Did I buy a good system?

[kamasc]

Hey guys, sorry in advance if this is a really obnoxious post. I just bought this system at cyberpower because it was on sale and I was wondering if it's going to be okay to play WoW on and also some internet surfing of course but this will mainly be my WoW computer. I know the GPU and CPU are pretty good (those are the only things I've researched) but i have no idea about mother boards and hard drives and cases, etc. (For example, why are there two hard drives?!) Anyway, here are the specs:

CAS: CoolerMaster Elite 430 Mid-Tower Gaming Case with Side Panel Window
CASUPGRADE: None
CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
CD2: None
CPU: Intel(R) Core™ i5-760 2.80 GHz 8M Intel Smart Cache LGA1156
CS_FAN: Default case fans
FA_HDD: None
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA)
FLASHMEDIA: None
FLOPPY: None
GLASSES: None
HDD: 30 GB Kingston 2.5 inch SATA Gaming MLC Solid State Disk (Single Hard Drive)
HDD2: 1TB SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 16MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Hard Drive)
IEEE_CARD: None
KEYBOARD: Xtreme Gear (Black Color) Multimedia/Internet USB Keyboard
LANSURGE: None
MB_ADDON: None
MEMORY: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Module (Corsair or Major Brand)
MONITOR: None
MONITOR2: None
MONITOR3: None
MOTHERBOARD: Asus P7H55 Intel H55 Express Chipset DDR3 LGA1156 ATX w/ 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, USB2.0, SATA-II, 1 Gen2 PCIe, 3 PCIe X1 & 3 PCI
MOUSE: XtremeGear Optical USB 3 Buttons Gaming Mouse
MULTIVIEW: Non-SLI/Non-CrossFireX Mode Supports Multiple Monitors
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts - XtremeGear SLI/CrossFireX Ready Power Supply
PRINTER: None
PRINTER_CABLE: None
RUSH: NO; READY TO SHIP IN 5~10 BUSINESS DAYS
SERVICE: STANDARD WARRANTY: 3-YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY PLUS LIFE-TIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
SURGE1: Ultra U12-40629 7 Outlet Surge Protector Black 6 Individual On/Off Switch
TEMP: None
TVRC: None
USB: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
USBFLASH: None
USBHD: None
USBX: None
VC_PHYSX: None
VIDEO: AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by AMD)

If you guys see anything really bad I can probably call and have them change it and I would REALLY appreciate it! Thank you so much!

 

[cmcghee358]

You got a CyberpowerPC, way I see it, you get what you pay for. Next time build your own.

Hey whats the HDD brand? Whats the platter size?

Whats the latency on the RAM? The voltage?

How many 12v rails for the PSU?

Who makes the DVD drive?

This is the stuff they cut corners on. Take this new computer, and start learning about it, find your weak components, and learn what it takes to upgrade.

 

[tecmo34]

1) Overkill for WoW but will get the job done very nicely.

2) Typically, CyperPowerPC's are overpriced but hopefully with the sale it is a reasonable build.

3) Based on the information provided, you have an good CPU, GPU, decent Motherboard with questionable RAM, HDD and PSU since the actual make and models aren't provided. This is the area this types of builds skimp on and can cause problems down the road (not saying it will but can )

 

[samdsox]

Just looking at it by the information they give(which is vauge at best) it will be more than enough to play wow....but with the generic parts they put in and how they cut corners i wouldn't be surprised if that only lasted you two or three years. Like the previous poster cmcghee posted, you get what you pay for.

 

[lucas1024]

It irks me that every other post on this board declares that CP is overpriced, without backing it up with an example, when my experience with them doesn't support that - especially since that's not even the question. Anyway,

I think overall your machine looks good. Here are a few points I can think of:
- you got the Asetek LC. In my CP machine (about 1 year old) I have a similar, albeit older model and I am not getting any better temp than what people get on mid-priced air, especially under load. So I don't think it is a good investment.
- it does not say what brand GPU you will get, but mine was Sapphire (not Vapor-X unfortunately), so you'll see when you get your machine.
- RAM also is brand unknown (and I specifically ordered Detonator), so hopefully you get a decent brand - although it would really only matter if you want to overclock. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. If you dig around in the RAM section of Tom's, you can find an article that examined the effect of timings and such on game performance and it was negligible.
- IMO your PSU is more than you need for this machine, which means that it may not run as efficiently. I think a good 550W is enough. Also, a lot of posters here are recommending against XtremeGear PSUs.
- the first HDD is a SSD, so it will be much faster (it will have the OS on it). However, it is extremely tiny - I think you will run into space issues. Also, I think Kingston is not the best brand, but I am not that knowledgable on this - SSDs are overpriced for me.
- there is no indication of the brand of the data HDD, but you plan to have backup, right

I hope this is helpful!

