New Idea
Okay, I put a lot of thought to what my goals are and my needs. First off I know I want a computer that is above average compared to basic computers these days. Second I want a computer that will allow me to maintain a competitive stance in the cyber world of gaming. Third, since I'm in the Marine Corps, and moving my permanent living spaces frequently is highly likely, I want something that is fairly portable.
Specifically I want something that will show power, portability and allow me to maintain maximum upgradability. Since I'm not rich, and I need to save money, going with the x58 chipset is not realistic. Also, since I have faith in AMD I believe going with the new AM3 platform is the economical and right course of action. I looked into laptops and decided the power-to-money ration was ridiculously expensive and not worth my time. The following specifications are based off my expectations and wants from a computer:
Case: LIAN LI PC-V351B Black Aluminum MicroATX Desktop Computer Case
(Maximum portability while allowing economical power advantage.)
PS: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX
CPU Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS10X Extreme 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler & Artic 5 Thermal Compound
RAM: Mushkin 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996601
GPU: MSI R4890 Cyclone OC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
Optical Drive: PLEXTOR Black BD Combo SATA Model PX-B320SA LightScribe Support
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI
HD1: Western Digital VelociRaptor WD1500HLFS 150GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
HD2: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
OS: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit
If anyone has experience with the Lian-Li case please let me know any concerns you may have. My first concern is the capability of the Zalman cooler to fit inside the case. My second concern is the power supply, do I need 750 watts? I have a feeling I may need less power.
I decided once the SSD industry matures, the prices of SSD goes down and technical issues dwindle, I will go with what I know. The above setup was a total of $1544.72 without extended warranty fees or shipping and handling. The total of everything is $1765.09, discluding the monitor, mouse and keyboard at newegg.com. Since I will use my monitor as a TV I plan to spend $420.00 on a LG' 27" 50000:1 HDMI LCD, I plan to get the $89.99 Trarantula Gaming Keyboard and $50.00 Logitech MX518 Gaming Mouse. The LCD, mouse, and keyboard plus the 500 I already spent on the RAZER Gaming MAKO speaker system and 7.1 Gaming Headphones w/mic, this gaming rig will cost upwards of $3000 plus I'll need to assemble it.
In conclusion, even though I didn't really stay economical on my peripherals I will get plenty of duel use out of all of them. All I really want to play is Counter-Strike, SC2, Diablo3, AA3 and build webpages. I get pretty competitive in whatever I do and in order to maintain competitiveness I need to make sacrifice. This time the sacrifice is financial, $3000 is a little much for me but I have $7000 in the bank so I'm averagely comfortable with spending such an amount.
Let me know everything:
-What you think about my system.
-Improvements to my system.
-Any problems you see.
-Whether you think I'm an idiot.
Thank you.
Respectively,
Jacob Wahlgren
USMC 5711
