ibuypower and my experiance

[Mufasaprime]

Greetings ladies and gentlemen

TL;DR: im spending about 2600 bucks of my own money on an experiment for the masses

throughout the past 2+ weeks, i have been venturing into the purchase of a computer not from a name brand company (dell, alienware, etc) last week my laptop of 5 yrs (a beefy $6000 alienware laptop, it was a gift, calm down =D ) died on me, so i was forced to make a purchase to keep myself from going insane thanks to TV commercials

now i had two options:
-make one myself (usally the cheapest way, but due to large hands and being a bit rusty, i could possibly fry everything if done incorrectly)
-buy a premade one and hope the price doesnt kill me

through my research i had stumbled apon 3 websites, ibuypower, digital storm and another which i cannot remeber atm. through discussions on said forums to people with extensive research on product performance a rig was composed to about $2300 +tax = $2586.86 (knocking off about 80 bucks from the shipping because i will be picking it up)

now you may ask why i am posting this thread, well from the horror stories i have seen, i wanted to put myself in the same position as others to see how bad it could really get, i invested my own hard earned money and as the days go by will inform how the proccess goes, what i bought, and what i avoided so if you are also in my shoes desperate for a strong computer fast, this may be a viable option for you

[Cilraaz]

It sounds to me like you'll be avoiding most of the horror stories by picking it up yourself. It seems that most of the problems (that I've heard, at least) come from improper packing/shipping.

[Mufasaprime]

It sounds to me like you'll be avoiding most of the horror stories by picking it up yourself. It seems that most of the problems (that I've heard, at least) come from improper packing/shipping.

yeah that was a major reason of most horror stories from things not being mounted correctly, was a factor in my decision, though to me being at work, i can only update my story (lunch break coming soon so i can explain what i bought, what i ignored, and why i choose to pick it up) mainly im trying to help people who are considering my option as well, never know, might help make flawless rigs

[Cilraaz]

I wasn't shooting down the purpose of your thread in the least. I just wanted to mention the extra footnote of shipping issues.

[Sukaduk]

Well I will be watching to see what your review as I am considering a new computer, do you mind sharing the spec on your new rig?

[Mufasaprime]

I wasn't shooting down the purpose of your thread in the least. I just wanted to mention the extra footnote of shipping issues.

ah :P
well inc update soon (once my subway gets here)

[Mufasaprime]

Intel X58 Core i7 Configurator
Case ( CoolerMaster HAF 932 Full Tower Gaming Case - Black )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction ( None )
iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion ( None )
Case Lighting ( None )
Processor ( Intel® Core™ i7 960 Processor (4x 3.20GHz/8MB L3 Cache) )
iBUYPOWER PowerDrive ( None )
Processor Cooling ( CoolerMaster V8 CPU Cooling Fan System )
Memory ( 12 GB [2 GB X6] DDR3-1333 - Corsair XMS3 Dominator w/DHX technology )
Video Card ( ATI Radeon HD 5870 - 1GB - Single Card )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by ATI or NVIDIA )
Motherboard ( [SLI] ASUS P6X58D Premium w/ 2x Gb LAN )
Motherboard Add-on ( None )
Power Supply ( 1000 Watt -- Extreme Power Supply - [Gaming Series] Quad SLI + Active PFC )
Primary Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 64M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive )
Data Hard Drive ( None )
Optical Drive ( 24X Sony Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black )
2nd Optical Drive ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( None )
Meter Display ( None )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Netbook / Notebook Bundle ( None )
Operating System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
Speaker System ( None )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
MP3/MP4 Player ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Advanced Build Options ( Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks )
Advanced Build Options ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis )
Advanced Build Options ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Basic Pro Wiring )
Warranty ( Standard Warranty Service - Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) - [RUSH !!!], Ship Out in Next Business Day )

is what i got, now you may question the ram and the next day business shipping
i had originally had about 2k to spend (due to my computer dieing unexpectedly) but thanks to some late b-day money i received through my family from Sweden, i was about to upgrade the ram and get rushed delivery

now one thing you will need to consider about rushed delivery-
it does not include the shipping cost
it does not mean it will leave the store next day
it does not mean with next day shipping you will see it at your door in 2 days

what it does mean-
your order will be pushed ahead of others
your order will be worked on faster
your credit card will be charged pretty much the hr you make the purchase (before 12pm)

i would advise getting in contact with Bryan via the live chat support
Direct line- 626 228 1141
or email at iservice@ibuypower.com
i would highly advise if not able to get in contact with bryan, try to get in contact with anyone from the live assistant option on their website (ibuypower.com)

now you may ask, why would i want to get in contact with a representative?
If not busy, they will personally see your rig being built
work with you and your credit card to make the purchase complete
will contact you personally if any issues arrive or complications

