# Case - mobo - cpu - ram suggestions for desktop upgrade?



## Black Panther (Aug 20, 2010)

I plan to get a new system by early October (just in time for my b'day )

Please check my system specs for Black Panther (not Guenhwyvar since that's the laptop).

The only stuff I plan to keep from the desktop are the graphics card (5970) and the PSU (HX 850W) and for now the peripherals ie keyboard, mouse and sound. 

I'm planning to upgrade the monitor to a 32" later on..

The rest of my rig ie case, cpu, ram, mobo, hdd, odd I plan to pass on to my kid.
However, I might keep my current case if I find a 'pretty pink' one for her...

So what I really need primarily is advice for a _good_ cpu to get come October. I intend good as good value mainly for overclockability and secondly value for money. I don't tend to change cpu's that often - hadn't it been for an opportunity to 'sell' my E4300 to my company and get an E8400 (which I instantly oc'd to 4.2GHz) in return I'd still be stuck with my E4300 at 3Ghz. 
What's important for me is that the system is good for overclocking. i.e. the cpu must be a good oc'er, the mobo must be a good one as well and so has  the ram so I can unleash the full potential of the system. Budget is quite flexible at the moment..
And the mobo has to have 2 pci-e slots and support crossfire. If it can support SLI too then that'd be a "just in case" bonus 

I don't plan to WC, (I wish but the very thought of water potentially squirting all over everything terrifies me for now!)... so I want a system with the best potential overclocking on air. And while you're at it, you can share what is the best air coolers recommended, especially for the cpu...

Thanks beforehand!


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## AlienIsGOD (Aug 20, 2010)

Well 1 question is are u going to be doing WCG on it?  If so a 1055T AMD setup would be nice IMO or a 6 core i7.


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## Black Panther (Aug 25, 2010)

Well, let's start on processor first - as pointed out I'd be using this processor both for crunching and for gaming (coupled with the 850W Corsair TX and the 5970). Should I already decide on a 6 core or wait perhaps something else might get released (or enjoy significant price drops) within 2 months time? I'd really appreciate if advantages/disadvantages of one 6 core over another were pointed out, (without getting into any intel/amd flamewars obviously!), after all there are several models available from both manufacturers. 

I'd be passing on my present E8400 @ 4Ghz complete with mobo, cpu cooler and ram to my daughter. If she doesn't use it I'll just leave it crunching WCG.

So for the processor I'll also be needing a good cooler. I definitely plan to overclock (in my opinion not doing so is just abdicating from using potential power).

Anyway, let's just suggest processors for now, and a good air cooler.

For the rest we'll see later after I've decided on the processor.


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## Millennium (Aug 26, 2010)

I'm loving my i750 at 4ghz. Can't get it to 4.2 but still. I bet it would be stable for folding.

Otherwise maybe superclock an i3 I see them going upto 4.5ghz+


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## (FIH) The Don (Aug 26, 2010)

i would go P55 or X58

P55 i would take either EVGA P55 FTW, gigabyte UD6, or ASUS maximus III

cpu, def a i7 860 or maybe even a 875K with the unlocked multiplier

memory, some g-skill 2000mhz should be good overclockingwise

good aircooler, Noctua D14 or thermalright silver arrow, or thermaltake Frio

X58 i would go with a ASUS P6X58D-E 
or gigabyte x58A-UD7, or the RIIIE from asus

and then some g.skill trident 2000mhz again

same cooler

and a i7 920/30, OR 980X if youre totally nuts


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## ebolamonkey3 (Aug 26, 2010)

By "quite flexible" I'll just assume that you have $2500 to spend 

So once you decide on a socket, we can get more specific 

For X58:
Hmmm... you can always grab a used 980X or 970 for around $650 - $775, that'll be the best you can do unless you get a dual socket mobo like the SR-2. Otherwise get a i7 930 and OC it to 4ghz+, this would be the most logical option for X58 

Mobo wise I'd get an Asus Rampage III Formula. Or a Gigabyte X58 UD5. Don't think the extra cash for the RIIIE or the UD7 is justifiable.

For P55:
Definitely get the i7 860 for $200 at MC if you can, best bang for the buck period. If not, still get an i7 860 

Mobo wise I'd get the P55-UD7. Probably the most decked out mobo for the P55 chipset, but it'd also be overkill  Otherwise anything from one of the big manufactures will be fine.

For AM3:
If you decide to go w/ AMD definitely get the 1055T. If you're going to keep the computer for a while, might as well go with 890FX for the SATA3 and USB3, or if you want to save 785G or 790FX will be fine. 

Mobo wise the Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5 is a great choice, especially with F3 bios. The Crosshair IV Formula is another choice, but the UD5 offers everything it does for less, unless you have to have the sexy red/black heatsinks 

RAM wise, grab a nice set of Dominators or G.Skill Sector 5/7. I'm no expert on ram but I think G.Skill works better w/ AMD and Corsair better for Intel.

