k
APC 1000VA @ 5K

Total - 69.6k

1. 1333 Mhz ram is sufficient, I checked that 1600 doesnt have any significant improvement in performance. So original ram option is better and also saves money.
2. CM HAF 912 @ 6k I already bought it, so no need for cm Haf 922
3. U skipped Keyboard + Mouse pad budget @ 1k total
4. Considering the long haul i'm in with this rig, i'd prefer to go with the HX series for its efficiency and modular cable management. HX 650 will be enough for the i7 and high end GPU? For this reason i went for HX 750W, which also leaves room for further expansion/alterations to the rig.

For monitor confusion look at newegg and amazon user reviews. Really-3 helpful.

U can save money by getting 1333 ram but 1600mhz will give u more oc headroom.
Also hx650 will be much more than enough provided u arent going for high end dual gpu setup.

L

Jaskanwar Singh said:
For monitor confusion look at newegg and amazon user reviews. Really-3 helpful.

U can save money by getting 1333 ram but 1600mhz will give u more oc headroom.
Also hx650 will be much more than enough provided u arent going for high end dual gpu setup.

I definitely won't be going for multi-GPU setup. So hx650 will suffice?
This is indeed a great piece of news, it lowers the rig cost by about 1.2k without compromise in quality. thanks Jas!

I still feel 1333 would do, and i can replace these in the future easily when i feel the need for OCing.

U2311h seems like a great monitor after reading reviews. One thing i have noticed is that wherever they state that its performance isnt that great in fps games, they are usually comparing it to the expensive 120HZ monitors. I noticed it when i read all of its reviews again.

So i might go for Dell U2311h(rig cost up by 2k :shock:

)

An advice..regarding the monitor DO take ur time to read those reviews..both the monitors are awesome..check various reviews and then see what you really want..

Rest of the rig is perfect..but i would also recommend going for an ssd as that will boost up the performance of ur pc significantly..

L

keviv219 said:
An advice..regarding the monitor DO take ur time to read those reviews..both the monitors are awesome..check various reviews and then see what you really want..

Rest of the rig is perfect..but i would also recommend going for an ssd as that will boost up the performance of ur pc significantly..

I really would love an SSd, but i just cant fit it into my budget, and extension beyond 100k is not possible. It will have to wait for now.

@monitor, i read more reviews/user reviews for both the monitors.

I have seen people talking about tinting issues with the Dell u2311h. Also some amount of ghosting (although minimal) is still there in fast paced games. But for the BenQ, pretty much everything i read was positive.

Confused is the expression !

P.s. Still looking for the low end card. budget 3k

i think that has something to do with response times of the monitors.
for a low end card look at HD4650.......

Then go with the g2420..it's a very good monitor..if all the reviews are positive then it is the better choice..
Regarding the SSD..i too am in a fix whether to buy it or not..and have decided either to wait for price drops(the same happened to hdd few years ago)..or get it from US through my bro..

as for the gfx..already told u go for the 8600 gt at around 3k..or hd 5650 512 mb..
The 8600 gt can still run all the games at mid settings..that will help ur brother too when u give it to him later..

at this budget, I would also suggest going for an IPS panel and an SSD.
since you are getting a good cooler, you must consider overclocking and for that reason I suggest going for a 1600 Mhz RAM from gskill.

@Jas, any online store where Mushkin Callisto Deluxe can be found?

@cool buddy
you can get mushkin from TE Dealers Paradise.

L

Cool Buddy said:
at this budget, I would also suggest going for an IPS panel and an SSD.
since you are getting a good cooler, you must consider overclocking and for that reason I suggest going for a 1600 Mhz RAM from gskill.

1.I am considering the Dell u2311h IPS panel monitor atm
2.SSD is just not feasible for now.
3. For Ram, I'll take that into consideration when i buy the rig. If possible, i will surely go for the 1600 Mhz.

For monitor i would suggest Samsung konect plus and for cabinet i would suggest HAF 922 as it has good ventilation and comes with two fans...one in the front and the other on the top and is spacious too.
Also whats the difference between WD black 1Tb and Blue??

abhidev said:
For monitor i would suggest Samsung konect plus and for cabinet i would suggest HAF 922 as it has good ventilation and comes with two fans...one in the front and the other on the top and is spacious too.
Also whats the difference between WD black 1Tb and Blue??

1) He already has a cabinet
2) Black - Performance in exchange of silence.
Blue - General
Green - More Silent than blue in exchange of performance

The difference isn't huge.

L

Purchased my PC from SMC:

Config

i7 950 - 15900/-(It is retailing at 16300/- currently)
GA X58A-UD3R -9500/-
CM Hyper 212+ - 1800/-
Gskill 3*2GB 1600 Mhz Trident - 6300/-
Corsair HX750 - 8600/- (HX650 wasn't available)
WD 1 TB Sata III Caviar Black - 5200/-
MSI HD5450 - 3300/-
Dell U2311h - 13800/-
APC 1100vA - 4600/-
Razer Deathadder - 2050/-
Razer Goliathus Pad- 700/-
CM HAF 912 Advanced - 6000/- (bought earlier through Pre-Order)

For those looking at these prices for reference, ignore proccy and Mobo cost since the person quoted less (accidently) than the actual price. He regretted it later, but i guess they have a principle to not to change the quoted prices, so i got lucky. I still checked them for proper seal and it wasnt tampered with.

Still awaited - 1. Nvidia GTX 580 or AMD 6970
2. Microsoft Sidewinder X4 ( SMC didnt have in stock)

As a token of appreciation for TDF members, here are some pictures. Thanks and Cheers! :-D

*img403.imageshack.us/img403/906/dsc00179zd.jpg

*img641.imageshack.us/img641/7796/dsc00185cv.jpg

*img443.imageshack.us/img443/7651/dsc00184q.jpg

*img232.imageshack.us/img232/8744/dsc00192v0.jpg

^^ WOW... Thats one word to describe your system. Seriously buddy great config.

Now add a proper gpu that the system deserves. Wait for GTX 595(DUAL) or AMD 6990(Antilles Dual).

And do change those speakers to a good 5.1 like logitech z5500.

Cheers.... Enjoy your system

wow, serious buy, the monitor looks great so does the cm cabby great buy

J

congrats on your purchase.

M

dude u should have brought the corsair h50 water cooler instead of cm hyper212+. the water cooler is much much better. and trust me u will need it while playing crysis

congrats man and solid system!

^^congrats dude...I have bought the same Cabby...it's cool..

@lost.thunder. nice. congrats.

Nice config ....Nice cabby dude....looks similar to mine...but cool...congrats

OMG Drool.

How does that cabby look in real?? Cool, Very cool??

And please post benchmarks, FPS in games etc when you get the graphic card.

L

thanks a ton guys!

I had been following this forum for over 2 months to arrive at this config. So the credit goes to every tdf member.

As for the cabby, it was sweetly priced with the features that till now were only available only in much expensive cases. I'm a proud owner of this case, and for sure, this cabby looks even better up close!

As for the graphics card, i'm eagerly waiting for tomorrow's launch of the GTX 570, and Dec 13th for AMD 69xx launch. will decide between them and the GTX 580 on performance vs temperature review. Will post pics and benchmarks as and when i buy it!

Congrats buddy. Great one. Planning to SLI or CF

GTX 580 SLI :shock:

.

L

Jaskanwar Singh said:
Congrats buddy. Great one. Planning to SLI or CF

Thanks buddy. Single Card for now, SLI/CF might be a possibility, but definitely nothing for a year due to budget constraints.