New Gaming Rig

Jarhead0331 · January 21, 2013, 04:04:35 PM

On a really irresponsible whim, i went out and bought a new gaming rig. The i7 I'm running on now is getting really finicky, has been crashing quite a bit and has some serious error on the HD. I'm waiting for it to go shortly. So I was browsing around in a local store and said to myself, "what the heck..."

Intel Core i7-3770
Microsoft Windows 8 (64-bit)
12GB DDR3 RAM
2TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
16x DVDRW SuperMulti Drive
Multi-in-One Digital Media Card Reader
NVIDIA GeForce GT630 (2 GB)
10/100/1000 Network
802.11a/b/g/n Wireless
Bluetooth 4.0+HS
500 Watt Power supply

I got it for $899. Not too bad, I don't think. Also picked up a sick 27" monitor. Again, "what the heck?" The only things that really concern me are 1. Windows 8 (barf) and 2. the GeForce GT630. It is a little light in the loafers. Other than that, I think its a pretty powerful rig and a good buy for the money.

I'm pretty tired and nervous about my CT scan tomorrow so I'm not sure I'll set it up tonight, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it runs some of the most power hungry games I've got.

Anguille · January 21, 2013, 04:42:53 PM

I just wish i had the money to do this...i don't even have an i3 processor. I have to get along with a laptop with an Intel Pentium P6200... :o

FlickJax · January 21, 2013, 05:06:50 PM

I agree apart from os and gfx card....good luck with the CT scan sir.

Jarhead0331 · January 21, 2013, 05:07:52 PM

Quote from: Anguille on January 21, 2013, 04:42:53 PM
I just wish i had the money to do this...i don't even have an i3 processor. I have to get along with a laptop with an Intel Pentium P6200... :o

Well...as of right now, I do have three i7 machines. Maybe send me a PM and we can try to work something out.

TheCommandTent · January 21, 2013, 07:33:24 PM

Sweet new rig JH I hope it can help keep your spirits up!

Toonces · January 21, 2013, 07:44:57 PM

That should be pretty sweet JH. I'm running an i7 @ 3.4 GHz and a GeForce 560Ti which I think is less than yours. I haven't run into a game yet I can't max out, although I'm sure they're out there.

airboy · January 21, 2013, 09:29:22 PM

Hope you enjoy the new toy.

LongBlade · January 21, 2013, 10:58:21 PM

I haven't priced gaming rigs too recently but $900 seems more than fair given it's got 12 GB of RAM and 2TB of HDD.

GDS_Starfury · January 22, 2013, 01:03:07 AM

heaven forbid you reformat the existing pc and update so it works right.

Marines... gotta love em.

Jarhead0331 · January 22, 2013, 07:22:08 AM

Quote from: GDS_Starfury on January 22, 2013, 01:03:07 AM
heaven forbid you reformat the existing pc and update so it works right.

Marines... gotta love em.

This thought crossed my mind...briefly. I can't stomach the thought of a reformat. Way too much data to back-up.

Keunert · January 22, 2013, 07:28:26 AM

how about ssd hard drives? do they improve performance?

Jarhead0331 · January 22, 2013, 09:36:29 AM

Set it up last night. Love the monitor. 27" is the largest I've ever had for pc gaming. My last one was 22" or 23". I've only installed Ghost Recon Future Soldier, SOTS II Enhanced and DCS World, but I haven't really had time to play anything yet.

So far it runs great, though. At first, with Windows 8, I was like...W...T...F!?!?! It felt like a total rip-off of apple's system. I was thinking, if this is what Windows has become, I should have just bought a Mac...Once I figured out how to get to the more traditional desktop mode, I began to calm down, and actually liked flipping between the more conventional desktop view and the new app view. Its actually pretty neat. Well, I guess there is a lot to explore and we'll see if I have any problems running games or using peripherals. So far so good.

The real trick is going to be keeping my cat Penelope away from the wires. When I was taking my old system down I pulled the wires and was able to see just how much damages she had really done. Had to run to bestbuy and buy some new wires that set me back another $70.

donkey_roxor · January 22, 2013, 11:49:15 AM

Glad you're enjoying your new system. Have you thought about routing the wires/cords through PVC tubing? That would keep the cat out and organize the cords at the same time.

Re: reformatting, if you're comfortable with opening your computer (and if it's easy enough) you could just put in a new hard drive and leave your old drives (and data) intact.

Also, regular backups either to another local drive or to an offsite drive is a good idea.

Jarhead0331 · January 22, 2013, 12:54:33 PM

Quote from: donkey_roxor on January 22, 2013, 11:49:15 AM
Glad you're enjoying your new system. Have you thought about routing the wires/cords through PVC tubing? That would keep the cat out and organize the cords at the same time.

Re: reformatting, if you're comfortable with opening your computer (and if it's easy enough) you could just put in a new hard drive and leave your old drives (and data) intact.

Also, regular backups either to another local drive or to an offsite drive is a good idea.

Hey donkey...yes, I have thought about tubing for the wires. When I was in bestbuy I asked if they carried any and they did not. So I'll have to work my way over to a Home Depot or something.

I'm definitely ok opening up my box and adding new graphics cards, RAM, etc. My big concern with a format, on top of losing data is always making sure I do not have trouble re0installing windows. They make it a pain in the rear with licensing, etc. Last time I re-installed an OEM Windows product, it kept telling my I may be the victim of counterfeit software and that my copy of windows was not legit.

Jack Nastyface · January 22, 2013, 01:54:22 PM

Quote from: Keunert on January 22, 2013, 07:28:26 AM
how about ssd hard drives? do they improve performance?

SSD drives are awesome, IMHO...
Standard boot-up time for Windows 7 on a SATA drive is about 25 - 30 seconds.
Boot-up time on SSDs is about 5 seconds.
I have a dual-drive NAS cage (network attached storage device) that I use for file storage for the home. I am planning on replacing the drive I've got in the cage with two mirrored SSDs for backups, etc. Should work great, but will be costly...