I would definitely get a 60gb or larger SSD for a boot drive. Grab a Sandforce one, you can probably find a 60gb Agility 2 for less than $120 in October, and even less in November. Then just use 1tb or 2tb drives for storage, they are cheap now. $60 for 1tb and $100 for 2tb, no rebates 

DVD writer - any generic one will work, Newegg has them for $20 shipped all the time. You can probably add a Bluray writer too if you want.

So... that's CPU, RAM, Mobo, GPU, PSU, and HDD all taken care of. You just need a case and CPU cooler now.

Let's start w/ the easy one: CPU cooler. You can find used Megahalems that are practically brand new for $50 shipped on forums, that'd be your best bet I think, for Intel. For AMD a Veno X is a pretty good choice. Noctual NH-D14 will block out at least 1 or 2 memory slots on any mobo, so if you're going to use memory with tall heat spreaders that's something to keep in mind. Other options are Hyper 212+ or a TT Frio, but those are loud, at least to me. So I suggest you get a Mega or Veno X and slap on a pair of Scythe GTs, those are great. *Edit, also check out the HR-02, it's huge and doesn't block any ram slots, but it's also new so it's expensive ($80 for just the heatsink).

Now for the case, don't know how big you want it to be (mid or full tower), how quiet you want it to be, and what kind of looks you like. Since you will be air cooling (no liquid as meaning no H50 either, correct?), definitely get a case w/ great airflow like the Silverstone FT02. I think the newer ones are supposed to come w/ the new AP fans, starting in late Oct or early Nov. Actually, now that I think of it, don't know if the FT02 can fit a 5970 (height wise). This would be _the case_ to get IMO if the 5970 can fit.

Hmm... don't know your sense of aesthetics either. The HAF X has excellent cooling, but it's a love it or hate it thing. Maybe the CM ATCS 840? Honestly though, depending on how much you are willing to spend on a case, I'd go for a Lian Li. I've got my eyes on the PC-9F myself, but if you want something bigger the A70 series are pretty good. 

Actually, SneekyPeet's got a X1000 for $200 shipped on here, that'd be a great case for that price.


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## ebolamonkey3 (Aug 26, 2010)

Price Estimates:

RAM ($110 - $220) 
-4gb = $150~ for a great set, $110 for a decent set.
-6gb = $150 for a good set, $220~ for a great set.

HDD ($160 - $220)
-60gb SSD = $100-$120
-1tb HD = $60, 2tb = $100

DVDRW - $20
Bluray - $100

CPU cooler and fans - $80 ($50 for Mega, 30 for a pair of GTs)

Mobo ($150 - $300)
-P55 - $220~, rough estimate assuming you went semi-high end.
-X58 - $300~, the RIIIF shouldn't be too far from that, UD5 is $280~
-AM3 - $150~ for a lower end one, $180 for the UD5, and $220 for the CHIV Formula.

CPU ($200 - $999)
-P55 = $200 to $230 for an i7 860, MC or used.
-X58 = $200 for i7 930, to $800~ for i7 980X, again MC or used, no sense buying new.
-AM3 = $200 for 1055T, or $170~ for used.

Case ($90 - $250)
Depends on how crazy you want to get here. On the one hand a CM 690 II Advanced for $90 will be a solid case. On the other that X1000 for $200 or a FT02 for $225~ will be awesome 

Random stuff like fans and wires ~ $50 - $100. 
-They add up so fast, especially if you want silence 


*So all out X58/980x build: ~$2000
P55/860 build: ~$1100 - $1200 high, $900 - $1000 low.
AM3/1055T build: ~$1000 high, ~$850 low.*


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## Black Panther (Aug 27, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback, I'll definitley be studying this thread and researching your suggestions and browsing shops/etailers etc during the next month or so.

As regards the case, I was going for the Obsidian 800D - it's full tower, got cable management _and_ a side window (these 3 features are what I was looking for), plus plenty of other features like the HDD cage is comfortable to swap, air-flow seems excellent etc... What do you think?


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## (FIH) The Don (Aug 27, 2010)

air flow is NOT excellent in 800D

it is MADE for water, not air

it IS a great case, no doubt, but dont rely on that for good airflow imo


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## Black Panther (Aug 27, 2010)

Oh 

I guess this video impressed me too much. It shows the airflow (towards the end of the video at 7 minutes) and how it's got 3 compartments so that each section has its own intake and exhaust..


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## (FIH) The Don (Aug 27, 2010)

ever trust those videos, talk to people who owns it or have owned it

try talking to SneekyPeet, he has one

and he uses aircooler on the cpu

but if you get it i strongly recommen 3 good fans on the top to get as much hot air out as possible


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## Black Panther (Sep 17, 2010)

It's mid-September and my upgrade-bug is ticking furiously now 

I changed my priorities - first thing will be a new 28" - 32" monitor,  which will be a good improvement over my present 22" 1680x1050.

