New gaming computer (~3000 quid)

Sorry been a bit busy, thanks for the reply Reaper 392 (and to other answers) :)

Before I finish my order I would love to hear your opinions on some of the components.

SSD: As I am not able to get a Crucial M4, which one of these would you go for (I am leaning a bit towards the Corsair GT):
  • Corsair Force GT Series 3 240GB
  • Corsair Force Series 3 240GB
  • OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB
  • Kingston HyperX 240GB
  • Intel 510 250GB
  • Intel 320 300GB

GPU: I must admit that I have always liked Nvidia over ATI, mainly because I have not had problems with my Nvidia cards so far, but some problems with my ATI cards. The drivers have always seemed to be qutie good as well. I guess I am leaning towards SLI GTX 580, but also considering CF ATI HD6970. If price is not a concern, what would you go for? (I guess I can't use the Nvidia 3D kit if I go with ATI). I guess the Zotac GTX 580 card is fine?

Monitor: I am still unsure which one to go for, but after asking some of the people I have been playing against competitively in CSS, they all say BenQ XL2410T is the prefered monitor in the CSS scene. So I guess I am leaning towards this monitor. Also because of this: 120hz monitor for mainly 2D gaming, DumpALump's posts.

Case: It seems most people want me to go for something else then the Corsair 800D, but what do you think of me trying it out with me placing 3 fans in the top and replacing all the stock fans with new fans, and if the temps are not that good I will just order water cooling from the US?

Last question is if anyone know if there are any "good" looking fans that can compare to the noise/performance ratio of the fans coming with the Noctua NH-D14? I know you have the Thermalright TY-140's that are suppose to be the best fans for CPU coolers when it comes to noise/performance.

Thanks in advance
Espen Andreassen :)
 
Last edited:
Bump :)

Edit: Another question: Has anyone tested the Xigmatek Elysium Big Tower, ASUS Xonar Essence STX or ASUS Xonar D2X?
 
Hi Mate,

3k on a system, nice one. I hope you enjoy it mate. I have just dumped ashed load of cash on a system not too far off your budget and I'am very happy with it. Also of a very similar specification to yours.

CPU: Intel Core I7 2600K
GPU: 1x MSI GTX 580 Lightning 1536mb
PSU:Corsair AX 1200
Motherboard: Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z Z68
RAM: Corsair 8GB DDR3 Dominator 1600MHz CL9
Case: Corsair Obsidian 800D
SSD: Crucial M4 SSD 128mb
HDD: Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB
Soundcard: Creative Fatality Titanium
Blu-ray/DVD-rom: Samsung
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80

The reason for my post is to let you know the case in itself fantastic. There are a lot of posts giving conflictiing reviews. It is a visually stunning case and is just a dream to work with. The cable management is fantastic. This in itself aids the airflow, although it is more of a Watercooling case. That said I use mine on air and case temps are fine. I suspect this has something to do with the Watercooling. I would seriously consider one fo these to use with the intel 17. I haven't seen the need to overclock it yet but it has yet to go over 45oc. This was from a day of gaming on BF3 Beta. Also this was gauged on a very hot day in the UK.

I have 3 x 120mm fans exhausting the air out of the case (top). The standard 140mm inside but I added a second on the bottom to draw the air in quicker for the fan above it to distribute to the case. I think there is going to be a windowless side panel available soon. The H80 draws cool air into the case from outside. This doesn't stay in the case long as the 3 x 120's pull it out. So I'm considering punching a hole in there and getting a 200mm fan to draw some cool air directly on the GPU.

Was also going to say, if you do go with the Maximus board remember it is E-ATX so if you opt for another case bear that in mind when choosing.

So all in all I'm happy with the case. Yes there are much better cases out there for air cooling but this looks beautiful with it's sleek lines and simple boldness. It works for me and I'm a fussy so and so. I was worried about the cooling but like I say if you couple it with a H80 W/cooler then you only need worry about the GPU to keep cool.

Cheers

B
 
I read the Fortress 02 is a great case for air-cooling. I don't think the price performance ratio justifies the cost of 580's, maybe go with twin 570 and spend extra on peripherals - good steering wheel / tablet / etc.
 
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