Leferd Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 Try AVA Direct or Velocity Micro. http://avadirect.com/ http://velocitymicro.com/ Both get great reviews with fantastic customer service. Their build quality are superb. Each using premium parts (from which you select). "Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin."P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle
Hurlshort Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 (edited) Fliiping through my Games for Windows, I found that Vigor and Maingear were pretty highly rated at 7/10. Granted, these were dream machines, and you are building a more middle of the pack PC, but the reviews talk a lot about how the company builds. Cyberpower got the worst review of the bunch, 4/10. Commodore and the HP Blackbird scored decent as well 7/10. Falcon-Northwest took the prize, but they don't offer much in terms of a cheaper version. Vedit: elocity got a 5/10 in the reviews. AVA wasn't listed Edited March 7, 2008 by Hurlshot
Walsingham Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 How about getting a company to build for you? I used Novatech, and it seems more or less acceptable. "It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"." -Elwood Blues tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp.
walkerguy Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 How about getting a company to build for you? I used Novatech, and it seems more or less acceptable. OMG, same situation with Cyberpower: whos heard of it? Well, I guess it could be a UK thing. Twitter | @Insevin
Deadly_Nightshade Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 But Wals wouldn't lead his followers astray... "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot
qaz156 Posted March 7, 2008 Author Posted March 7, 2008 (edited) I'm thinking about Vigor. Their reseller ratings are insane. (over 9): So far, I'm thinking about this configuration: AMD Athlon 64 X2 AM2 5200+ Processor at 2.6GHz, 2000MHz FSB, 1MB X 2 Cache Vigor Cooler Master CM 690 Screwless Chassis Black Vigor Cool BlastTM Cooling System with Triple 120MM Case Fan Standard AMD/Intel Certified 500 Watt Power Supply 8.39QuoteMark Width X 20.65QuoteMark Depth X 18.98QuoteMark Height. Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe AM2 nVidia nForce 590 SLI X 16 MCP w/2000MHz FSB 2GB Kingston KVR800D2N5K2/2G DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 X 1024MB) 250GB S-ATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive nVidia GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Xtreme Edition @660MHz, DVI and TV Out None. ASUS Internal SATA 2014BLT 20X LIGHTSCRIBE DVD+/- RW + CDRW Rewritable Drive Bundled DVD/CDRW Software Digital High Definition 3D 7.1 8-Channel Sound Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000Mbps) PCI Network Card 1 Parallel, 1 Game/Midi and 6 to 10 USB ports (Varies by Motherboard) Creative Labs SBS 380 2.1 Stereo Speakers w/Subwoofer Standard Black Internet Multimedia Keyboard Standard Black Optical Wheel Mouse 1.44MB 3.5QuoteMark Floppy Drive Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 w/Original Disc Standard 3 Year Limited Parts and Life-Time Labor Warranty total: (including shipping and taxes): $1303.59 Edited March 7, 2008 by qaz156 "To be, or not to be a real RPG, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous action... or by taking up arms against a sea of crap and by opposing: end them."
walkerguy Posted March 7, 2008 Posted March 7, 2008 But Wals wouldn't lead his followers astray... True. Twitter | @Insevin
Hurlshort Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 Looks good Gaz, and the price is decent. The video card is solid, but it will be the thing holding you back in the setup. You still might want to think about upgrading it to a GTX.
Deadly_Nightshade Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 Nice set-up, but there are few thing I might change. I'm thinking about Vigor. Their reseller ratings are insane. (over 9): So far, I'm thinking about this configuration: AMD Athlon 64 X2 AM2 5200+ Processor at 2.6GHz, 2000MHz FSB, 1MB X 2 Cache Personally, I would go with an Intel Core 2 Duo - but I really do not like AMD. Vigor Cooler Master CM 690 Screwless Chassis Black Vigor Cool BlastTM Cooling System with Triple 120MM Case Fan Standard AMD/Intel Certified 500 Watt Power Supply You might want to get a more powerful PSU if you want to future-proof your PC. 8.39QuoteMark Width X 20.65QuoteMark Depth X 18.98QuoteMark Height. Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe AM2 nVidia nForce 590 SLI X 16 MCP w/2000MHz FSB 2GB Kingston KVR800D2N5K2/2G DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 X 1024MB) 250GB S-ATA II 7200 RPM Hard Drive nVidia GeForce 8800 GT 512MB Xtreme Edition @660MHz, DVI and TV Out A GtX would not bottle-neck your PC, the GT might. None. ASUS Internal SATA 2014BLT 20X LIGHTSCRIBE DVD+/- RW + CDRW Rewritable Drive Bundled DVD/CDRW Software Digital High Definition 3D 7.1 8-Channel Sound Onboard Gigabit (10/100/1000Mbps) PCI Network Card 1 Parallel, 1 Game/Midi and 6 to 10 USB ports (Varies by Motherboard) Creative Labs SBS 380 2.1 Stereo Speakers w/Subwoofer Standard Black Internet Multimedia Keyboard Standard Black Optical Wheel Mouse 1.44MB 3.5QuoteMark Floppy Drive Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition SP2 w/Original Disc Standard 3 Year Limited Parts and Life-Time Labor Warranty total: (including shipping and taxes): $1303.59 "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot
Hurlshort Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 Oh yeah, i definitely agree on the PSU. I'm surprised they even sell it without 1000 watt.