Budget for monitor is ~ €800 ($1000). The budget is high since I wouldn't intend to change my monitor for another 2 or 3 years, so might as well spend something extra and get a good one.

I had been thinking of going for a high res one - I'm spoiled since my 17" laptop's got 1920x1200 - but then these LED emerged... and then there's 3D... 

I wasn't too eager for LED them being new and very expensive at least locally.
3D I haven't got a clue  have to spend some time on google to check whether there are any advantages apart from the low power consumption..

High resolution... I'd prefer that over everything I think..


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## Millennium (Sep 17, 2010)

My 
LED is great ... G2420HDBL


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 17, 2010)

if youre gonna spend 800€ on monitor, why not 3 27" 1080P for some eyefinity now that you have that 5970?


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## n-ster (Sep 17, 2010)

17"1920x1200 is a very nice pixel pitch, You WILL want a 27"-30" 2560x1600 or 1440p

at 800 euros, I would think that you can only find 27" 1440p

I hate eyeinfinity because of bezels lol, unless you wish to do some bezel modding...


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## Black Panther (Sep 17, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> why not 3 27" 1080P for some eyefinity now that you have that 5970?





n-ster said:


> I hate eyeinfinity because of bezels



Yes I forgot to add that eyefinity is out of the question, I can barely stand bad pixels let alone solid bezels in the middle of the picture


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 17, 2010)

then i would go with a 27" 2560x1440/1600 

example (danish site ) http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=4230444 thats around your budget


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## Black Panther (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm thinking my first priority should be a good monitor...

Just received this from a local supplier:



> Can get you the Dell TFT 69 cm (27") 16:9 DELL U2711 6ms,The best possible price is 1015Eur incl vat and eco.Free delivery.Available within 7-10 days from order.



:shadedshu

sucks.. from Danish shop FIH quoted above it's €842.51 

Lol I replied to this supplier that I'll be buying the monitor for €850


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 19, 2010)

whaaaaat 

that is freaking insane

dont you have a site like newegg, scan, og overclockers in malta?


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## Black Panther (Sep 20, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> whaaaaat
> 
> that is freaking insane
> 
> dont you have a site like newegg, scan, og overclockers in malta?




Lol you're right.
After I sent the pm telling him I'll buy for €850 I got this reply:



> From: simark
> To: BlackPanther
> Sent: 20-Sep-10 09:26:28
> Subject: re: Dell
> ...



Well, he's exagerating. If his cost price excluding shipping is already beyond €850 he should be changing supplier and start buying from the guy you linked me to  Lol I'm an importer myself so prolly if I order 20 or 30 U2711's I'd be having the cheapest prices in the country and break the local market.... 

Edit: We do have scan but on their website there's no Dell Ultrasharp.
I'll send them and email to check.........


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 20, 2010)

well i know for gaming i7 860 and even the i5 750 do better then the 920/930 cant say much on intel and ram but for AMD i prefer mushkin for DDR3 and gskill for DDR2 i got some nice 1333mhz cl7 sticks which were cheap and will do 676 1333 for some nice latency which helps tremendously with high nb clocks.

id suggest i7 860 + w.e board tickles your fancy for huge monitors ive no idea someone around here can point you in the right direction tho and i bet can find a good price.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/108?vs=100

for reference with the same GPU the i7 860 stock beats out the i7 950 even tho the the 950 has a 200mhz + triple channel memory advantage


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## pantherx12 (Sep 20, 2010)

I offer my services as a buyer for parts again if you need them BP.


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## Black Panther (Sep 20, 2010)

Just emailed scan malta 





> Dear Sir/Madam,
> 
> I'm looking to purchase a Dell Ultrasharp, 27" minimum.
> 
> ...



#rant# I wish I wasn't isolated on an island!


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 20, 2010)

if you need anything i can ship it to you.

have you tried www.hoh.de ?

i think they ship to most of Europe

but...why go through all this trouble just to get 500 pixels extra? 

id rather get a regular 27" or 26" and then spend money on some watercooling, or similar


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## pantherx12 (Sep 20, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> but...why go through all this trouble just to get 500 pixels extra?



What is it your referring to here? 

Could be missing the point completely  but surely not?

2073600 1920x1080
2304000 1920x1200
4096000 2560 x 1600

Quite a fare difference in pixels!


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## Black Panther (Sep 21, 2010)

pantherx12 said:


> What is it your referring to here?
> 
> Could be missing the point completely  but surely not?
> 
> ...



That's what I was thinking too...

________________________________________

What's worrying me is that this Dell has a 16:9 aspect ratio not 16:10

Would that be a drawback?

