So my monster Dell is four years old now and I have permission from my boss wife to buy a new one. I've got a budget of around $1500 that I can probably stretch to 2k without losing bedroom privileges. Obviously a gaming rig is #1 priority, something that I can crank Skyrim up to max on.
So......recommendations anyone?
I know Gus had some issues. However I think that is because he got the mass produced rig off newegg as opposed to going to the actual site instead.
Build to your hearts content and for $1500 you can get a MONSTER rig. Also just spend the extra $5 for professional wiring. Otherwise it's too much work for them to cut the wires to a reasonable size.
http://www.ibuypower.com/
I'm actually looking at perhaps downsizing my rig later this year. I've got a full sized tower HAF 932, which is just a pain in the ass to move and store. I need to do some measuring perhaps I can get everything to fit into the LAN warrior case.
Quote from: Steelgrave on January 29, 2012, 04:12:20 PM
So my monster Dell is four years old now and I have permission from my boss wife to buy a new one. I've got a budget of around $1500 that I can probably stretch to 2k without losing bedroom privileges. Obviously a gaming rig is #1 priority, something that I can crank Skyrim up to max on.
So......recommendations anyone?
Are you planning on building your own, buying a pre-built or have a company build it for you?
I need a new rig too. I haven't played a pc game made after 2009!!!
No, the thought of building my own rig is scary, lol! What I've done the last two purchases is go to Dell and customize what I want online. That's worked great and may be the direction I go again.
Quote from: Steelgrave on January 31, 2012, 05:17:05 PM
No, the thought of building my own rig is scary, lol! What I've done the last two purchases is go to Dell and customize what I want online. That's worked great and may be the direction I go again.
Alienware my man... Alienware.
Glad to see you are both on board and a Global Mod/Old Guard!
Dell is ok but they load alot extra crap on your computer you don't need. Alienware is also ok but they are expensive for what you actually get under the hood.
Here are a couple companies that you can customize your computer through and then they build it and ship it to you. They also sell some pre-built computers but since their companies mostly focus on gaming the computers are all geared toward that.
http://www.avadirect.com/
http://www.maingear.com/index.php
http://www.velocitymicro.com/
I've always gone with a local vendor to get what I've wanted. So far, so good... with one exception. Lesson learned: never buy from a friend.
All good suggestions and much appreciated. Normally I would jump at Alienware, but I've read that since Dell picked them up their quality has gone down. Of course, I've heard the same about Dell lately, although I've never gotten anything other than excellence from them. But times change, and I'm definitely shopping :)
Ibuypower is running a Super Bowl special right now that has a ton of free upgrades options. So you could potentially make a $2K rig for less than $1.5K. My rig is ibuypower, which I bought 3 years ago and because I got ATI cards in crossfire and the top AMD cpu still has the power of awesomness.
Quote from: Bison on February 02, 2012, 01:09:55 PM
Ibuypower is running a Super Bowl special right now that has a ton of free upgrades options. So you could potentially make a $2K rig for less than $1.5K. My rig is ibuypower, which I bought 3 years ago and because I got ATI cards in crossfire and the top AMD cpu still has the power of awesomness.
Thank you, Bison. On my way to check it out now!
My desktop died, literally- as in it won't even start up anymore died- and I'm going to go with ibuypower.
There's a slightly better version of the rig I was looking at last July for a few bucks less than the other one. It's here:
Actually, I can't even remember which one I was looking at this afternoon! Well, this one looks good: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858
They all kind of look the same to me...and all are exponentially better than what I've been making do with for the last several years so any of them in the $1200 range are going to rock.
Quote from: Toonces on February 05, 2012, 02:13:51 AM
My desktop died, literally- as in it won't even start up anymore died- and I'm going to go with ibuypower.
There's a slightly better version of the rig I was looking at last July for a few bucks less than the other one. It's here:
Actually, I can't even remember which one I was looking at this afternoon! Well, this one looks good: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858
They all kind of look the same to me...and all are exponentially better than what I've been making do with for the last several years so any of them in the $1200 range are going to rock.
Not bad, not bad......I would spend an extra $20 and get the dual fans, but that's gonna rock. I think that rig makes my list of finalists.
Quote from: Toonces on February 05, 2012, 02:13:51 AM
My desktop died, literally- as in it won't even start up anymore died- and I'm going to go with ibuypower.
