Dear Gawds of [H]ard|Forum: I seek building advice!

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Bukki

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Dec 25, 2005
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Due to some interesting circumstances, within the next month or so I will have $7000 with which to build a new PC. I built my current one 4 years ago, I think, and the selection of hardware out there now is insane. I ask you, the insane system builders of this forum, to advise me as to what kind of parts I should be using. In particular, I am looking for brand recommendations, RAID setups/advice, in order to get the best results. I want to use this PC primarily for gaming/video editing/photoshopping, and just as a general media powerhouse.

In short, if you were in my shoes, how would you build your system? Any good advice that you can give me I would love to hear.

Regards,

Bukki

Edit: If I put this in the wrong forum, please do tell me where I should post this thread. =)
 
General hardware might be a better place for this.

Oh and you should probably answer the following quesitons:
- What parts do you need for $7000?
- What size monitor do you have? Are you planning to get a new and bigger monitor.
- Will you be overclocking?

FYI, after around $2500 or so, IMO, the law of diminishing returns hits. So spending that much money won't neccessarily be that much of an increase in performance over a $2500 rig.
 
I am considering throwing in something like a blu-ray drive, maxing out the RAM capacity of whatever motherboard I decide on, multiple hard drives. I do not know a lot about overclocking, but if the motherboard makes it easy and I read up on it a bit I will probably give it a shot. I will be purchasing a 30" monitor.
 
My recommendations and rough price estimates:

2x 8800GTX - $1000
Q6600 - $275
Thermalright 120 Ultra Extreme + Good Fan - $75 (note: I don't think watercooling is truly worth the hassle, but others might disagree)
Case (personal preference, Antec P182) - $100
PCP&C or similar 750W+ PSU - $250
8gb DDR2 (whatever's on sale, in 2gb sticks) - $250
good 680i mobo (pick your pony, the eVGA 680i seems a favorite) - $200

soundcard (X-Fi Music) - $50
headphones (my recommendation - Sennheiser HD555's) - $100
headphone amp - $50

MX518 mouse - $50

Vista Ultimate x64 - $200
hardware SATA RAID card - $150
2x Raptor X hard drives in RAID 0 (for OS) - $400
4x 500gb SATA hard drives (recommend the WD500AAKS, in RAID 5) - $450

I might be forgetting something... but this is a good start.

Total: $3,600

----------

Notes: For a Blue-Ray player, just buy a PS3 for now.

Definitely overclock - there is soooooooo much potential in these new Intels, and it's sooooo easy, it's unreal.
 
7 G's? Wow... ok. Ultimate PC, eh? Here ya go.

Case: Silverstone TJ09 - $270
PSU: Silverstone DA1200 - $380
Mobo: eVGA 680i A1 - $225
CPU: Intel Q6600 - $280
Ram: 4GB (4 x 1GB) Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 - $310
GPU: 2 x eVGA 8800 Ultra's Superclocked - $1460
Sound: Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty - $175
OS HD: Western Digital Raptor 150GB - $180
Data HD: 2 x Hitachi 1TB drives in Raid 0 - $660
Burner: Samsung 20x DVD+/-R DL SATA - $30
*All prices taken from Newegg.com*

Monitor: 2 x Dell 30" - $3000



$6970
 
Wait 2-3 months if at all possible. Now, simply put, isn't the time.

If you must build now, Q6600, eVGA 122-CK-NF68-A1 680i SLI motherboard, 8800 GTXs or Ultras in SLI (buy my GTX and water loop, add a second card, save money! :) ), 4GB DDR2-800 (2x2GB sticks), Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme + Scythe S-Flex fan, Thermaltake Toughpower 850watt or similar Silverstone/Enermax/Etasis/PC Power and Cooling PSU, 4x 500GB Seagate 7200.10s in 2 RAID0 arrays (near same performance and space of what other poster was going to have you get for 1/2 the cost), Silverstone, LianLi, or Tagan case. If you're really hardcore, a phase cooler for the quad instead of the TRU120.

Don't bother with the X-Fi, drivers for Vista still suck.
 
8lack8rain said:
Anyone have an idea for dual monitors?
Click to expand...

Dual monitors mean no SLI, which pretty much puts them outside the super high end unless running something like the Matrox TripleHead rig that makes them all show up as one display to the card. Sadly this isn't possible with the stupid-huge displays due to hardware limitations of the TripleHead rig. You could add an 8500/8600 card in the third PCIe 16x slot on a 680i board and run up to three monitors that way, but 2 of them (running off the 8500/8600) wouldn't be any use for gaming.
 
AuxNuke said:
7 G's? Wow... ok. Ultimate PC, eh? Here ya go.

Case: Silverstone TJ09 - $270
PSU: Silverstone DA1200 - $380
Mobo: eVGA 680i A1 - $225
CPU: Intel Q6600 - $280
Ram: 4GB (4 x 1GB) Crucial Ballistix PC2-8500 - $310
GPU: 2 x eVGA 8800 Ultra's Superclocked - $1460
Sound: Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty - $175
OS HD: Western Digital Raptor 150GB - $180
Data HD: 2 x Hitachi 1TB drives in Raid 0 - $660
Burner: Samsung 20x DVD+/-R DL SATA - $30
*All prices taken from Newegg.com*

Monitor: 2 x Dell 30" - $3000



$6970
Click to expand...