________________________________________

I've sent an email to Scan in Malta but no answer as yet...

€1015 is expensive, considering Dell retails it for $999 in the U.S.


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## pantherx12 (Sep 21, 2010)

Nothing wrong with 16:9 it's just a little wider than 16:10


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## Black Panther (Sep 22, 2010)

pantherx12 said:


> Nothing wrong with 16:9 it's just a little wider than 16:10



I wasn't thinking it's wider actually  I was thinking it's 'lower' since the 16 ratio is there but one has ratio 10 and the other ratio 9 so the picture would be smaller from top to bottom 



(FIH) The Don said:


> whaaaaat
> 
> that is freaking insane
> 
> dont you have a site like newegg, *scan*, og overclockers in malta?



*Scan replied to my email........ *



> Dear Madam,
> 
> Good Morning!
> 
> ...



   that's even €100 more than the Simark shop's at €1050... :shadedshu


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 22, 2010)

you are not meant to get that monitor i see


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## Black Panther (Sep 24, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> you are not meant to get that monitor i see



I'll see about that, I _might_ be getting the €1050 one........

Right now I've got another dilemma - I'm unsure whether to get a high definition monitor like the Dell Ultrasharp, or whether to get a 120Hz one for 3D...

(Uhhh, but somewhere I read that ATI cards don't support 3D or am I wrong?)


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 24, 2010)

seriously???  whats the page in malta....linky, then ill run it translated


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## sneekypeet (Sep 24, 2010)

sorry, did we decide on a case and cooler yet?

Also I would lean on the X-58 and i7 proc for folding or crunching. P55 is about the same money, with a bit less "umph", and is soon to be phased out for the newer procs and chipsets.


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## Black Panther (Sep 24, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> seriously???  whats the page in malta....linky, then ill run it translated



The website's in english. However you won't see any U2711 there -- I had made this thread on a maltese tech forum (it's in English language too ) asking if anyone knew who supplied Dell monitors and this retailer Simark Supplies replied...

I emailed Scan and they quoted €100 more 



sneekypeet said:


> sorry, did we decide on a case and cooler yet?




Well to be honest I was thinking to wait till 2011 for sandybridge..... since my games seem to run quite fine on the E8400 4Ghz for now...


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 24, 2010)

still a rather insane price no matter what 

btw what the hell.....if i had the money i would do the same, just for the awesomness of it all


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## Black Panther (Sep 24, 2010)

You think I won't regret not buying a 3D capable monitor?


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 24, 2010)

IF you go 3d, id get 2 480/470s, and 3x3d screens to make it worth it


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## Black Panther (Sep 24, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> IF you go 3d, id get 2 480/470s, and 3x3d screens to make it worth it









Changing from my 5970 is currently out of the question, I've barely started enjoying it and selling it used will mean lots of money lost  and lol 3 x 3d screens plus sli 470 or 480's would set me off much more than a thousand euros.

So, the general trend is that 3D is not the way to go?


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 24, 2010)

lol it was more a joke 

but im not sure how good your card is for 3d, as i havent tried it yet, 

i think it will be good enough, its only the 3dglasses that requires a nvidia card

so yeah....thats up to you,

IF it was me, i would have gone eyefinity, but as you dont like those bezels then thats not an option 

allthough you can get some monitors with extremely thin bezels these days


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## Fourstaff (Sep 24, 2010)

I wonder if its cheaper for you to take a boat to France/Italy and buy yourself a screen. I would avoid the 3D thing for now, because the last time there was 3D back in the 1980's people develop cross eyes. Virtual boy, anyone? Should the 3D be damaging to your eyes, a 3 year study will be good, and just in time for your next upgrade


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## Black Panther (Sep 24, 2010)

Fourstaff said:


> I wonder if its cheaper for you to take a boat to France/Italy and buy yourself a screen.




Now that you mention it could be cheaper to go to Sicily and buy from there, it's only 93 kilometers . 

Only problem is that sicilian's reputation as sellers is a bit.....


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## (FIH) The Don (Sep 24, 2010)

ah no need to worry, its just the Mafia....sissys


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## Black Panther (Oct 2, 2010)

Before I do my purchase I have 2 questions

- my present LG lcd is 2ms grey to grey whereas the U2711 is 6ms grey to grey. Will it be inferior?

- the U2711 is 16:9 instead of 16:10 Is this a disadvantage? What about gaming compatibility?


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## cadaveca (Oct 2, 2010)

u2711 is a fantastic monitor.

But, so, here's the thing.

Your present LG doesn't have a built-in scaler.

The Dell, with it's legacy analogue, component and composite, connections, does.

So, while it will have slower response, and with v-sync on, it will be really noticible, it will have a far better picture with content not in it's native resolution.

plus, 2560x1440 in 27-inch is an awesome dot pitch, and some great colours with that panel(103% of NTSC colour gamut, I think).

