Any computer guys here?

Cyberium · 03-05-2011, 01:37 AM

Hey, I used to be up to date on all the latest and greatest computer gear like 5 years ago, but I really haven't been following what's the best processor and graphics card, etc.

I have an old Alienware computer and I'm about to buy a new one. Yes, Alienware is overpriced and yes, I could save money if I just built one from scratch, but it's much easier this way to just have them build it for me. And plus, it looks damn cool.

I'm looking to play the latest games and also I do music production and need alot of processing power. What are your opinions on this:

POWER SUPPLY: 875W Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 4.1GHz
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
VIDEO CARD: Dual 2GB ATI Radeon™ HD 6950 - ATI CrossFireX™
HARD DRIVE: 2TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache

Anything you would recommend instead? Thanks in advance

Isamu · 03-05-2011, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyberium

Hey, I used to be up to date on all the latest and greatest computer gear like 5 years ago, but I really haven't been following what's the best processor and graphics card, etc.

I have an old Alienware computer and I'm about to buy a new one. Yes, Alienware is overpriced and yes, I could save money if I just built one from scratch, but it's much easier this way to just have them build it for me. And plus, it looks damn cool.

I'm looking to play the latest games and also I do music production and need alot of processing power. What are your opinions on this:

POWER SUPPLY: 875W Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 4.1GHz
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz VIDEO CARD: Dual 2GB ATI Radeon™ HD 6950 - ATI CrossFireX™
HARD DRIVE: 2TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache

Anything you would recommend instead? Thanks in advance

That looks pretty good... see if you can upgrade to a vid card with GDDR5 maybe?

daisuke149 · 03-05-2011, 10:56 AM

im suprised the 6950 dont have ddr5..

my laptop with a 5870 has ddr5

also dump the sata drives and get a SDD for your OS/Games/photoshop or stuff like that.
add sata drives as secondary drives for storage of videos/music etc.

Cell · 03-05-2011, 11:00 AM

Just go to ibuypower.com instead. You will save more from them than alienware.

Vegitto-kun · 03-05-2011, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyberium

Hey, I used to be up to date on all the latest and greatest computer gear like 5 years ago, but I really haven't been following what's the best processor and graphics card, etc.

I have an old Alienware computer and I'm about to buy a new one. Yes, Alienware is overpriced and yes, I could save money if I just built one from scratch, but it's much easier this way to just have them build it for me. And plus, it looks damn cool.

I'm looking to play the latest games and also I do music production and need alot of processing power. What are your opinions on this:

POWER SUPPLY: 875W Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply
PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 4.1GHz
OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
MEMORY: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
VIDEO CARD: Dual 2GB ATI Radeon™ HD 6950 - ATI CrossFireX™
HARD DRIVE: 2TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache

Anything you would recommend instead? Thanks in advance

you know...you could just buy the parts you want, go to a computer store and go "hey put this together" and it will still be shitloads cheaper than alienware.

only thing they are is brandname and design

like a beamer.

I myself am waiting since intell is supposed to show the sandy bridge 6-core in some months

texasviking · 03-06-2011, 11:51 PM

A few things:

12GB of Triple-Channel RAM would be better than the 16 GB of Dual-Channel.

Also, is 875W enough to power both of those cards and the rest of your system? I would almost consider 1000-1200W.

Last, you're not going to see any benefits in performance by using 6Gbps 7200rpm drives. The only way to take advantage of the faster SATA-6Gb spec would be SSD. Ultimately, I would suggest a single 160-256GB SSD for primary OS drive, and multiple RAID 7200rpm drives for media/storage.

What monitor setup are you going to go with?

fuzzywuzzy · 03-06-2011, 11:59 PM

Alienware is made by Dell, they bought them a good couple years ago....so your just buying a dell...and dell kinda sucks.

shabarivas · 03-07-2011, 02:21 AM

If you are really going to drop coin on 16gb of ram - do yourself a solid and get an SSD while you are at it...

karotZ · 03-07-2011, 03:30 AM

Get your RAM and SSD elsewhere then spend the rest on the video card and other HW you like.

wilsonp · 03-08-2011, 12:53 AM

The i7-2600k only has two memory channels so triple channel isn't an option.