Not a very cost effective build, but still nice.

@OP:
When you say media powerhouse, do you mean like, with TV capture cards? hehe.

Honestly? for that much money, I'd get several systems instead, lol. I'd get one hell of a gaming laptop ($2250), a nice desktop ($3250), and another, smaller laptop that can double as a media center ($1500), lol.
 
When I say media powerhouse, I mean running a lot of HD video content and doing a lot of video encoding/editing/etc. No really huge meaning behind it.

@silent-circuit:
I'm waiting at least a month before I build it because I'm interested in seeing what the next generation of video cards will be capable of. If I'm not mistaken, I also think there are some interesting new CPU's due out by year's end.
 
Bukki said:
When I say media powerhouse, I mean running a lot of HD video content and doing a lot of video encoding/editing/etc. No really huge meaning behind it.

@silent-circuit:
I'm waiting at least a month before I build it because I'm interested in seeing what the next generation of video cards will be capable of. If I'm not mistaken, I also think there are some interesting new CPU's due out by year's end.
Click to expand...

If you're looking for next gen stuff I'm still firmly in the camp that you'll be waiting for Q1 08. Same on the processors. The stuff out at the end of this year is going to be a waste of cash even for someone with your budget -- Extreme Edition chips always are. The more 'mainstream' and sane high-end 45nm chips won't be introduced for 1-3 months after the EE chips according to the current roadmap.
 
Damn.
Damn.
I don't really know what I'd do if I had that kinda money to spend....
Let me try.
Case: Antec 900 ($110)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 ($180)
Motherboard: Asus Blitz Extreme ($330)
CPU: Q6600 G0 Stepping ($290)
Hard Drive(s): 2* 150 Gig Raptor 10000RPM drives (2*$260 = 520) 2*Seagate Baracuda 750Gig 7200.10 RPM drives (2*$218 = 436)
Video Card: eVGA 8800GTX ($585)
Ram: OCZ 4GB(2 x 2GB) Platinum Rev 2 ($250)
Optical:Asus DRW-1814BLT Black SATA DVD-Writer *2 ($90)
Monitor:UltraSharp 3007WFP-HC 30'' Widescreen LCD Monitor ($1400)
Audio Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Platinum Fatal1ty Champion Series 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card ($200)
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speaker System ($333)
Keyboard: Logiteh G15 ($80)
Mouse: Logitech G5 Laser Mouse ($53)
CPU cooler: Tuniq Tower 120 ($50)

I suppose you could go with another 8800GTX in a 680i.....But I chose not to. Still not even close. Not even 5K. I would love the system above though.
 
Bukki said:
When I say media powerhouse, I mean running a lot of HD video content and doing a lot of video encoding/editing/etc. No really huge meaning behind it.
Click to expand...

I'll rephrase the question. Do you plan on tuning to HD stations via QAM or Analog TV tuners within the PC? or, simply put, do you want a tv tuner card? If so, that was the only thing missing from AuxNuke's build, along with the Killer Nic and PhysX card, lol.
 
enginurd said:
Not a very cost effective build, but still nice.

@OP:
When you say media powerhouse, do you mean like, with TV capture cards? hehe.

Honestly? for that much money, I'd get several systems instead, lol. I'd get one hell of a gaming laptop ($2250), a nice desktop ($3250), and another, smaller laptop that can double as a media center ($1500), lol.
Click to expand...

Ya, I'd say this is a good idea. Spend the rest on other cool tech gadgets!
 
I suggest more along the lines of a top of the line gaming desktop, and one practical laptop that could also work well as a media device. No need to fill your life with a huge number of machines.
 
MaxTheLimit said:
I suggest more along the lines of a top of the line gaming desktop, and one practical laptop that could also work well as a media device. No need to fill your life with a huge number of machines.
Click to expand...

But I can't lug my gaming desktop around easily :( If I only had to choose between one laptop, it'd be the gamer. Ideally, though, my gamer would be almost a desktop replacement (15" or 17") and my practical laptop would be very lightweight and small (12").
 
Penryn performance will likely be a bit better than Conroe (current-gen) clock-for-clock (thanks to the larger, 12mb cache), but the main appeal is that it will use less power and run cooler. It might also overclock better - time will tell. MORE INFO HERE

On the graphics card side of things, you'll be safe buying an eVGA model and using the Step-Up Program if new stuff comes out within 3 months.

If it's between waiting 3 months on Penryn or buying now, I would buy now. With that kind of dough, you can always upgrade / step-up as needed.

Laptops are no comparison to a desktop for gaming. The biggest drawbacks lack of upgrade path and relatively small screen. If you get a laptop, get one that will truly be mobile (lightweight, good battery life), and use your desktop for the gaming. I speak from experience on this.
 
SEALTeamSix said:
Laptops are no comparison to a desktop for gaming. The biggest drawbacks lack of upgrade path and relatively small screen. If you get a laptop, get one that will truly be mobile (lightweight, good battery life), and use your desktop for the gaming. I speak from experience on this.
Click to expand...