If I was to be buying a new large panel today, this panel would be one of the top 5, for sure.


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## cheezburger (Oct 2, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> Well, let's start on processor first - as pointed out I'd be using this processor both for crunching and for gaming (coupled with the 850W Corsair TX and the 5970). Should I already decide on a 6 core or wait perhaps something else might get released (or enjoy significant price drops) within 2 months time? I'd really appreciate if advantages/disadvantages of one 6 core over another were pointed out, (without getting into any intel/amd flamewars obviously!), after all there are several models available from both manufacturers.
> 
> I'd be passing on my present E8400 @ 4Ghz complete with mobo, cpu cooler and ram to my daughter. If she doesn't use it I'll just leave it crunching WCG.
> 
> ...



few word short, have you decide to change the mobo? if not then just go for q9550/9650 and wait for sandy bridge or go for 1055T with some cheaper mono like some people mentioned earlier.

for cooling solution...since i'm not the expert of overclocking so i'd pass it.


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## Black Panther (Oct 3, 2010)

cheezburger said:


> few word short, have you decide to change the mobo? if not then just go for q9550/9650 and wait for sandy bridge or go for 1055T with some cheaper mono like some people mentioned earlier.
> 
> for cooling solution...since i'm not the expert of overclocking so i'd pass it.



I thought about it and since all my games run fine (Fallout 3, Resident Evil, Prototype, Dirt2, Dragon Age.....) on the E8400 @ 4Ghz, 4GB DDR2 and 5970 graphics I decided I will be upgrading monitor first if for nothing to do justice to the 5970 



cadaveca said:


> u2711 is a fantastic monitor.
> 
> But, so, here's the thing.
> 
> ...



FPS games aren't my kind - I tend to go more for rpg (like Fallout3, Oblivion and soon Fallout New Vegas) and simulation/strategy (Anno 1404, Settlers...)

After reading some reviews of the U2711 the only thing which worried me was that an *input lag *was reported (note I don't mean a slow response time, input lag's got nothing to do with grey-to-grey ms time) and some even said the U2711 is more of a CAD / photoediting monitor than a gaming monitor 

On the other hand I'm not one to go for fast paced first person shooters (unless FO3 is considered such), so perhaps I wouldn't notice this problem.

What I'm looking is something with a fine pixel pitch, I've become accustomed to 1920x1200 on a 17" and discovered that now I can barely bare to watch my 22" @ 1680x1050 and having good eyesight doesn't help...

Thing is that I don't want to spend €1000 on a monitor and then regret doing so, you know..


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## cadaveca (Oct 3, 2010)

WEll, with my 3008WFP, people have also complained about input lag...doesn't bother me one bit. I acutally think they were being a bit tight-butted.

I don't think you'd regret it. They truly are a fantastic monitor, and when it comes to warranty, Dell trumps all others, at least in my own experience.

My 3008WFP has the scaler as well..I play BFBC2 @ 1920x1200, so the scaler is definately enabled...doesn't seem to affect me at all. Only when v-sync is enabled.

That dot-pitch is nothing to sneeze at, I agree. 

I'll jsut put it this way...I was going to buy the 2708WFP, kinda regret going with the 30-inch...and to me the U2711 is better...after having both 3007WFP and 3008WFP, today I'd buy the U2711 instead.

With the info you have given, i think the monitor is near a perfect match for your needs.

FYI, Dell will ship you the monitor, and you can return it, on thier dollar, should you get it on your desk and not like it. At least, I can do that here..might not be possible in your region, I do not know.


When trying to solve my DP issues with my Dell P2310H's...Dell agent actually suggested that I purchase the monitors, and then return them if unhappy. He said that it was no problem, and that really, they wanted me to be happy with such an expensive purchase. And he was the supervisor...

So I suggest you check that part out...verify you could return the monitor if unhappy, and give it a go!


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## Black Panther (Oct 5, 2010)

So I made an unexpected upgrade - this - it was in the plans though not as a priority, and the good price was hard to resist 

______________________________________

About the U2711 I've narrowed down the choices. From overseas it's out of the question, and Scan Malta is ruled out for quoting €1150.

So what remains is Simark @ €1050 with 2 years warranty, or Ultra Malta for €1095 with 3 years warranty.... Both of them don't stock the monitor (apparently no one does here!)

I thought Dell's warranty was standard though, what's with one retailer giving more warranty than the other, meh...