There's a slightly better version of the rig I was looking at last July for a few bucks less than the other one. It's here:
Actually, I can't even remember which one I was looking at this afternoon! Well, this one looks good: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858
They all kind of look the same to me...and all are exponentially better than what I've been making do with for the last several years so any of them in the $1200 range are going to rock.
Toonces,
I'm sure you've already talked your self into a new 'puter by now but before dumping the old one check the
power supply. Dr Quest went through this back on the 'old forums' and he was able to get his running again.
If you do get a power light one quick test is unplugging everything from the motherboard except the cpu fan
cable (usually square but anyway it will run to the cpu housing) and the ginormous multi lead plug into the
motherboard. Then try and power it on and see if it will at least POST (power up self test). If so you can try
just swapping out the PSU with a new one and then you will have a spare rig for just the cost of between
$40-$100 based on what you want to spend. If possible buy a slightly higher output one than the old in case
it was underpowered to begin with. You could try it even if you don't get a POST in case the old PSU is completely
dead and if no joy then return the new PSU for a refund.
My son just got an ibuypower system. I forget the specs, but he seems quite happy with it. He's a big gamer, but not wargames. :'(
Nice looking rig Toonces. Just remember professional wiring. Seriously. I'm not even messing around with this recommendation.
Quote from: Bison on February 05, 2012, 09:04:55 PM
Nice looking rig Toonces. Just remember professional wiring. Seriously. I'm not even messing around with this recommendation.
I agree wire management is key. That was one of the toughest parts when I built my computer. Thankfully the case I bought made it easy to route the cables through the back of the case leaving plenty of room for air flow around the important components.
Here is a couple pics of my completed rig
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-h0du6I4oEjA%2FTuqwkuDR4tI%2FAAAAAAAAAeo%2F9885oCSe--E%2Fs1600%2FMy%2BComputer%2B2.JPG&hash=40f19f894b7d551d09a4c9d703539c02932cd1bf)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-1sECQD1zMc8%2FTuqwo9_iJhI%2FAAAAAAAAAew%2FMfst-xoj0N0%2Fs1600%2FMy%2BComputer%2B3.JPG&hash=8f00b153eaf43fedacd10a802a3e1602d9bb910b)
Nice!
Quote from: Bison on February 05, 2012, 10:14:13 PM
Nice!
Thanks, Im not sure which is more impressive the computer or the negotiations I had with the wife to let me buy it.
Quote from: SCDJ on February 05, 2012, 10:15:39 PM
Thanks, Im not sure which is more impressive the computer or the negotiations I had with the wife to let me buy it.
Anytime a man comes out with a victory after negotiating with the wife it's a great.
Say hello to my little friend.......
Ibuypower's Gamer Paladin 858 with upgrades to power supply and sound suppression: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858 (http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858)
Noise Reduction: Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-2320 Processor (4x 3.0GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling: Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory: 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 - 2GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3
Power Supply: 800 Watt - Standard
Primary Hard Drive:1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Optical Drive
[12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive - Black
Flash Media Reader / Writer
12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black
Very nice rig Steelgrave. How long until you get it?
Around the 23rd. My Dell XPS hasn't quite bit the big one yet so I'm not rushing it. It came down to the Alienware X-51 and this, and when I had tweaked the two systems to within $100 of each other, every single component of the Paladin was as good as or better (better in most cases) than the Alienware.
She Who Must Be Obeyed cut my budget from $1500 to $1200, so I hit the mark almost exactly :D
Always good to keep SWMBO happy. When you get it we want pictures :)
Quote from: SCDJ on February 09, 2012, 06:34:53 PM
Always good to keep SWMBO happy. When you get it we want pictures :)
You betcha! Pure gaming goodness, that's what I like.
Quote from: Steelgrave on February 09, 2012, 04:58:58 PM
Say hello to my little friend.......
Ibuypower's Gamer Paladin 858 with upgrades to power supply and sound suppression: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858 (http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858)
Noise Reduction: Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-2320 Processor (4x 3.0GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling: Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory: 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 - 2GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3
Power Supply: 800 Watt - Standard
Primary Hard Drive:1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Optical Drive
[12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive - Black
Flash Media Reader / Writer
12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black
Looks like it'll be a sweet rig Steelie. Plus on the upside you can do incremental upgrades over the next few years, so that the Other Half doesn't freak about the cost as much.
