Build-Off Contest 58: Beat the Pre-built Dell Alienware Area-51 Desktop
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Solved by Rhotis,
CPU: Intel Core i7-5960X 3.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($1008.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($217.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($132.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($132.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD Black 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($248.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($548.85 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($548.85 @ B&H)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card (3-Way SLI) ($548.85 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Aerocool DS 120mm White 81.5 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.39 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Aerocool DS 140mm White 93.4 CFM 140mm Fan ($19.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Aerocool DS 140mm White 93.4 CFM 140mm Fan ($19.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Aerocool DS 140mm White 93.4 CFM 140mm Fan ($19.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Ducky DK9008G2 Wired Standard Keyboard ($125.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Other: Oil rubbed bronze spray paint ($41.00) Home Depot
Other: Satin white spray paint ($35.00) Home Depot
Other: Metallic Pearl top coat paint ($41.00) Home Depot
Other: cablemod White replacement PSU cables ($90.00) Cablemod
Other: White carbon fiber vinyl sticker roll ($6.00) moddiy.com
Total: $4674.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-05 17:11 EST-0500
Chose the top Haswell-E CPU because if you are going to go haswell-E you need to go all the way. A 5930 would be like a really hot girl inviting you up after a date and all she wants to do is watch TV. Its still nice but come on, who wanted to really watch TV
3x EVGA 980s. I always go EVGA for nvidia cards. They have great service and support and their cards are usually rock solid due to their relationship with nvidia and such.
I chose 2 850 evo drives. One for the OS and one for your most common apps or games. THe 4TB WD black will be plenty for the rest and still offers solid performance for a HDD.
The case is the key part of this build. Chose the S340 because I love that case. It does have some flaws though and that is the paint is not the greatest on the sides and front and even worse on the top. So we are going to custom paint this bad boy. Satin white on the side panels and the PSU shroud as well as the cable hider panel. They will then be top coated with a metallic pearl to set it off nicely. The top and front will be painted oil rubbed bronze to give it a really nice contrast to the white pearl sides as well as give it that little touch of elegance. The mother board tray left black. The 850 EVO's should set off really nice against the PSU shroud painted white with that metallic pearl finish.
White cables throughout to contrast with that pure black motherboard and black ram. As well the cryorig cooler is plenty enough to handle a mild 4.4 overclock and will set off nicely with the white elegant top contrasting against all that black and complimenting the cables and white accent strips of the GPUs.
The white carbon fiber is simply to cut into strips wide enough to hide the logo work and give a little contrast on the sides of the GTX 980s.
I figured its not too hard to meet or beat the technical specs of that alienware rig. We all could do it. I wanted to do something custom here with custom paint and a nice themed white and black look inside and out here. The system will still outperform the alienware system and it will look a heck of a lot better IMO.
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