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## (FIH) The Don (Oct 5, 2010)

thats a very nice disk

i have the 80gig version 

you will be AMAZED how fast every thing starts up

im still kinda speechless over the monitor lol


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## Fourstaff (Oct 5, 2010)

"all gone to Mr Panther there". I think you should change it to Mrs Panther


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## cadaveca (Oct 5, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> About the U2711 I've narrowed down the choices. From overseas it's out of the question, and Scan Malta is ruled out for quoting €1150.
> 
> So what remains is Simark @ €1050 with 2 years warranty, or Ultra Malta for €1095 with 3 years warranty.... Both of them don't stock the monitor (apparently no one does here!)
> 
> I thought Dell's warranty was standard though, what's with one retailer giving more warranty than the other, meh...



Yeah, that's a bit whacked...





> Reliable Dell Warranty & Service: Get peace of mind with a 3-year limited hardware warranty and 3 years of Dell’s Advanced Exchange Service


, that's from the Dell Malta site, but it does say you must purchase from a local retailer.

Listing for the EU site is €938. Consider the extra price as markup.

A big part of my Dell favortism for monitors is thier awesome service, which it seem you do not have access to. That does make me hesitate...the monitor is good, but add in the service here, and it's phenomenal.

I paid an extra $350 CAD for my 3-year accidental damage coverage warranty. I have used this warranty once, they replaced 3007WFP with 3008WFP, and added another year of warranty with the same terms on the new monitor. There's alot more to that story, of course, but Dell did perfectly, by my standards.

Reseller info from Dell:

http://ireland.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/contact/edb/malta?c=ed&l=en


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## Black Panther (Oct 5, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> if you need anything i can ship it to you.
> 
> have you tried www.hoh.de ?
> 
> i think they ship to most of Europe



Great, now for the same price of the U2711 I could get this

*drools*   30" _and_ it's 16:10

plus LG monitors never disappointed me at all.


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## cadaveca (Oct 5, 2010)

That LG is bascially the same as Dell 3007WFP, FYI.

EDIT:

They even use the same base panel with no scaler. I have played with both, kept the dell, but because of warranty. If LG service is better out there, I'd go with LG too.

Alos noticed the price of U2711 there is lower than your quoted prices.


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## (FIH) The Don (Oct 5, 2010)

if youre going to spend that much money id take the LG

just mail hoh.de and ask if they ship to malta, and what the shipping is lol


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## Black Panther (Oct 5, 2010)

cadaveca said:


> That LG is bascially the same as Dell 3007WFP, FYI.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> ...



Meaning it's a generation before the U2711 and its 30" counterpart the U3011?

Wait, dell also has the 30" 3008WFP 

I iz confuzed now 

Scaler - that's to make the picture look good even when not at native resolution is it?


Sigh, I'm thinking I know too little about monitors to risk this money on a 2560 pixel one perhaps I should go for a 1920x1200


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## (FIH) The Don (Oct 5, 2010)

thats what i would do, get a 26/27" 1920x1200 if you can, maybe with IPS panel in it


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## cadaveca (Oct 5, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> Meaning it's a generation before the U2711 and its 30" counterpart the U3011?
> 
> Wait, dell also has the 30" 3008WFP
> 
> ...



Dell has 3007WFP, 3008WFP, and now U3011, and U3011 is basically combination of old 3007, with 3008 scaler and input options in the 3007WFP shell. I HATE the 3008WFP stand..on my second one...after time they tend to lean to one side. I've had to prop up each side of the monitor to keep it level.:shadedshu

The LG monitor is newer, but really is only 1920x1200, contrary to that listing there(LG's website says 1920x1200, and I'll listen to LG's site firstLINKY). The previous model that WAS 2560x1600, yes, is the same generation as 3007WFP. It fared better than the standard 3007WFP, but the 3007WFP-HC was better, IMHO.



Scaler...yes, exactly, but of course it adds some input lag. This makes a minimal impact to my gaming, and FPS is what I play most often, so should be perfect for you in regards to input lag.

I'd recommend 1920x1200 too...far easier for a modern gpu to push that res. I don't readily have any suggestions for that res though, as I have very little personal experience with such panels. I'm only good for high-end recommendations.


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## Black Panther (Oct 5, 2010)

I'm surprised at how easily I change my mind 

Thanks for the advice FIH. Cadaveca - from your posts here I learnt more on monitors than while browsing 

I've re-thought it and I don't think it's worth in my case to choose a 2560px monitor for €1000+ rather than a same-sized 1920x1200 for a third of the price.

I'm open to suggestions for 27"+ 1920x1200 monitors..


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## cadaveca (Oct 5, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> I'm surprised at how easily I change my mind
> 
> Thanks for the advice FIH. Cadaveca - from your posts here I learnt more on monitors than while browsing
> 
> ...



I think, maybe, your best best, for best quality picture, plus resolution, would be a 24-inch IPS-based panel. You should be able to find many for $500 or so. If you need more screen real-estate, buy a second monitor.


24-inch IPS:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/382087-382087-64283-72270-3884471-4101131.html

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...en&s=gen&sku=320-8277&~lt=popup&~ck=XYRelated

there are more of course, but just to give you an idea i tossed up a couple of links.