Quote from: Bison on February 12, 2012, 03:35:02 PM
Quote from: Steelgrave on February 09, 2012, 04:58:58 PM
Say hello to my little friend.......
Ibuypower's Gamer Paladin 858 with upgrades to power supply and sound suppression: http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858 (http://www.ibuypower.com/Store/Gamer_Paladin_D858)
Noise Reduction: Advanced - iBUYPOWER Harmony SRS Sound Reduction System
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-2320 Processor (4x 3.0GHz/6MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling: Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-1155] - ARC Dual Silent High Performance Fan Upgrade (Push-Pull Airflow)
Memory: 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - Corsair
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 - 2GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3
Power Supply: 800 Watt - Standard
Primary Hard Drive:1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive
Optical Drive
[12X Blu-Ray] LG BLU-RAY Reader, DVD±R/±RW Burner Combo Drive - Black
Flash Media Reader / Writer
12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black
Looks like it'll be a sweet rig Steelie. Plus on the upside you can do incremental upgrades over the next few years, so that the Other Half doesn't freak about the cost as much.
Shhhh, all these years she has thought that I was simply opening up my Dell for cleaning!
QuotePlus on the upside you can do incremental upgrades over the next few years,
The married man's dirty little secret - incremental upgrades ;)
Excellent choice, SG. It looks like we got about the same computer. I added a little bit to mine: 2TB HD, 16GB RAM, and one or two other things. I just didn't want to screw around anymore. I should be able to actually install all my Steam games on my internal HD now instead of onto an external drive like I currently have them installed.
It shipped yesterday and should be at my door before 5pm tomorrow (Friday). It looks like I'm in for quite a gaming weekend! Oh Skyrim, I have missed you. I can't wait to see you at ultra video settings!
@SW: I don't think it's the PSU. This computer has been a headache since I bought it. I've never really like it. It's always seemed quirky for lack of a better word. I had been getting these random lockups that would take repeated restarts to overcome for a while. A year ago or so I put in a better video card and a 650W PSU. For a while the computer was running ok but then I started getting these lockups and crashes again. They've been getting worse for a while. Finally, I got one or two that no amount of restarting seemed to fix. After like 20 restarts over a week, one day I turned it on again on a whim and it booted up and ran for about a week. Then I was playing some game and it locked up and that's it. No amount of restarting will get it to come on again. Once I got it to go to the setup screen during boot up and it locked up on that screen before I could save the settings.
It could be something as simple as a driver issue, but I guess ultimately I'm just tired of trying to figure it out. I hated Vista anyway. So, I just decided to say fuck it and start over with a new computer. I'm happy with the decision. For as much gaming as I do, it's worth my time and money to not have to deal with this headache anymore, or burn anymore mental energy trying to figure out what exactly is not working properly.
Got mine today and the first thing I did was load Skyrim. My graphics were pretty minimal and I thought Skyrim looked terrific. But when I fired up Skyrim for the first time on my new rig, I saw the words "set to ultra high graphics".
And oh my God.....
Confession time. I've put in right at two hundred hours in Skyrim. And these graphics are so awesome I can see myself putting in double that.
My only issue is that the sound is not working. I opened the case and checked all the connections, reinstalled the software and nada. I'm going to rinse and repeat and if the results are the same, I'll be calling Ibuypower. But my initial impressions are good. It's a quiet monster of a machine.
Congrats, man! That's a great system.
At least, it will be once the sound starts working. ;D
And the sound is working properly now. Odd, it seems that you have to plug the speakers into the correct outlet.....
Guess what the Fed Ex guy just dropped off.....?
;D
Quote from: Toonces on March 02, 2012, 04:59:41 PM
Guess what the Fed Ex guy just dropped off.....?
;D
Sweet! Just in time for the weekend!
Awesome, you realize we want pictures right? ;D
Toonces,
Isn't the Proud New Father supposed to hand out cheap cigars about now?
LOL. You guys wouldn't believe the abuse I took from my wife when I asked her to take some pictures. She's like, "Really? Of your computer? You're such a dork."
Anyway, I'll get those up later.