 

[hunter315]

Sadly Tecmo, the make and model of the PSU are provide, apparently xtreme gear is a PSU maker not just their house brand, too bad that 700W unit only has 38A on the 12V rail, they also unfortunately believe that 38*12=480 when its only 456 so if they cant multiple i sure as hell wouldnt trust them to make a decent PSU.
http://www.buyxg.com/store/item.aspx?id=3588&catid=142

 

[tecmo34]

Yeah... I saw the Extreme Gear tag but like you it is a house brand and I don't trust it. It isn't a trusted brand by no means

 

[cmcghee358]

It irks me that every other post on this board declares that CP is overpriced, without backing it up with an example, when my experience with them doesn't support that - especially since that's not even the question. Anyway,

I think overall your machine looks good. Here are a few points I can think of:
- you got the Asetek LC. In my CP machine (about 1 year old) I have a similar, albeit older model and I am not getting any better temp than what people get on mid-priced air, especially under load. So I don't think it is a good investment.
- it does not say what brand GPU you will get, but mine was Sapphire (not Vapor-X unfortunately), so you'll see when you get your machine.
- RAM also is brand unknown (and I specifically ordered Detonator), so hopefully you get a decent brand - although it would really only matter if you want to overclock. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it. If you dig around in the RAM section of Tom's, you can find an article that examined the effect of timings and such on game performance and it was negligible.
- IMO your PSU is more than you need for this machine, which means that it may not run as efficiently. I think a good 550W is enough. Also, a lot of posters here are recommending against XtremeGear PSUs.
- the first HDD is a SSD, so it will be much faster (it will have the OS on it). However, it is extremely tiny - I think you will run into space issues. Also, I think Kingston is not the best brand, but I am not that knowledgable on this - SSDs are overpriced for me.
- there is no indication of the brand of the data HDD, but you plan to have backup, right

I hope this is helpful!

Here's where the problem lies. They aren't overpriced when people compare. Do you know why? Because when people build their systems part by part, they don't use trash. Cyberpower cuts corners to keep costs low. So in effect you get what you pay for.

You paragraph alone shows all the hidden places Cyberpower lowers their standards/intentionally vague to save money on production. It's deceptive.

I'm sure I could price a comparable system through newegg. It would probably be very close in price, but the components would be of higher quality.

 

[kamasc]

Thanks for the replies guys. Honestly I have no idea what the different parts are so I don't think there's any way I could build a computer on my own but maybe I'll do some more research and buy the components and then have best buy build it or something. Ugh, who knew buying a new computer would be so frustrating?! Lol Anyway thanks again for the responses, they were very helpful!

 

[kureme]

You do realise you are posting on a computer enthusiast flooded forum. Should you have and questions about parts or need help putting a build together, we are alyways around to help.

There are plenty of guides on how to build a PC and even many picture guides as well online. If you still need help, people here can walk you through the build process and are always available for questions.

You just need to ask. (preferably before the purchase)

 

[cmcghee358]

I have even called new builders and helped them over the phone.

 

[roadkill2]

Kamasc,
These guys are great on the Forum and can help you build the computer. I started building them back in 2002 when game machines were not available and all the guys I played with had custom rigs. A few parts in a new build can have a lifetime warrenty if regestered with mfg.

 

[kamasc]

You guys have inspired me, the girl who has never even picked up a screwdriver, to build it myself. I'm tired of not knowing what the heck is in that magical box. I guess it's time to scour online guides. Wish me luck!

 

[cmcghee358]

This guide will help you put together a build

 

[tecmo34]

Good Luck!!!

When you build your PC, I would recommend reviewing these two threads:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/274745-31-step-step-guide-building
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261145-31-read-posting-boot-problems

As other posted have said, we are here to help and many will help offline & a few will help with your actual build depending on where you are located

 

[cmcghee358]

If you want go head and mark this thread as solved and create a new thread using the following template:

Please put it in this format, it makes it easier for us to help you!

Then we'll tailor a build to your needs and make sure you're getting the best components for your budget, and most importantly the system is balanced.