Another thing to consider with larger panels is how much power they use...avg is about 180w or so. So not only does it cost more initially for a large panel, you pay more for regular use as well.


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## ebolamonkey3 (Oct 5, 2010)

Whoa, haven't been back to this thread for a while. What did we decide Panther?

I trust you're going with X58/i7?

For the case, I have a Corsair 800D. I love it, but it's huge. Kinda hard to imagine before you see for the first time really. I agree w/ others, this case is made for water cooling, but I wouldn't say it's weak in terms of air cooling either. If you leave the fans stock, then yea, it's lacking a bit, especially in the GPU area. But if you put 3 fans on top and change some fan orientations, it's decent. If you decide to get the case I can tell you more about airflow directions in the 800D. Though if you plan on getting 2x GTX 480s, then you're probably better off with another case or add a fan or two on the side panel.

For the monitor, the U2711 is a fantastic monitor. Don't worry about the 16:9 ratio on this one because it's a 27" monitor, and it'll be bigger than a 24' 16:10 monitor height wise anyways. Normally I really hate 16:9 monitors b/c they seem so narrow, but I think you'll be okay here. The dot pitch is really small on this monitor, so text could be a bit hard to read. But everything will look gorgeous 

For the price you have to pay though, you are probably better off w/ a 30", but 2560x1600 is a lot of pixels, and you'll need a lot of horsepower to game at a good FPS at that resolution. Also do keep in mind that the LG 30" at 1920x1200 will make things look really big. I thought about buying a Hanns-G 28" monitor before, but I got a look at it at Best Buy and all the icons/text looks pretty big at native resolution, so they'll be even bigger on a 30". If you want to emulate the effect, change the resolution on your current monitor one step down. Example: 24" 1920x1200 (16:10) -> 1680x1050, and the ratio should look about right.

*Edit: Waiting till 2011 is a valid way to go also, but I think they won't be coming out with the chips until Q3 or Q4 2011? Also, good motherboards don't really come out until a year after the chips are released anyways.


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## Black Panther (Oct 5, 2010)

ebolamonkey3 said:


> I trust you're going with X58/i7?



I decided to wait for the mobo/cpu/ram combo since my games run fine on the present system. That is unless I encounter some really good offer!



ebolamonkey3 said:


> For the case, I have a Corsair 800D. I love it, but it's huge.


So far that's the case I'm eyeing to buy when I change mobo/cpu/ram.




ebolamonkey3 said:


> For the monitor, the U2711 is a fantastic monitor. Don't worry about the 16:9 ratio on this one because it's a 27" monitor, and it'll be bigger than a 24' 16:10 monitor height wise anyways. Normally I really hate 16:9 monitors b/c they seem so narrow, but I think you'll be okay here. The dot pitch is really small on this monitor, so text could be a bit hard to read. But everything will look gorgeous
> 
> For the price you have to pay though, you are probably better off w/ a 30", but 2560x1600 is a lot of pixels, and you'll need a lot of horsepower to game at a good FPS at that resolution. Also do keep in mind that the LG 30" at 1920x1200 will make things look really big. I thought about buying a Hanns-G 28" monitor before, but I got a look at it at Best Buy and all the icons/text looks pretty big at native resolution, so they'll be even bigger on a 30". If you want to emulate the effect, change the resolution on your current monitor one step down. Example: 24" 1920x1200 (16:10) -> 1680x1050, and the ratio should look about right.



I was unsure about the monitor since I've been using the laptop a lot for gaming recently and find its picture a lot better than the LG 1680x1050 of my desktop. It's 1920x1200 and only 17" so it kinda spoiled me 

I've been thinking that the desktop's 5970 can deal well with a 2560x1600 (ok perhaps not Crysis ) but on later thoughts it's not worth spending x3 the money I'd need to buy a similar-sized 1920x1200..... so now I've changed my mind and am looking for a 1920x1200  I'm set on buying a larger one though, at least 27" possibly something like the Hanns.G HZ281HPB


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## Mr McC (Oct 5, 2010)

What about importing stuff from another European country, would you get hit by high duties/shipping fees? 

Here's where I normally shop if it's of any use:

http://www.coolmod.com/

http://www.pccomponentes.com/

http://www.alternate.es/html/index.html


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## ebolamonkey3 (Oct 6, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> I was unsure about the monitor since I've been using the laptop a lot for gaming recently and find its picture a lot better than the LG 1680x1050 of my desktop. It's 1920x1200 and only 17" so it kinda spoiled me
> 
> ...so now I've changed my mind and am looking for a 1920x1200  I'm set on buying a larger one though, at least 27" possibly something like the Hanns.G HZ281HPB



If you're used to a 1920x1200 on a 17", the same resolution on a 27" will look really, really big.


