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Advice on a Build?

A

Artek

n00b
Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
20
I know this is a long post, but I am just trying to provide people with enough information to stop me from doing something stupid.

First, I am disabled, and cannot build or maintain my own computer. I don’t have motor control over my hands and fingers, and I have to rely on other people when I run into problems.

Second, I have the option of buying a pre-assembled computer from a boutique or having a competent person build the computer. I am well aware of the premiums that boutiques charge and the potential savings to be had by avoiding them. While my budget is limited to a certain degree, money is not the main priority. I am looking for reliability and customer service.

This is where I could use some advice: If I have someone build my PC, and then encounter a problem, I would have to get help with assessing the problem, then deal with the individual component manufacturer, then need someone to swap in the new part(s). If I buy a PC from a boutique, all of which claim to have the best customer service, I would be able to call them for assistance and have them send me parts.

Third, I understand that things such as liquid cooling and dual GPU setups require maintenance, but with respect to the complexity and frequency of the required maintenance, I am not well informed. I want a high-end setup, but I don’t want to have to bug people to help me deal with it constantly.

I have been doing some research into the boutiques, and have been considering Falcon Northwest and Digital Storm. I am leaning towards Digital Storm, and the specs for a build I am considering are below.

I apologize for the long post, but regardless of the amount of research I do, it is difficult to find information that addresses my concerns. Any opinions or advice you guys could provide would be much appreciated.

Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2133MHz Corsair Vengeance
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Force GT Series CSSD-F120GBGT-BK) (SATA 6Gbps)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM)
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler
 
I'd recommend finding someone you trust to do it for you. You can train most people to assemble a computer correctly, so any experience or skill would just be a bonus. If you don't have someone you trust for such a job, you really have no choice but to shop around local shops until you find someone you think is worth gambling on or go with an online retailer like the ones you mentioned.

I've been custom building my own machines for over a decade and I've never felt water cooling, over clocking, raid or any of the extensive modding some people do is really necessary, in any way. Sure, I suppose it's a fun hobby, if you have the time and money to waste on it but it just plain isn't necessary most of the time, unless you're dead set on a complicated setup to begin with.

Ultimately, this is a decision you'll have to make for yourself. I just think it's worth pointing out that I think your best option would be to find someone you trust to do the actual building while you hand pick the build yourself. I'd recommend keeping it simple because the more complex the build is the more maintenance and pain you could be in for. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you go with an online retailer and something goes wrong with it you're going to end up shipping the whole PC back and forth until it's fixed (could be expensive and will leave you without a PC for the duration). That could be a downright nightmare with some vendors. I really don't have a recommendation for a vendor that's trustworthy because, if I trusted any of them, I wouldn't have been building my own for the past decade.
 
Firstly, I will need to know what you are exactly doing with this rig. If it is gaming and you intend to use dual GPUs then then going the 2011 route would probably best suit you. If you plan on using one GPU, I suggest just going the 1155 route. Get a 1600MHZ 16GB Ram as I think anything above is really not going to be noticeable to the human eye. No need to get something so expensive when you won't utilize it to its full potential.
 
Also throwing that kind of money into the system, I would highly reccomend avoiding the Corsair SF drive or any Sandforce drive if you can avoid it. If you are going to get one then get the Intel 520, or look toward the Samsung 830, Plextor M3P, or Crucial M4.
 
Answer the sticky questions for us and we'll be able to help you a lot more.
 
Artek said:
I know this is a long post, but I am just trying to provide people with enough information to stop me from doing something stupid.

First, I am disabled, and cannot build or maintain my own computer. I don’t have motor control over my hands and fingers, and I have to rely on other people when I run into problems.

Second, I have the option of buying a pre-assembled computer from a boutique or having a competent person build the computer. I am well aware of the premiums that boutiques charge and the potential savings to be had by avoiding them. While my budget is limited to a certain degree, money is not the main priority. I am looking for reliability and customer service.

This is where I could use some advice: If I have someone build my PC, and then encounter a problem, I would have to get help with assessing the problem, then deal with the individual component manufacturer, then need someone to swap in the new part(s). If I buy a PC from a boutique, all of which claim to have the best customer service, I would be able to call them for assistance and have them send me parts.

Third, I understand that things such as liquid cooling and dual GPU setups require maintenance, but with respect to the complexity and frequency of the required maintenance, I am not well informed. I want a high-end setup, but I don’t want to have to bug people to help me deal with it constantly.

I have been doing some research into the boutiques, and have been considering Falcon Northwest and Digital Storm. I am leaning towards Digital Storm, and the specs for a build I am considering are below.

I apologize for the long post, but regardless of the amount of research I do, it is difficult to find information that addresses my concerns. Any opinions or advice you guys could provide would be much appreciated.

Processor: Intel Core i7 3930K 3.2GHz
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X79
System Memory: 16GB DDR3 2133MHz Corsair Vengeance
Power Supply: 800W Corsair GS
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (120GB Solid State (By: Corsair) (Model: Force GT Series CSSD-F120GBGT-BK) (SATA 6Gbps)
Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM)
Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader
Video Card: 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler
Click to expand...

Be very careful there: The memory controllers in the i7-3930K and the i7-3820 are much, much more picky with RAM than the ones inside the LGA 1155 CPUs and the i7-3960X. As I discovered in other forums, the i7-3930K and the i7-3820 really need RAM rated no higher than 1.35V, and not made with Micron IC chips.
 
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