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Message: <blockquote data-quote="John Crichton" data-source="post: 3389605" data-attributes="member: 4779">Hey all.So the time has come to get a new desktop.  I have built a few machines in the past with various levels of success.  However, this time around I really don't want to spend the time worrying about doing that.  I want to have a warranty that is not me and am comfortable paying for it.  This would also make my GF happy as she will be using it as well.So, the problem comes with which company to go with and price.  One of the issues with the current rig is that is is loud and only gets louder the longer it is on.  All that said, this what we want in the new PC:- It needs to be pretty quiet.  - Don't mind spending a lot.  I've considered everything in the range of $2500-$5000.- Customer service is huge.  We are willing to pay a premium to not worry about the system for the next few years.- Don't need top of the line as I don't play the big FPS or the like.  Games to be played: 4X (CivIV, GalCivII), Tycoon games, Sim Games and a few RTS.  I would also buy a PC exclusive RPG (like Neverwinter Nights 2).  But I have a PS3, 360 & Wii so those are my gaming platforms of choice.- Will be using the most recent versions of Photoshop, Office Apps and probably some video editing software down the line.- I typically upgrade every 4-5 years so I don't want to have to upgrade anything in the machine with the exception of possibly more HD space and maybe RAM as needed.- Already own a Dell 24" wide screen monitor - don't need a new one.So, I configured an Alienware Area-51 7500 - SLI last night.  Was happy with it and then decided to read around for reviews.  I found that with the huge case and quad-core processors that the machine was loud.  Not cool.  Here are the dimensions:Height: 19.01”Width: 9.97”Depth: 25.02” Weight:  52 lbs.Basically, the thing is a beast.  Yow.  Has 4 case fans and one for each of the videocards (GeForce 8800 GTX).  My config only had one videocard but I wanted the ability to add a second down the line when they get much cheaper as I don't need it now.I need a little help finding a PC with the requirements I listed above.  I'd be okay with the above Alienware, even with the huge case but the noise is a deterrent.  I'd also like a little help understanding RAID 0 vs 1 and watercooling.  I know a bit about both these things from reading many articles but have no practical experience with them.If I'm leaving out info needed to make a suggestion, please ask.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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