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## Black Panther (Oct 7, 2010)

OK it's between these 2 finally....


Hanns.G HZ281HBP
€349 inc vat
------------------------
Hanns.G HH281HP
€357 inc vat

What gives? I've done some googling, for only €8 it's no problem choosing the most expensive one if only I could find the difference?

I also received an email from Scan:
27" Viewsonic VX2739wm Black Widescreen LCD Monitor, 1920x1080, 100,000:1, 300 cd/m², 1 ms, Full HD
• 27" Wide Color TFT Active Matrix LCD 16:9 aspect ratio 
• Display Area 23.5" horizontal x 13.2" vertical; 27" diagonal 
• Optimum Resolution: 1920x1080 WUXGA 
• Contrast Ratio: 1200:1 (typ); 100,000:1 (dynamic) 
• Viewing Angles: 170º horizontal, 160º vertical @ 5:1 contrast ratio 
• Response Time: 1ms (typ) 
• Light Source: Long life, 50,000 hrs. (typ) 
• Brightness: 300 cd/m2 (typ) 
• Panel Surface: Anti-glare, hard coating (3H) 
• Frequency: Fh: 24~83kHz, Fv: 50~76Hz 
• Analog 15-pin mini D-sub (VGA) 
• Digital DVI-D (with HDCP), HDMI 1.3 
• 3.5mm audio in / 3.5mm audio out 
• Power: 3-pin AC plug (CEE22) 
• Voltage: AC 100-240V (universal), 50/60Hz (auto switch) 
• Consumption: 58W (typ); 38W (Eco-mode) 
• Tilt: Down 5º, Up 20º 
• VESA® MOUNT: 200mm x 100mm 

 A 2-3 week lead time is to be allowed from order date.

Price is €369.00 incl VAT and ECO.


However I'd _much_ prefer a 1920x1200 over a 1920x1080.

Advice please?


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## (FIH) The Don (Oct 16, 2010)

did you decide on any monitor?


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## Fourstaff (Oct 16, 2010)

Extremely late advice, but the HH version comes with 1200 (which is what you want) and the HZ version comes with 1080 (which is what you dont want) so its simple, isnt it? Same logic applies to the viewsonic


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## Black Panther (Oct 16, 2010)

(FIH) The Don said:


> did you decide on any monitor?



Yup, I already put it in system specs


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## Fourstaff (Oct 16, 2010)

So you went for the Dell after all  How about writing a mini review for us?


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## (FIH) The Don (Oct 16, 2010)

you are crazy hahahahhaa 

gratz, did you get it yet+


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## Black Panther (Oct 16, 2010)

I thought my crazyiness stopped when I got the 5970 but apparently it didn't 

Be getting it within 7 - 10 days at the most.

*Edit*: I'll be having it Thursday 21st Oct 

*Edit again*:  I just broke the news to him, always do so after I've committed myself - well haven't yet told him the price but he told me I'd be spending as much as a new 9.9Hp outboard motor lol so he's erring on the high side  (well he knows me a lot...)

When the time's right I'll tell him it costs as much as a new 5Hp outboard motor....


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## Black Panther (Oct 29, 2010)

Well I guess my upgrade bug got satisfied now 

I got the monitor, bought Win 7 x64 and made a fresh install on a 160GB SSD... -- Big thanks to Paulharrison123 who sold me the SSD 

Things look nice so far:








I'm thinking of keeping my current CPU, RAM and mobo for now.

Thanks for all the advice guys


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## TSX420J (Oct 29, 2010)

Did you get a case yet? This is a really nice case if it fits your budget. 

COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plast...


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## paulharrison123 (Nov 12, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> Well I guess my upgrade bug got satisfied now
> 
> I got the monitor, bought Win 7 x64 and made a fresh install on a 160GB SSD... -- Big thanks to Paulharrison123 who sold me the SSD
> 
> ...




HEHE! No problems at all BP, Missing the SSD already, will be getting a new one ASAP!


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## pantherx12 (Nov 12, 2010)

Black Panther said:


> ______________________________________
> I thought Dell's warranty was standard though, what's with one retailer giving more warranty than the other, meh...



You are getting a warranty from the shop as well as the one that dell offers.

Basically if it goes wrong you can return it to the shop and get it sorted rather than returning it to dell. ( wooooo working in retail!/returns!)
They will either refund your money, replace the hardware or offer you another model of same specification.

But you will still have a dell warranty in box that lasts 3 years.


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## sneekypeet (Nov 12, 2010)

if you want water and a case, I ran across botht the Swifty kit and the 600T, they make an awesome pairing


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## DRDNA (Nov 12, 2010)

Dell warranties range from 1 year to 5 years and it all depends what is picked in the configuration when ordering . I order from Dell all day every day and thats what I deal with. I do it for a living..lol.


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