I do agree with you on the DCUII cooling solutions from Asus. Very quiet, very efficient in cooling, and very reliable. I have built 3 rigs with DCUII cooling, and the oldest one is about 4 years old now, and recently, when I checked on the rig, it was still running quiet with no issues, with no cleaning done whatsoever. Of course, I must also say I have built one rig with WindForce, and one rig with TwinFrozr, and they have had no issues as well. WindForce was not as quiet as DCUII, but TwinFrozr was about the same, based on my memory.

True. But within that time, i think i can upgrade to 9 series maybe.

Sound convincing. Also when i search the review/benchmark it seem the margin about 20+ fps. I think i can live with just high/ultra tweaking setting.
Thanks mate. Will go with Opt 1 then. 1st timer to feel how SSD like.

Yes, Asus mobo is good, I have been specifying and using Asus for all my builds, never had any issues with any of the motherboards. However, if you do not mind using other brands, then Asrock is also OK, as well as MSI and Gigabyte. I would not buy any lower brands than those.

No worries, mate. I tasted SSD about 3 years ago (first one was the Corsair SSD), and now I recommend SSD for all my builds, the difference in general usage speed of the PC is really significant - especially if you start-up and shut-down, and also when you load programs, or even when you load levels within games. The best option in my opinion is to buy a 120GB SSD, and a hard disk to store data.

The setting for YCbCr444 is only for Nvidia only. If you are using Intel, I am not sure if there is a need to use the YCbCr color space. It is best to read the forums, and check if that is required, or not.

Hardware Secrets has a good write up on the FSP Raider 650W. The circuit design is similar to the FSP Aurum, so it should be very good, and it uses high quality MOSFETs and Teapo capacitors. Maybe it is FSP's way to "downgrade" Aurum PSUs that fail to meet the 80Plus Gold criteria during final electrical test, and then sell those units as a FSP Raider 80Plus Silver.

In other words, the FSP Raider 650W is a good buy ... you should get about 90% of the Aurum PSU performance for 75% of the cost.

Thats what I thought too. But most of the brand name ones with backup batteries all cost in the region off RM500-1000 at least. Not even counting the RM1-4K ones. Looking for something that regulates voltages and can provide temporary backup power when the power goes down. Been selling PS Audio power plants to HiFi customers so i recognized the importance of a AVR/Circuit Breaker/Power Filter.

Where is this RM80 AVR? Would like it check it out.

Sentinel92, the RM80 AVR I mentioned does only simple voltage regulation and surge protection, it will not do any backup power. It is better than normal, and from my experience, I have zero failures on my builds using AVR and good power supplies.

You must be knowledgeable then in AVRs, if you are familiar with PS Audio Power Plants, that is some serious power conditioning hardware, and in Hi-Fi, you can actually hear a huge difference in the sound.

The RM80 AVR is made by Power Logic Koss, and here is the website:
http://www.kossups.com.my/activa.html

Yes i know. That's why I mentioned I'm looking for AVRs that also work as backup power sources. But the brands that do have backup batteries are so expensive. Sigh.

But yeah, I guess even without a backup battery an AVR is still a good place to start with to ensure my PC gets regulated current.

And yes, the PS Audio Power plants are insane pieces of equipment. With price tags which are nothing to sneeze at either. Best way to protect expensive Amps/DACs and transports.

Hmm, alright will take a look. Thanks for the link. Btw you mentioned you make builds. Which company do you work for?

red streak, please reconsider spending a bit more budget on your monitor. The monitor is the key interface between the PC and you and it will influence how you experience everything in your PC. It is the same principle with speakers/headphones, keyboard, and mouse. These are the hardware components that actually "connects" the PC virtual reality with you, so plan some budget and also choose these hardware components carefully.

Also, once you buy a good monitor, speaker/headphones, keyboard, and mouse, then you do not have to upgrade them again for a long time.

Also, a 19" or 20" monitor means 1366x768 resolution, or 1600x1200 resolution, so a GTX760 is overkill. Maybe a GTX750 or GTX750Ti is more than enough. GTX660 and GTX650Ti are old hardware, and the GTX750/GTX750Ti is better.

But please consider spending about RM500 to RM700 on a good 23" 1920x1080 monitor, most monitors using IPS panels are good.

I do not work for any company Sentinel92, it is more of a hobby. Over the years, I have built up a reputation, and I make or recommend builds for friends, relatives, friends of friends, relatives of friends, etc.

Hey guys, been stalking the threads and I must say you guys are doing an impressive job. Back to the issue at hand, I have been using my laptop for the past 3 years to play my games and I have been noticing the games now require more hardware specs so I think I will save up for a gaming rig soon so...here goes.

[Budget] - 3k

[Purpose] Gaming. Hardcore gaming.

[Hardwares that will be re-use] None.