Seconded. I had a 'gaming laptop' for a time and sold it due to underwhelming performance and horrible battery life. If you can afford a nice 'gaming laptop' you can afford a much better desktop /and/ a reasonably good (or even second-hand) smaller 'work' laptop that'll handle the net and similar. Gaming laptops also have a nasty tendency to break due to the insane amounts of heat generated inside their comparatively small, cramped casings. I also speak from experience here. I RMA'd the 17" Sager I had twice in the space of 10 months before selling it at a considerable loss just to get rid of the thing. I'm sure things have moved forward in the last couple of years, but not enough that I'd want to play that particular game again any time soon.
 
More thoughts:

--8800Ultra's aren't worth it, 8800GTX's will be fine and match Ultra performance when overclocked.
--The extra RAM is worth it for multimedia - max out your mobo with 8gb's (4x2gb sticks).
--Hardware-based RAID cards kick the crap out of software-based solutions / onboard.
--RAID 0 offers no redundancy, so I'd go RAID 5 for your data - it offers redundancy and speed.
--In this price range, 15K RPM Serial-Attached-SCSI (SAS) might be a good option for your primary (non-data) drive.
--Too many people with high-end systems skimp on computer audio and use $20 Walmart headphones and onboard sound. Don't do that.
--If you do a triple monitor setup, I would get 1 30-inch Dell, and 2x Dell 2007FPW's and use them in portrait mode to flank each side of the 30-incher.
--You don't need to spend $380 on a PSU - there are plenty of good $200-ish PSU's for your build. Check johnnyPSU, PCPer, etc.
--For the love of God, overclock your rig.

--For a small fee, hire someone reputable from the [H] to order the parts, build your rig, overclock it and test it, then ship it to you. ;)
 
1) Gaming Laptops will always cost wayyy to much, "burn up", and lag way behind desktops
2) Buy an aluminum case if you want to take it to LAN parties and such, pretty light even with everything inside... A full aluminum case feels lighter than an empty steel one :p
3) Don't try to spend $7k on a single computer, you will end up just wasting that money away.
4) Its usually a waste to buy the "top end" parts, as they usually cost much more than similar performing cheaper parts, especially with CPUs. The Q6600 is an excellent buy right now.

I'd say, spend $2-3k on a nice gaming computer, and then buy a nice lightweight laptop for web browsing / whatever.

I'd also wait on SLI for right now, unless you get a 30" screen or so, then it is needed. Go with EVGA so you can step-up if nvidia comes out with newer hardware in the next 90 days, which they probably will do.

Also if you want more than 2gb of ram, you will be looking at a 64bit OS.

500gb drives are the best price/size right now, stay away from the 750/TB drives in most cases.
 
SEALTeamSix said:
Laptops are no comparison to a desktop for gaming. The biggest drawbacks lack of upgrade path and relatively small screen. If you get a laptop, get one that will truly be mobile (lightweight, good battery life), and use your desktop for the gaming. I speak from experience on this.
Click to expand...

While I agree, I was just sayin what I would do if I had $7k to blow on a single system; which was a nice desktop, gaming laptop, and practical laptop. Sure, no laptop could replace a desktop for gaming, but no desktop can be as mobile as a laptop. So, if I had $7K, I'd like to spend the money to be able to game at home, and wherever else I go (business trips, friend's place, lan party, vacation, etc).
 
AuxNuke said:
...
Data HD: 2 x Hitachi 1TB drives in Raid 0 - $660
...
Click to expand...

That much data with two points for catastrophic failure...I think I just died a little inside.


If I had 7k to blow on a system I'd probably get the watercooled EVGA 680i and two watercooled EVGA Ultra's think there called black pearl edition or something.

Though I agree with the earlier sentiment of Nice desktop + nice laptop.

One could easily build a top of the line system for 3k, everything beyond that its gonna be paying through the nose. You'll end up paying 50% of the cost in the last 5% of performance.
 
It's been a while since I posted this topic, and I appreciate the great responses that everyone has posted. I've decided to wait until Penryn comes out (and perhaps a new motherboard model) before I order the parts. Since I have so much cash available for this, I don't mind doing 2x Ultras (perhaps even those watercooled ones) and use the step-up program when/if nVidia decides to finally release their next top-end card.

I have a couple of friends from high school who ended up going into the computer business, both of whom will be helping me build my system and make some final decisions on cooling solutions.

In response to the suggestion to get a laptop, I already have a fairly decent Dell that I used in college. It's nothing spectacular, but I don't really plan on doing much with a portable PC in the way of gaming; most likely nothing more than watching an occasional DVD in bed :p. I still have some more research to do about overclocking/stability/motherboard brands and stability. You've all given me some great ideas, though, so I'll certainly post an update when the system has been built (complete with photos!).

Thanks again for the help thus far,

Bukki
 
spend 3000 on the pc, and either just put it in the bank for saving for a rainy day or invest in either, bonds, mutual funds, individual stocks, whatever you feel comfortable with.
 
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