I question the need for dual video cards - most of the time a single card is more cost effective unless you are looking for ultimate performance for this month (e.g. have money to burn). You can buy a new single card a couple of years from now and typically get better performance again than adding a second card unless you are at the very low end.

SSDs are nice but still expensive, and I leave my PC on 24x7, so a fast boot is rarely important. I'd suggest getting a 3 drive setup with 3x WD Black 2TB drives, run one as a boot drive, setup a RAID 0 for the other two, add a fourth for dedicated swap drive if it is in the budget.

Since you are talking audio, a high quality name brand power supply like PC Power and Cooling will help keep the noise out and be stable under load at it's rated power, where a cheap 875W won't really support it. Also consider a larger quieter fan setup and may be a sealed water cooler or total water cooling to quiet the whole system.

shabarivas · 03-08-2011, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonp

The i7-2600k only has two memory channels so triple channel isn't an option.

I question the need for dual video cards - most of the time a single card is more cost effective unless you are looking for ultimate performance for this month (e.g. have money to burn). You can buy a new single card a couple of years from now and typically get better performance again than adding a second card unless you are at the very low end.

SSDs are nice but still expensive, and I leave my PC on 24x7, so a fast boot is rarely important. I'd suggest getting a 3 drive setup with 3x WD Black 2TB drives, run one as a boot drive, setup a RAID 0 for the other two, add a fourth for dedicated swap drive if it is in the budget.

Since you are talking audio, a high quality name brand power supply like PC Power and Cooling will help keep the noise out and be stable under load at it's rated power, where a cheap 875W won't really support it. Also consider a larger quieter fan setup and may be a sealed water cooler or total water cooling to quiet the whole system.

Boot speeds? An SSD dramatically speeds up load times of any file / program running on your machine not just boot speeds. These days Ram and processor power is rarely a bottleneck - SSDs are almost a must...

daisuke149 · 03-08-2011, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shabarivas

Boot speeds? An SSD dramatically speeds up load times of any file / program running on your machine not just boot speeds. These days Ram and processor power is rarely a bottleneck - SSDs are almost a must...

Yup. And since they are expensive can get a smaller one and put os, games and mostly used programs. Media goes on secondary regular drive

houkouonchi · 03-08-2011, 11:04 AM

If you wanna go dual video card go nvidia SLI not crossfire/ATI. I have heard lots of things about how crossfire has microlag issues and lots of tearing and i know a few people who switched to nvidia for multiple video card setups. ATI is fine (and a great option for multiple monitors) if you go with a single card.

Xander117 · 03-08-2011, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzywuzzy

Alienware is made by Dell, they bought them a good couple years ago....so your just buying a dell...and dell kinda sucks.

This oh god this....Alienware has gone down hill the last few years due to the Dell buyout. Plus god forbid you want to upgrade it yourself. I bought a dell and ended up ripping it apart and rebuilding it with a new MB because of all the crap that is "only" dell. Newegg has combo deals if you are comfortable putting something together.

kholy · 03-08-2011, 11:41 AM

yes i would stay away from Alienware as well and either have some shop put one together or look online for something. the i7 is a GREAT processor as i have the 960. i do run triple channel memory and also a SSD. the SSD is were i received the best performance boost I've seen in a while... its just amazing how much quicker that thing is

03-05-2011, 01:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
Cyberium Enthusiast Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Vermont Posts: 379 Drives: 370z Touring \| Sport Rep Power: 16	Any computer guys here? Hey, I used to be up to date on all the latest and greatest computer gear like 5 years ago, but I really haven't been following what's the best processor and graphics card, etc. I have an old Alienware computer and I'm about to buy a new one. Yes, Alienware is overpriced and yes, I could save money if I just built one from scratch, but it's much easier this way to just have them build it for me. And plus, it looks damn cool. I'm looking to play the latest games and also I do music production and need alot of processing power. What are your opinions on this: POWER SUPPLY: 875W Multi-GPU Approved Power Supply PROCESSOR: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 4.1GHz OPERATING SYSTEM: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English MEMORY: 16GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz VIDEO CARD: Dual 2GB ATI Radeon™ HD 6950 - ATI CrossFireX™ HARD DRIVE: 2TB SATA 6Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache Anything you would recommend instead? Thanks in advance __________________ Stillen G3 Intakes \| F. I TDX Last edited by Cyberium; 03-05-2011 at 02:07 AM.

