I asked for a quote on the components in this computer:

[quote]ASUS Essentio CM6870-US-3AD Desktop PC - 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3770 3.40GHz, 16GB DDR3, 2TB HDD, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 620, Blu-ray ROM/DVDRW, Keyboard/Mouse, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit[/quote]

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3234272&Sku=A50-13000

But I asked him to swap out the power supply and fans for the following:

• Power Supply: 800 watt silent cooler PSU  (Modular)

• Cooling Fans: I do not need top of the line, but I need more than "adequate" to keep the system cool.  2 fans were recommended to me.

And I wanted the additional following:

• Windows 7 Pro OS 64 bit (I want my own copy of the actual program, not just a reformat disk)

• CD with all of the drivers I will need for the various components in the event I ever need to reinstall.

• HD should be 6 gb/s

• Motherboard should support 6 gb/s SATA

This is what I was quoted:

[quote]Please see below.  I have quoted with the newer 3rd generation core i7 3770K processor, these are the same cost as the 2600K.  The power supply is from Thermaltake and is an 850W, I don’t have an 800W option to offer.  The noise rating for this PSU is approx. 32.6dB at full load, the fan in this power supply is a 14cm.   The Antec case I includes  a 140mm top fan and a 120mm rear fan.  Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see any changes.

I would need payment upfront to order this and it would take about 10 business days to come in to our location.  We can drop ship direct to you for a $10 charge.  There is also a $15 environment charge on all PC’s.

TOUCH P-SERIES 3 YEAR OPTIONAL      $1379.00

Consisting Of:

    FULL ASSEMBLY AND TESTING FOR                              1           

    ANTEC THREE HUNDRED TWO CASE                               1           

    INTEL CORE I7 3.5G 1155 8M 77W                             1          

    WD BLUE 500GB 16MB 7200 3.5"                               1           

    MS 1PK WIRED DESKTOP 600 ENG (Mouse and Keyboard)          1           

    ASUS SKT.1155 INTEL Z77 ATX                                1          

    ASUS BC-12B1ST 12X BD READ                                 1            

    THERMALTAKE 850W TOUGHPOWER                                1          

    DDR3 2X8GB 1600            1           

    MS WIN 7 PROFESSIONAL X64 ENG                              1    includes the DVD      

    ASUS ENGTX560 DC/2DI/1GD5                                  1          

    UPGRADE TO 3 YR DEPOT WARRANTY                              1           

http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=24&fid=4

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1265&ID=2041#Tab0

http://ca.asus.com/en/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z77V_LK/

http://ca.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/ENGTX560_DC2DI1GD5/[/quote]

Can anyone tell me if I got a quote on what I asked for?  And is this a pretty decent computer?  I don't need a gargantuan hard drive and asked for a quote on a smaller one, but added that if the price was the same or more for the smaller one vs the larger one, to give me the larger HD.

So should I get this one?

Looks about right to me. Of course, it would be a lot cheaper if you bought the individual components and put it together yourself ;). Meanwhile, you can canibalize what's still good from your old computer like the RAM and stuff and save even more ;). Anything wrong with your old power supply? Keep it. Same goes with fans. You can reuse those. As long as they are in good shape, there's no reason why you couldn't use them and save yourself some cash ;).

Laurie

The graphic card blew up a few years ago so I'm using onboard graphics.  And the hard drive failed last weekend.  I don't know about the other parts. I think the power supply was only 400 watts, maybe less.  And I don't know about the fans.  The DVD drive still seems to be ok. I haven't had trouble reading or writing disks.  Good idea about the RAM. There is only 2 gigs though.  So I don't think there is much there to salvage.

I have been reading the reviews here in the UK for a few weeks now as I try and spec out a new system.  I will be building it myself as it allows me to have the exact mix of components that I want.  Having said that the system you have listed is very similar, with the same processor and Z77 chip set am have decided on.  Although it specifies an Asus Skt 1155 Z77 ATX board it does not state which one, I believe there are a couple.  If is Asus it will be be a good board anyway.  

I always recon US dollar prices relate directly with UK pounds without any conversion rate.  Based on that and my research the price you have been quoted would seem to be about right.

This is a Canadian dollar quote.  The prices here are about 20% or 30% higher than in the US.  At least that is what I discovered looking at the US egg site vs the Canadian one.  A graphic card that is $130 USD is $176 CAD.

If that is the case the price looks pretty keen for something of that spec.  There is also the 3 year warranty which my prices would not include as a DIY build.

I did not notice the first time around that you placed a link to the Motherboard which, like the rest of the components, are all good quality and well known brands.