CoM_Solaufein Posted March 8, 2008 Posted March 8, 2008 A 700-800 Watt PSU should be fine. I certainly wouldn't get an AMD processor. Intel all the way. War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is StrengthBaldur's Gate moddingTeamBGBaldur's Gate modder/community leaderBaldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition beta testerBaldur's Gate 2 - Enhanced Edition beta tester Icewind Dale - Enhanced Edition beta tester
qaz156 Posted March 9, 2008 Author Posted March 9, 2008 Can't I change my psu later? From what I understand, it's not that hard. I'm thinking in terms of saving some money. I'll be paying extra anyways for the build quality from Vigor Hornet. "To be, or not to be a real RPG, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous action... or by taking up arms against a sea of crap and by opposing: end them."
Deadly_Nightshade Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 Can't I change my psu later? You should be able to change it later. "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot
Walsingham Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 But Wals wouldn't lead his followers astray... Unless it were into some sort of overcomplicated airborne operation... "It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"." -Elwood Blues tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp.
WITHTEETH Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 Can't I change my psu later? From what I understand, it's not that hard. I'm thinking in terms of saving some money. I'll be paying extra anyways for the build quality from Vigor Hornet. Your killing me. You wont build your own micahine but your picky about the motherboard for upgrade reasons and willing to switch out the PSU later. Always outnumbered, never out gunned! Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0 Myspace Website! My rig
samm Posted March 9, 2008 Posted March 9, 2008 To the people recommending 700-1000W PSUs: Sorry guys, this is BS and marketing hype. 500W, max. 600W psus with high combined power and efficiency will easily suffice if SLI/Crossfire are not in question. Please google for "power consumption" and psu or 8800gt, you'll find example systems and their power use. It will be lower than 400w, and considering you don't want to run the psu at max load, 500-600w will suffice easily... Also, a GTX is not that superior to a GT. The price premium is completely ridicoulos (about 150$ difference here, don't know about the prices in the US however), while all you get is a framerate-increase of less than 10%. Google for reviews! Citizen of a country with a racist, hypocritical majority
Hurlshort Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 Why is SLI not in question? I'd assume, down the road, going with a second video card would be a wonderful way to get more life out of the system.
qaz156 Posted March 10, 2008 Author Posted March 10, 2008 (edited) I'm 50/50 on SLI. The only reason I see for it, is to have a cheap way of upgrading down the line. (or if you're a high end user with a huge monitor). I'm definitely in the situation of the former. But here's the thing, SLI doesn't account for innovations in drivers, models, etc... Like this past year when I realized I needed to finally upgrade my card, it was because I didn't have a shader model. (I was literally using a Ti4200, and had been for the past 5 years.) I couldn't play NWN2, and it wouldn't have made any difference if I had two ti4200. Granted, that's a very old card. But I'm the type of user who'd rather get a new card, with the latest drivers and shader models and latest DirectX version, than simply get twice the power (at most). But I did want to say thanks to everyone who replied. I finally made the purchase, and am quite happy! Edited March 10, 2008 by qaz156 "To be, or not to be a real RPG, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous action... or by taking up arms against a sea of crap and by opposing: end them."
qaz156 Posted March 10, 2008 Author Posted March 10, 2008 Oh, and Whiteteeth. There's two words that explain why I'm not building myself: Tech Support. I'll be heading to grad school in oct, and given how much coursework I'll be doing, I don't want to have to figure out what's wrong my my unit myself. With Dell, tech support has really helped out. And Vigor Gaming has a solid reputation. The last thing I'll need next year, is a breakdown where I'll have to diagnose and fix the comp myself. That being said, I don't mind changing all the components, (minus the motherboard), since I have done all of that in the past. "To be, or not to be a real RPG, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous action... or by taking up arms against a sea of crap and by opposing: end them."
Deadly_Nightshade Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 Hope you enjoy your new PC, it looks good! "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot
WITHTEETH Posted March 10, 2008 Posted March 10, 2008 Don't forget to post a picture of your pc so us Tech junkies can drool! Always outnumbered, never out gunned! Unreal Tournament 2004 Handle:Enlight_2.0 Myspace Website! My rig
qaz156 Posted March 10, 2008 Author Posted March 10, 2008 No prob. Again, thanks to all. "To be, or not to be a real RPG, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows or outrageous action... or by taking up arms against a sea of crap and by opposing: end them."
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