03-07-2011, 02:21 AM	#8 (permalink)
shabarivas A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 2,188 Drives: 370z MB 6mt Rep Power: 914	If you are really going to drop coin on 16gb of ram - do yourself a solid and get an SSD while you are at it... __________________ Close, cover, before striking Lick a missle at the bird and try to cripple it's right wing and I end every sentance with a . . .

03-07-2011, 03:30 AM	#9 (permalink)
karotZ Track Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: not found Posts: 723 Drives: on empty tank of gas Rep Power: 15	Get your RAM and SSD elsewhere then spend the rest on the video card and other HW you like. __________________ VERTEX \| SUIVAX \| AMUSE \| SSR \| SPARCO \| STILLEN \| FAST INTENTIONS x HKS \| HANKOOK \| NARDI \| NRG \| EVO-R \| ROBISPEC \| SPC

03-08-2011, 12:53 AM	#10 (permalink)
wilsonp A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,134 Drives: 2009 Touring Sp Nav Rep Power: 16	The i7-2600k only has two memory channels so triple channel isn't an option. I question the need for dual video cards - most of the time a single card is more cost effective unless you are looking for ultimate performance for this month (e.g. have money to burn). You can buy a new single card a couple of years from now and typically get better performance again than adding a second card unless you are at the very low end. SSDs are nice but still expensive, and I leave my PC on 24x7, so a fast boot is rarely important. I'd suggest getting a 3 drive setup with 3x WD Black 2TB drives, run one as a boot drive, setup a RAID 0 for the other two, add a fourth for dedicated swap drive if it is in the budget. Since you are talking audio, a high quality name brand power supply like PC Power and Cooling will help keep the noise out and be stable under load at it's rated power, where a cheap 875W won't really support it. Also consider a larger quieter fan setup and may be a sealed water cooler or total water cooling to quiet the whole system. __________________ 2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black

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03-05-2011, 10:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
daisuke149 My *** is famous! Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alpharetta, GA Posts: 4,849 Drives: 2013 Boss 302 PW Rep Power: 31	im suprised the 6950 dont have ddr5.. my laptop with a 5870 has ddr5 also dump the sata drives and get a SDD for your OS/Games/photoshop or stuff like that. add sata drives as secondary drives for storage of videos/music etc.

03-05-2011, 11:00 AM	#4 (permalink)
Cell A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,449 Drives: A Garbage Truck Rep Power: 21	Just go to ibuypower.com instead. You will save more from them than alienware.

03-06-2011, 11:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
texasviking Base Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: DFW Posts: 160 Drives: 09 370Z Rep Power: 15	A few things: 12GB of Triple-Channel RAM would be better than the 16 GB of Dual-Channel. Also, is 875W enough to power both of those cards and the rest of your system? I would almost consider 1000-1200W. Last, you're not going to see any benefits in performance by using 6Gbps 7200rpm drives. The only way to take advantage of the faster SATA-6Gb spec would be SSD. Ultimately, I would suggest a single 160-256GB SSD for primary OS drive, and multiple RAID 7200rpm drives for media/storage. What monitor setup are you going to go with?

03-06-2011, 11:59 PM	#7 (permalink)
fuzzywuzzy Base Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: In a house Posts: 211 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 15	Alienware is made by Dell, they bought them a good couple years ago....so your just buying a dell...and dell kinda sucks.

03-08-2011, 11:04 AM	#13 (permalink)
houkouonchi Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Ontario, California Posts: 440 Drives: '14 GT-R '10 M6 370z Rep Power: 14	If you wanna go dual video card go nvidia SLI not crossfire/ATI. I have heard lots of things about how crossfire has microlag issues and lots of tearing and i know a few people who switched to nvidia for multiple video card setups. ATI is fine (and a great option for multiple monitors) if you go with a single card.

03-08-2011, 11:41 AM	#15 (permalink)
kholy Base Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 218 Drives: 370z Sport Touring Rep Power: 14	yes i would stay away from Alienware as well and either have some shop put one together or look online for something. the i7 is a GREAT processor as i have the 960. i do run triple channel memory and also a SSD. the SSD is were i received the best performance boost I've seen in a while... its just amazing how much quicker that thing is