To Alienware, or not to alienware? EDIT: BUILDING MY OWN, version 2.0

[Guest]

Previous post
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/293178-31-alienware-alienware-edit-building-check-specs

Issues I ran into with this build! First of all, I need to scale down my budget to closer to $2000. Second, I can't order from newegg or NCIX (crazy shipping costs) since im in cali, so only tigerdirect.com. (been having a nightmare trying to order from 3 different sites, NCIX, newegg, tigerdirect) ONLY TIGER DIRECT PLEASE!!

Can someone help me scale down this set up without compromising too much fire power?

edit: this comp is used for gaming. SC2, WoW, and Crysis.


Case and OS: Antec 1200 with Antec TP-750 Blue and windows 7 64 bit $320 - $30 MIR= $290
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] ef92ilxjt2

MOBO: ASUS Rampage III Extreme LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $380
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

Processor: Intel Core i7-930 Bloomfield 2.8GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601930 $290
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115225

GPUUAL IN SLI MODE EVGA 012-P3-1472-AR GeForce GTX 470 (Fermi) SuperClocked 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card $650
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130549

Memory: G.SKILL Trident 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-16000CL9T-6GBTD= $184
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231254

Harddrives: OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD3-2AGT120G 3.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $299
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] ef935qvd9y
Using old Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (free because i just need to take it out of old machine)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 4f938buv6d

Cooling: Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835608018

Keyboard: Logitech G15 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

Mouse: Logitech MX 518 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 1800 dpi Gaming Mouse $43
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826104178

Monitor: LG W2453V-PF Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 50000:1 w/ Smart Package $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6824005126

Optical drive: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Writer - Bulk - LightScribe Support - OEM $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 4f9388dis4

Creative Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MKII $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6826158081

Total Price: $2637 (scaled down to single 24 inch instead of dual 21 inch monitors)

 

[MadAdmiral]

Pretty bad build actually.

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R. It's a good $170 cheaper, and it's basically the same.

GPU: Dual 470s is a bad idea. Also, they wouldn't run on 750W. I highly recommend getting the HD 5970. It should cost around $650, which is a lot less than the dual 470s. You'll get about the same performance, and be able to Crossfire later to keep an upgrade path.

Case/PSU: I personally don't like the 1200. It's expensive and a tad small. I'd pickup a HAF 922 with a 850W PSU from Corsair, Antec, Silverstone, SeaSonic or XFX.

RAM: Corsair XMS3 3x2 GB 2000 mhz CAS Latency 9 are actually cheaper on Newegg and about the same. Check the price on Tiger. Also, you could save around $30 by getting the Corsair XMS3 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 (again, basing it off Newegg).

SSD: Feel free to drop this out of the build. It's extremely expensive right now, and will only get faster and cheaper in the coming months.

You could also save a lot of money by getting cheaper extras. Gaming keyboards and mice are just basically money pits. Also, paying $250 for a 24" monitor is insane. Newegg's got an Asus 23.6" 1080p (which is as big as their 24") for $180.

If you want a complete list of what I'd build with $2,000 (Newegg links), here it is:

CPU/Mobo: i7-930 and Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R $484
RAM: Corsair XMS3 3x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $150 after rebate
GPU: HD 5970 $650
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1 TB $75
Case/OS: HAF 922 and Windows 7 $180
PSU/Optical: Corsair 850W Modular and cheap SATA DVD burner $160 after rebate
HSF: Noctua NH-D14 $90
Monitor: Asus 23.6" 1080p $180 after rebate

Total: $1,969. A little over with the extras, but it's a heck of a lot closer. Could drop the HSF to the Sycthe SCMG-2100 and save a good $55.

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by thetopham.

 

[Guest]

thanks so much! ALL parts are on tigerdirect thanks again, ordering now!

 

[MadAdmiral]

Out of curiosity, how much did it cost on Tiger?

 

[Guest]

$2100 on tiger. the price differences per item:

CPU+Mobo: $500
Ram:$185 (2000 Mhz version)
GPU: $680
HDD: $70
Case+Windows: $205
PSU: $170
Optical: $20
HSF: $80
Monitor: $190

+ $30 shipping = $2100

I actually haven't ordered yet because I just found a 5970 for $630 on ebay, which is $50 cheaper than the tigerdirect one. Time to shop around a bit lol

 

[MadAdmiral]

I'd still check the final price on Newegg and such. I know several times the excess tax and/or shipping still nets a lower price. It's at least worth looking at.

 

[Guest]

after tax and shipping it comes out to $2100 on newegg NOT INCLUDING the HSF since its unavailable at the time

any other dealers worth looking into? $2100 seems to be the lowest price

 

[MadAdmiral]

Fair enough. It was worth checking at least.

The only other site I can think of is ZipZoomFly, but I've never been impressed with their prices or the site in general.

I also forgot to mention that I certainly wouldn't want to buy a $600+ GPU off eBay. If you ask me, it's worth the extra $50 to buy it from somewhere with a real reputation and a clearly defined support/return policy.

 

[Guest]

yeah i didnt think of that until now. gonna stick with tiger for everything

 

[sasado]

I hate to plug Amazon.com but they are bringing their prices down to match Newegg!!
They have SAPPHIRE 100280SR Radeon HD 5970 (Hemlock) 2GB for the same price ($650).
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-5970-Video-Card/dp/B003E1XH4S/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1282607736&sr=8-1-fkmr1