My main reason that I build myself is not so much to save on cost but to keep the system almost silent.  That is what I achieved with my present build and it would be a major step backwards to have a noisy system.  I have no way of knowing the noise level on your system but spec and price wise I would have no problem buying it on that spec even at a simiar UK sterling price.

I ordered the computer! I'm going tomorrow to put a down payment on it and it will arrive in about 2 weeks, at which time I'll pay the balance.

I can hardly wait!  I'm so excited!

I am sure you will find it is worth the wait.  Let me know how you get on with it as I have a few months to go before I can get the time to order and build mine.

1. the Antec 300/300 2 cases have notoriously crappy front panel connectors. otherwise they offer pretty good ventilation and the stock fans arent bad. 

2. swap out that PSU. get something from:

Seasonic
PC Power & Cooling
Enermax
Corsair (not their low-end 'Builder Series' - a few ive installed were plagued with capacitor whine). most decent Corsair PSUs are made by Seasonic.
Antec (their higher end PSUs)

do NOT scrimp on your power supply. its the most important component in your system. it protects all your other components and your house (ive watched a couple PSUs burst into flame and its not pleasant).

Ultra, Thermaltake, Cyberpower, Cooler Master, Diablotek, HEC, etc - and especially stuff like Rosewill or anything that comes packaged with a case - are all crap you need to stay away from. not to mention a 450W Seasonic would probably put out more stable watts than an "850W" cheap PSU.

I have have used a Thermaltake PSU in the past and it proved to be reliable.  On the other hand I must admit that, after reading pages of reviews I am looking at using one of the Seasonic X-series as they appear to be very stable, well built and quiet.

Just fyi, a gpu on newegg (or any part) should not have a discrenpency of over 20$ to the american site. This is either a grave oversight or a milking tactic given that CAD is within 5 cents of parity for the past several months.

The quote seems right for a prebuilt from tiger. The system is good, the gpu is a little weak (infact the gpu on the 3770 I7 integrated graphics will only be around 40% slower then a 620 for anything besides gaming.)

Quote - Just fyi, a gpu on newegg (or any part) should not have a discrenpency of over 20$ to the american site. This is either a grave oversight or a milking tactic given that CAD is within 5 cents of parity for the past several months. The quote seems right for a prebuilt from tiger. The system is good, the gpu is a little weak (infact the gpu on the 3770 I7 integrated graphics will only be around 40% slower then a 620 for anything besides gaming.)

the dollar has been at, near or over par for ages now and weve always paid roughly 10-50% more for everything here - and on top of that we get dinged with shipping and taxes whereas most of the stuff you order in the US from out of state comes with free shipping and no tax.

the US has a market 10x the size - competition is fierce.  Canadians get sleazy retailers that gouge us at every opportunity because they can. 

i buy as much as i can from ebay (and pray it doesnt get dinged for duties), or cross-border shopping trips.  in the meantime i try to console myself with the fact that we have free healthcare :(

if you think Canada has it bad, price some electronics or PC components in Europe. most are double the American price.

BTW Acadia i looked up the specs/reviews of that Thermaltake PSU you chose. it seems like a good PSU, however for the past couple decades Thermaltake has been pretty much producing cheap crap. so while the specs are good im not sure id spend >$250 on a TT PSU when there are solid choices from Corsair and Seasonic in that price range.

Quote - ...the gpu is a little weak (infact the gpu on the 3770 I7 integrated graphics will only be around 40% slower then a 620 for anything besides gaming.)

I guess it a good thing that the actual order is for an excellent 1GB GTX 560 not the 2GB 620 initially mentioned.

Sorry, missed that.

The 560 is by no means excellent. A 650 would use half the wattage and be only 30-40% slower then the 560 at anything except gaming (and even then it'd be around a max 70%). The price to performance of a 560 is just not there anymore, for a graphics rig a 650 makes more sense, it will run cooler, use half the wattage, has newer technology, and trades off pure cuda gaming performance for reliable performance at the wattage it maintains, which isn't much.

cest le vie, I guess

Edit: Blackhearted, I just bought a significant order from newegg a short while ago. There wasn't a single item in the order that was over 20$ marked up on neweggs american site. Infact;

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130664

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130661

These cards are identical in performance and model with the sole difference being three revisions to the model ID number.

It's better to get a big power supply, because graphics cards take a lot of power. You can always upgrade later. They are easy to swap out. Good luck with your new PC. I just got a new one in August and it cost around 3,000 US. I figured I would not have to upgrade for a long time, but I should not have spent so much money. Sounds like you will have a great system.

It's ordered!!!   2 weeks until it arrives.

YAY!

Laurie

Fantastic, now all you have to do over the next two weeks is build those complex scenes so that you can see just what the new system can do.

Quote - It's ordered!!!   2 weeks until it arrives.

YAY! Congrats!