On a serious note, I'm having issues getting my monitor to recognize my EVGA output. It works if I plug the EVGA from the computer into a VGA adapator, and plug the VGA adaptor into my monitor. But, it simply will not recognize the output when I plug EVGA to EVGA.
HDMI doesn't appear to be hooked up to the graphics card- it works, but the NVIDIA control panel doesn't see the HDMI.
All of the drivers should be installed already, right? Am I missing something obvious?
I'm leaning towards a monitor issue unless you guys say something contrary. In the meantime, what am I losing by hooking up a VGA adaptor to my monitor instead of direct EVGA=EVGA?
Quote from: Toonces on March 02, 2012, 09:27:43 PM
LOL. You guys wouldn't believe the abuse I took from my wife when I asked her to take some pictures. She's like, "Really? Of your computer? You're such a dork."
Anyway, I'll get those up later.
On a serious note, I'm having issues getting my monitor to recognize my EVGA output. It works if I plug the EVGA from the computer into a VGA adapator, and plug the VGA adaptor into my monitor. But, it simply will not recognize the output when I plug EVGA to EVGA.
HDMI doesn't appear to be hooked up to the graphics card- it works, but the NVIDIA control panel doesn't see the HDMI.
All of the drivers should be installed already, right? Am I missing something obvious?
I'm leaning towards a monitor issue unless you guys say something contrary. In the meantime, what am I losing by hooking up a VGA adaptor to my monitor instead of direct EVGA=EVGA?
My drivers came installed, but if you want to reinstall them it probably won't hurt. Unusual problem, hope it turns out to be nothing. And I took pics too, lol!
Correction- it's DVI output, not EVGA. I'm reading about it via google and it doesn't sound like it's a big deal. Still annoying, though.
Definitely reinstall your drivers and make sure they are up to date. I know NVIDIA just release a big update the end of Feb. If you have another computer or laptop with the same ports try troubleshooting that to make sure its not a monitor issue.
Other then that I don't think its that big of a deal unless you have a high quality monitor. However, now is the time to find out if something is wrong so the company that sent it can make it right for you.
Both monitor and card have DVI? I'm sure you checked to see that the monitor was set to receive a signal from the
correct source. Some need to be switched manually from VGA input to DVI because they don't autodetect.
It might not be autodetecting...I don't know why it wouldn't, but that sounds exactly like what the problem is. I'll troubleshoot tomorrow and see if that fixes it, and then let you know.
Also check and see if there are drivers for you monitor you need to install and update. Mine came with driver CD but where out of date so I had to find the website and update them.
Hey guys, thanks for the help. I'm pretty sure both of you guys have hit the nail on the head with this- what you're describing sounds like exactly the problem I'm having.
I had a similar issue occur with my old computer that died where the monitor wasn't detecting when the computer came on, and that happened at almost the same time that I started using my VGA laptop on the monitor and my dead computer spontaneously rolled itself back to a restore point from 5 years ago...so it definitely could be either an autodetect or driver issue with the monitor.
It's NOT the new computer; I'm positive of that.
As some know, I was unexpectedly forced to buy a new pc when the motherboard on Ole Faithful crapped-out. This is the new pc that I picked, with an additional 2 gigs of RAM:
http://www.robotnik.com/robotnik-amd-athlon-ii-x2-system.html
Nothing special, but all that I am willing to pay at the moment (I paid less by skipping the OS and sticking with XP). I pick it up last Thursday and then it craps-out on Saturday!!! The HDD fails. It failed when I was installing the printer drivers. So they replace the HDD.
I almost went apesh!t, going without a computer for over a week. I am clearly addicted to playing Dawn of War and it's expansions. It got all the more ugly when I was unable to retrieve my downloaded DoW games... a long story. I will say that everything is now in order and DoW looks better than ever, with more graphic details that are making me very happy.
Just slightly upgraded my PC to a 3.0Ghz Quad-core processor, next step is 4 more gigs of RAM and probably a new video card. I just got my second 23in monitor for work...now I need a larger desk!
Not bad 40Cent for the price. You have the PCI-E to throw in a dedicated GPU later for even better graphics performace.
Yeah, it will get some tweaking, in time.
^Congrats on the new rig!
Thanks eh. I must say that I am VERY pleased with it's Dawn of War playing performance.