[Monitor resolution] the biggest there is?

[Games & softwares that use frequently] ummm....directx11? I dont know this question? Crysis? AC4?

[Personal preferences] I dont mind splurging to 4k if it looks good

[Location] Only problem is that I am in kuching so maybe I am thinking I go over to KL for a day or two, pay for the rig in advance then carry the PC only to kuching in my arms. The monitor would have to be bought in kuching. suggestions on this problem?

Over the week of checking and asking around, these will be my final build. To all Stfu any commend ?

CPU: Intel Core i5 4440 RM589
Mobo: ASUS H87 PLUS RM375 Asrock H87 Performance RM399
RAM: GSkill AEGIS 2x4GB DDR3 1600MHz RM139x2units Corsair Vengance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9R DDR3 1600MHz 4GB x2unit RM339
GPU: Gainward GTX 760 2GB DDR5 Phantom RM880
PSU: FSP Raider 550W PSU RM239
SSD: Plextor M5S 128GB SSD RM289
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB HDD RM195
Chasis: NZXT H440 Black Red RM399
ODD: Lite-On 24x DVDRW RM60 (don't need these item as my case don't hv optical bay)
Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight RM129 Thermaltake NiC C5 Untouchable RM219

Between idealtech say it did not recommend me to take Asrock H87 Performance but instead prefer to take ASUS H87 Plus. Both I see from specs are similar. I take Asrock H87 Performance because the mother board Red colour scheme match with my NZXT H440 black/red theme.

Alright, here is what I can optimize for you. Basically, close to a RM3.8k budget will get you a nice GTX 770 paired with a superb 23" IPS monitor. Best of all, it even includes a 128GB SSD. Well, speed is a luxury they say, so if you are tight on your budget, you can just omit the SSD for some precious bucks.

Intel Core i5 4440 - RM579
Asrock B85M Pro4 – RM279
Corsair Value Ram 8GB DDR3 1600MHz - RM239
Gainward GTX 770 Phantom 2GB – RM1199 (lingloong / IdealTech)
Seasonic S12 II 620W PSU - RM299
WD Caviar Blue 1TB HDD - RM189
Plextor M5S 128GB SSD - RM289
Cooler Master K380 Casing - RM149
LG 23EA53V 23" IPS LED - RM519
Lite-On 24x DVDRW – RM59

Total - RM3800 (prices are from Viewnet)

From what I see, those Vengeance RAMs are purely optional since they will not affect you much, in terms of gaming performance per se. But if you're looking to match to a certain theme in your rig build, then no harm going for them. They are a tad pricy, just for you to know.

The Thermaltake cooler looks awesome, so it's entirely up to you. For the record, you don't really need a 3rd party cooler considering that your CPU is locked and has little to no overclocking capabilities. If you would want it just for the sake of quietness and lower temps, then going for cheaper solutions e.g Hyper 212X or Dark Knight would probably make more sense. But all in all, it's all really up to you.

Fully agree with rav3n82 ... unless you plan to show off your rig, then the Vengeance RAMs, and Thermaltake cooler is not really necessary from a performance standpoint.

Of course, if you are someone who does care about the color of your mobo to coordinate with your NZXT, then by all means, do consider completing the whole rig with Vengeance and Thermaltake, it does make the rig look a lot better. The NZXT has a window to see your cool components!

Please also consider to install a white LED light inside the case, it does make the whole thing look much nicer if you have light to see inside at all the nice components. Also, since you are going to see inside, dust will be your No.1 enemy. To counter this, try to get proper dust filters as well for the three front intake fans and single rear fan, and please also consider to turn the rear fan inside out. Positive air pressure with filters for all the fans, will reduce the dust build up inside your case by a significant amount, and keep your rig looking pretty for a much longer time.

thank you mate. Will start saving up and learn more.

Avangelice, you should consider coming to KL, the price difference between Low Yat plaza, and Kuching, along with the wider selection of components, might just be worth the trip. If you are planning to ship the thing back to Kuching, or carry it, then you will need to make sure the weight and size is considered as well. The prices can be higher by up to 30% in Kuching.

One way to get a good monitor at a good price is to buy a Dell IPS monitor, they will ship it to Kuching with no cost, I think. The other thing that needs consideration is the casing, maybe spend a bit more to set up an iTX rig, the weight is lighter, and size is smaller, but cost will be more.

I think Ill just have to hand carry it. yes I checked through the so called mini "lowyat" in kuching. Everything has a 10-20% increase in price. Sakit hati I moved back to my home town.

Actually, you could have the rig built here in West Malaysia and then have it shipped back to you, with some charges of course. Companies like Ideal Tech (zhen^wei) do shipments to whole of Malaysia, you can check them out in Garage Sales. Or they may have already caught you on their radar and will approach you shortly.