The Glade 4.0

So even though I am in IT, I don't keep up on the hardware side much anymore. My current machine is now over 5 years old and while there still isn't a game I can't play on it I think it is only a matter of time (I have upgraded the GPU - nvidia GTX 280, and the hard drive to a SDD drive in the last couple of years) especially since I am going to try KOTOR. My current machine is a Dell XPS 700.

I have no interest in building my own machine I am past that these days so I will be buying a pre-made rig. I have looked at the Dell's but they seem to have gone downhill in their game machines and they seem to be pushing the alien-ware which seem overpriced for what you get.

I have been looking at the CyberPower machines and they seem decent and have good reviews. My problem is when I get into the configuration, I go overboard and a 1000 dollar machine goes to 2000 and I just can't bring myself to go that high even if I can afford it.

So some questions, first any recommendations?

Second I always go for the dual video cards is it really worthwhile for the second one?" What about a dedicated physics card?

I have to have my SSD drive I will never go back since I added the one to my current machine, such a huge improvement, but any thoughts on having them in a raid from a performance aspect or just stick with the one. (I have my SSD drive as my main drive and an external multi TB drive for files and pics etc.)

What about processors these days Intel? 5 or 7 series?

I am trying to stay under 1400, I don't need a monitor (I have a 42" HD TV that I use as a monitor, and a cyborg keyboard so good there too.

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I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil

Intel i7, 8GB+ DDR3 RAM and a (single) solid video card will take you a long way. No need to have a dedicated physics card either, IMO.

For $1400 or less, I don't know how you can even be considering dual video or RAID SSD.
This is $1646, just what I threw together quickly...


Product Name: Gamer Xtreme 3000 (NO MONITOR)

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 912 Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ Adjustable HDD Cage (Black Color)
Internal USB Extension Module: None
Neon Light Upgrade: None
Extra Case Fan Upgrade: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-2600K 3.40 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 (All Venom OC Certified)
Freebies: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
Cooling Fan: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Motherboard: * [CrossFireX] GigaByte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 Intel Z68 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ Intel Smart Response Technology & 7.1 Dolby Home Theater Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, 2x SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI (All Venom OC Certified)
Intel Smart Response Technology for Z68: None
Memory: 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair Dominator)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 1GB 16X PCIe Video Card (EVGA Superclocked)
Freebies: None
Video Card 2: None
Video Card 3: None
Dedicated PHYSX Card: None
Multiple Video Card Settings: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
Power Supply Upgrade: 700 Watts - XtremeGear SLI/CrossFireX Ready Power Supply
Hard Drive: 240 GB ADATA S511 SATA III 6.0G/s Gaming MLC Solid State Disk [+462] (Single Hard Drive)
Freebies: None
Data Hard Drive: None
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
External Hard Drive (USB3.0/2.0/eSATA): None
USB Flash Drive: None
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-B123L 12X BLU-RAY Player & DVDRW Combo [+58] (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
3D Vision Glasses: None
Freebies: None
LCD Monitor: None
2nd Monitor: None
3rd Monitor: None
Speakers: None
Network: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Network Switch: None
Keyboard: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
Mouse: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
Mouse Pad: None
Gaming Gear: None
Extra Thermal Display: None
Wireless 802.11B/G Network Card: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless 802.11 B/G/N Access Point: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
Video Camera: None
Headset: None
Printer: None
Cable: None
Power Protection: None
Surge Protector: None
IEEE1394 Card: None
Internal USB Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USB Port: None
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional [+31] (64-bit Edition)
Media Center Remote Control & TV Tuner: None
Office Suite: None
Games: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Service: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Rush Service: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS

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In time, this too shall pass.

I haven't done the math, but I don't think you'd see that much performance increase in SSD RAIDs on consumer systems. You'd saturate your SATA channel pretty quickly, keeping the marginal performance increase small.

You can probably do fine with a fast i5. Nothing's pushing the current gen of processors that hard except media encryption/decryption, TMK.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Yea that has been my problem I go overboard when I do the configuration ooo dual video cards etc.. so my prices have been hitting the 2k mark easy lol. That's why I asked for suggestions to try to reign it in and still have a decent set up. I guess I can always add to it later like I have with this one. Psychologically its easier for me to spend in small increments rather than large chunks (I'm a cheap basterd)

I just don't like buying a new rig every couple of years so I start thinking oh its easier to get it now but then when I see the final price I balk.

Thanks for the suggestions.

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I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil

Go the long road cheap bastard, like I tend to do. If i go all out on the stuff I really want and don't have to replace the rig or upgrade it for several years, I'm money ahead.

It isn't a bargain if you keep having to upgrade every couple of months.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

The only thing I will say is ...

Get an i7-2700k.

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This. And overclock it to 5 Ghz with watercooling if you have some money to spend.

Pffft ... use a phase change cooler and get it to 6.8

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When I buy mine I'm planning on dropping some dough (over 2K, probably over 2500) and getting more performance than I need, just because I've found in the past that my systems tend to fall behind rather quickly when I buy them based on what's sufficient now.

I won't get every bell and whistle; for example I will probably get a single, fairly powerful video card (unless it's cheaper to get 2 less powerful ones by virtue of needing less power supply) but I'm definitely going to go a bit over and above.

I've had a few guys at work talking about dual hard drives and RAID but honestly, that seems like going overboard. I'm going to go with an SSD and probably a 2 TB regular hard drive.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

This is a good idea. I did the same when I bought my computer, got a 256 GB SSD and a 2TB drive.