complications?
yes, complications, most credit cards now a days have a max spending amount per day (mine was 2500, my purchase was 2586) i was contacted the next day explaining the situation and was able to make a half now, half next day payment to get my rig on the line to be built

another complication can occur with the free upgrade and overclocking
ibuypower has had a situation when it comes to its liquid cooling system becoming out of stock very quickly, i would highly advise getting the V8 coolmaster instead, less hasstle and no 2 week waiting for it to arrive

the second issue is overclocking, now, normally this is a great way to get more performance out of your rig, but this can also slap 2-4 days onto your wait time due to testing required to make sure your rig doesnt go Kamehameha on your ass, i would advise skipping overclocking and do it yourself, even now a days, with i7's overclocking is not even needed

atm i am currently passed the first phase of receiving my rig, my credit card was charged, and my rig has been on the line for a full day now, i have been told i will be able to pick it up about Wednesday of next week

more news when things change, im gona go enjoy my subway

[Dethh]

Your Processor cooling is bad
V8 isn't good
Get a noctua the new model that comes with 2 fans.
Best air cooler on the market hands down.
The chip is very nice I have an I7 series as well.
Basically the only thing I would change is the case (yours is fine) and the cooling on processor(This is a must).
12 gigs is overkill for WoW at least.
You will never use 12 gigs gaming coulda spent the money somewhere else.
6 gigs is MORE then enough if all your doing is gaming.
I would say get another Vid card instead of the other 6 gigs of ram but I dont think WoW supports crossfire.

[Cilraaz]

A V8 is fine, unless you're doing a very heavy overclock.

WoW indeed doesn't support CrossFire.

[Jiran]

A V8 is fine, unless you're doing a very heavy overclock.

WoW indeed doesn't support CrossFire.

Noctua D14 is the king for air coolers. But the Corsair H50 with fans in push pull out performs it slightly.

[Jiran]

and wow, that comp could've been built a lot cheaper.

[nwo]

Build looks pretty solid, however, as already said, 12GB of RAM is overkill. 6GB is plenty if you are using triple channel memory, 4 or 8GB for dual channel. For gaming, all you need is 4GB. As far as the video card goes, stick with the 5870. I would also get a brand name PSU instead of a no name 1kW PSU. Get a Corsair 750TX or 850TX, it is going to provide you with plenty of power even if you decide to add another graphics card (which I wouldn't recommend but it depends on your intentions and needs).

[Cilraaz]

Noctua D14 is the king for air coolers. But the Corsair H50 with fans in push pull out performs it slightly.

Again, I'm not arguing that for a big overclock. For anywhere from no overclock to a medium overclock, a V8 is fine.

[Jiran]

Again, I'm not arguing that for a big overclock. For anywhere from no overclock to a medium overclock, a V8 is fine.

oh I don't disagree either, but I think the price diff between the V8 and D14 is neglibible to the fact one should just buy the D14, or hell even the H50 and an extra fan.

The CM V10 on the other hand is a monstrosity, that is known to "break away" due to weight and crash down and kill video cards lol.

[proken]

http://www.ibuypower.com/info/chimera2-system.aspx#p=p2

24 gigs of ram, sup

[nwo]

http://www.ibuypower.com/info/chimera2-system.aspx#p=p2

24 gigs of ram, sup

ok... why?

[Cilraaz]

http://www.ibuypower.com/info/chimera2-system.aspx#p=p2

24 gigs of ram, sup

That's a useful post. So descriptive and such a great explanation as to why you'd ever want 24GB RAM.

[proken]

That's a useful post. So descriptive and such a great explanation as to why you'd ever want 24GB RAM.

its not meant to be useful. i simply checked out the webiste that was originally posted ran into this and shat a brick.

[Mufasaprime]

update:

i do apologize guys for not updating on earlier, i had a wicked stomach flu so i was bed ridden from Friday to Monday afternoon

my rig has been on the assembly line for two days
materials where gathered-fri morning
Assembly started- fri afternoon
Assembly finished- Monday afternoon
Burn-in phase- Tuesday, nearly complete and will be nearly ready for pick up

now, for the whole 12gigs of ram, i had extra b-day money, and it wasnt to much, so the only viable upgrade i could get was the extra 6sticks, and for the purposes i also do novice picture and video editing and my tastes for what i would like to play in the future will most likely change =]

[Dethh]

Even using those applications 12 gigs is over kill.
As I mentioned before there are other places that money could have have been spent to make you rig better.
You mention "in the future" well when games require 6 gigs to operate you will be buying a new rig and we will be on a new memory platform. Anyway GL with your pre built.

Building a PC is very easy even for the not so mechanically inclined.
I would suggest for others to do that. There are videos on you tube to give you a basic idea. The amount of resources to pull from on the internet as far as info goes are second to none.

Also building your own rig saves you ALOT of money.