Could you pls tell me if I need to make changes for this gaming machine from ibuypower?
- is this case good?
- is it ok to have a generic 800 W power supply or do I have to spend more? (I'd rather not, trying to stay within close to this budget, unless necessary)
- Is this a good cooling supply or do i need v8? I don't plan on overclocking unless it would really improve the gaming graphics. Would an overclocked i7 920 make a noticeable and fairly substantial difference? (I'm afraid to overclock since I'm a newbie...i don't even know how to access the bios and all that, adn the online guides don't really tell me those basics)
- I need 1) a drive which will let me play games ; 2) a dvd burner (I want to download video from my camcorder and burn to dvd). Will what I have here be enough? Please tell me what I need specifically (the description doesn't say if the CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive does these things!)
- are the power protection and advanced build options good to get? pls be specific as to what I need

MY MAIN concern: I don't want to get a system that isn't 1) completely ready when I open the box upon delivery (ie packaging solution); 2) will not have problems like burning out a few years down the road.

I can't spend much more than this, but am willing to pay a bit more if TRULY NECESSARY!

THANKS


Case ( [New !!!] Thermaltake V9 Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Blue )


Case Lighting ( None )

Power Supply ( 800 Watt -- Power Supply Quad SLI Ready )

Processor ( [New !!] Intel Core i7 Processor 920 (4x 2.66GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )

Processor Cooling ( XIGMATEK Dark Knight 120mm CPU Cooling Fan System H.D.T. (Heat-pipe direct touch) technology )

Motherboard ( Asus P6T Intel X58 Chipset CrossFire and SLI Supported w/7.1 Sound, Triple-Channel DDR3, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, 3-Way SLI PCI-E MB 3-Way SLI )

Memory ( 6 GB [2 GB X3] DDR3-1333 Triple Memory Module Corsair Value or Major Brand )

Video Card ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 295 1792MB w/DVI + TV Out Video )

Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )

Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )

2nd Hard Drive ( None )

External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )

CD/DVD Drive ( None )

CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [Lightscribe Technology] LG 22X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )

Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )

Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )

Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )

Floppy Drive ( None )

Monitor ( None )

2nd Monitor ( None )

Keyboard ( iBUYPOWER USB Keyboard with 18 Internet Hot /Multimedia Keys Black )

Mouse ( iBUYPOWER 1600 dpi High Sensitivity Internet Mouse Black )

USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )

Meter Display ( None )

Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )

Operating System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) 64-Bit )

USB Flash Drive ( None )

MP3 Player ( None )

Video Camera ( None )

Headset ( None )

Power Protection ( ** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** Network 10/100/1000 LAN Surge Protector Assures integrity and stability of data communications + Strengthens system immunity against electrostatic discharges )

Advanced Build Options ( Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks )

Advanced Build Options ( iBUYPOWER Specialized Advanced Packaging System Protect your investment during transportation! )

Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )

will i be able to play Empire Total War on it (I've only seen a few games like crysis)? How soon will that game be available? Will MOST games be on it at some point in the near future?? Most importantly, Total War is heavily dependent on its great upcoming mods--will mods be available?

when do you think this will be available with the majority of games for the general public?

since there will be no i7 920 upgrade I might as well buy now, as I can't wait until the fall (very old computer). i guess there will not be any graphics card comparable to the gtx 295 by end of May? i've heard that there is a shortage of gtx295s bc intel (or whatever is the manufacturer) is actually losing money with each purchase! do you think they will stop selling those video cards anytime soon for that reason? if so, i will go ahead and buy now!

I've heard rumors that there will be new i7s in the second quarter of this year. I know they will replace the two mid and high end i7s, but will there be a i7 930 to replace the 920? (I haven't seen this anywhere) basically I didn't want to overclock the i7 920 (I'm a newbie) but I thought waiting for its replacement might go from 2.66 ghz to about 2.9 ghz (ie it would be almost as if I overclocked the 920!)

another rumor is that they are losing money on the gtx 295s and that's why they are so hard to find. will they STOP making them in the next couple months or replace with a better graphics card by May?

basically, I just want to know if it's worth me waiting until May, hoping for better products (including motherboards, etc) or slightly lower prices for existing products like the i7 920 and gtx 295?? Is anything 'coming down the pike' in the next couple months worth waiting for?!

I know that there will be superior graphics cards in the fall but that seems a bit long to wait for me! thanks

"recommend getting a mobo that can support DDR3 1600MHz. It's really not much more expensive and shines even brighter. I'm using 6GB of OCZ gold DDR3-1600MHz and it was only like $145 where i got it."

could you please link me to a couple not too expensive but good motherboards that do this? i want an i7 920 and gtx295 thanks

i think i heard somewhere that the gtx295 is still compatible with dx11 when dx11 comes out?

stormfuzz,

thanks for the advice as usual, very helpful. i will look into these improved brands/products. i wanted to say that realmcomputers wrote to me last week saying they were going to sell more discounted computers this weekend, but it doesn't look like they are. also i asked by email that they send me articles talking about them (proof that they were legitimate), and they said they were going to get back to me but never did! i know you had a good experience with them, but i just need a bit more proof!

thanks

I know. I'm incredibly frustrated by the fact that ibuypower and cyberpower are so much cheaper than anyone else. I would definitely use them if I didn't hear so many negative reviews on resellerratings.com and their own forums. basically, it seems that lots of people get good computers from them, but the ones who don't are REALLY screwed because they have to send the comps back (sometimes a couple times) and have a VERY hard time getting in touch with customer service. what are people's experiences with these two companies?

Basically, i am really frustrated by this whole experience. which companies can i really trust? i know avadirect has awesome customer reviews and service, so i'm wondering if it's worth an extra two hundred dollars for piece of mind? (I've thought of getting a computer company in atlanta to build a comp after i order the parts, but they charge just as much)

for another 80.00, i could get it overclocked to about 2.9 from 2.6 (the i7 920) will that matter much for games? also does 6 megs (or whatever it's called) of RAM help a great deal over only 3? i'm trying to keep the price down but also have a computer that lasts a few years at a high level

when will the gtx 295 price go down and by how much approximately? when will the GTX 275 arrive? thanks