Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Gaming desktop configuration - please provide feedback!!

Feb 3, 2013 1:09AM PST

Hey everyone,

I am very close to purchasing a gaming desktop from ibuypower, but was hoping to get some feedback first, as I am a novice. The specs are below. Please help!

COST: $1401

Case: AZZA Solaris Gaming Case - Blue

iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion
[6-Port] NZXT Internal USB Expansion System + Bluetooth & Wireless N Modules

Processor: i7 3820 Processor (4x 3.60GHz/10MB L3 Cache) - Intel Core i7 3820

Processor Cooling: Liquid CPU Cooling System [SOCKET-2011] - Standard 120mm Fan

Memory: 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module -

Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 - 2GB - EVGA FTW - Core: 1084MHz - Single Card

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 -- 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16

Power Supply: 850 Watt - AZZA Dynamo 850W

Primary Hard Drive: 2 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200rpm, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive (this was a free update)

Flash Media Reader / Writer: 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black

Sound Card: 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

Network Card: Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Operating System

Windows 8 Pro

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Just a few comments.
Feb 3, 2013 1:14AM PST

1. I'm sure you read this line.
"Our tests demonstrate fairly little difference between a $225 LGA 1155 Core i5-2500K and a $1000 LGA 2011 Core i7-3960X, even when three-way graphics card configurations are involved. It turns out that memory bandwidth and PCIe throughput don't hold back the performance of existing Sandy Bridge-based machines. "
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-4.html

Yes, I really like the i7 but go figure it will really help a game.

2. Nice video card choice.

3. The PSU has me worry. I can't tell if that is a single rail to keep you out of trouble. If it has 3 rails, then I'd change it to 2 or 1 rail.

- Collapse -
Thanks for the response
Feb 3, 2013 1:18AM PST

Thank you very much for the quick reply.

Do you have a better idea for the PSU? I went with a higher output in case of improvements down the line.Would the 750 Watt - Corsair CX750 work just as well?

- Collapse -
Here's the explainer.
Feb 3, 2013 1:39AM PST

Not a good one but here goes. For PSUs we worry about a few areas.

1. Is it big enough to do the job?
2. Does it have enough spare capacity for:
a. The user to add drives or other things?
b. Enough capacity to last for years as the PSU ages?

Your PC's maker and designer should know all this. Since I don't have links to the products and am not privy to the calculations the designer made my comments are just that. You would know this or the designer would. I can't guess this area but know that we need to be sure of the items I listed here.

Why do we install about double the Watts or Amperes on a new PC? Item 1 means we would not need to do that but 2b is where it gets interesting as these devices use a common part that degrades a lot in just a few years. If you watch others they often report cranky machines in just a year or two.
Bob

- Collapse -
Very helpful
Feb 3, 2013 1:54AM PST

Your response makes total sense - I will definitely look further into that and before I purchase the computer I will discuss it with a representative from the site. Thanks again so much for taking the time to help!

- Collapse -
Glad it helped.
Feb 3, 2013 1:58AM PST

There are some folk that hate or love that supplier. I have no direct experience with them but will add one more thing.

If you purchase with a credit card there is a way (at least with my CC company) to dispute the charges and send it all back. Remember that Windows installation is still not a trivial task. That is, driver versions, order still matters.
Bob