{DISCLAIMER: I know someone who offers tech advice asking it sounds a bit silly, but sometimes external input can help. The following build is bogged down with some unnecessary extras. I know, and I don't care. $5k checks get flung at me on random occasions. I know that Nehalem is supposedly coming out later this year, but I've been sitting on my thumbs for components since mid-'07, while keeping vague track of the industry since I bought in 2004. Video card drivers and OS support change so much that I don't really want to bother with 780i/790i. Perhaps in a year or two I'd consider it, but by that time I'd be upgrading again anyway.}
Spent an evening flopping this together (without bits like SATA cables that I'd undoubtedly have to snag). What I'm essentially looking for is peoples' experience with components, component combinations (primarily MB+RAM), component support and combinations thereof on Vista 64 and XP Pro. Suggestions for alternative hardware welcome. I'd like a rig that can run high-end games from 2008-2009 at high details at reasonable resolutions (1280x1024+).
Spent an evening flopping this together (without bits like SATA cables that I'd undoubtedly have to snag). What I'm essentially looking for is peoples' experience with components, component combinations (primarily MB+RAM), component support and combinations thereof on Vista 64 and XP Pro. Suggestions for alternative hardware welcome. I'd like a rig that can run high-end games from 2008-2009 at high details at reasonable resolutions (1280x1024+).
Well...it's getting to be around that time. Unable to be played with any sort of dignity, Crysis rots on my shelf. Age of Conan's details are heretically-lowered, and other rich goodies such as Fallout 3, Spore, Guild Wars 2 and Far Cry 2 are on their way.
If too small, right click and view.
PURCHASE LINKS:
DDR2 or DDR3? There's an $800 difference between choices of hardware here. Doesn't make much difference to me, but that remainder could pick up an HP laptop or...or...nine trips to the gas pump.
DDR2 Combo: Motherboard, CPU, RAM
DDR3 Combo: Motherboard, CPU, RAM
Motherboard: I decided against bleeding-edge stuff like 790i's and X38/48's due to the fact that I don't plan to SLI before buying a new video card, and I don't do much overclocking. The P5Q3 alone gave the X48 a run for its money and even surpassed it on some benchmarks, so I see no reason to shell out an excess of $300 for one.
Base:
Chassis, PSU: Both are probably overkill. I can cycle in the $200 some odd Lian Li PCV-1000B case-on-wheels I grabbed in 2004 for the PC I'm on now, but would have to go to the extra effort of removing all its parts. This thing, however, would probably be the last high-end case I'd ever buy. For awhile. The PSU has way more than enough juice to keep this thing running, and more to spare in case I decide to chock the spacey chassis full of extra stuff, like a Mickey Mouse radio.
Video, Audio, NPU: I've read the reviews of the GTX280 and am satisfied, if not utterly blown away. It should tide me over for another few years, like the good ol' 6800 Ultra. For the sound cards, I've considered the X-Fi Titanium Champion, due to its shielding and front plate. Unfortunately, the front plate lacks the mess of sockets and plugs the old ones had, and I didn't see HDMI 1.3 support listed anywhere. Therefore, the Audigy 2 ZS Gamer will have to do until something better comes along. The Killer NIC is the item most likely to get axed, unless I find a good (Age of Conan) reason to keep it in the itinerary.
Vista HDD, XP HDD, Storage Drive 1: The desire to install Vista 64 on a new computer is like a dog's yearning to bury its nose into an exceptional pile of crap. However, it must be done. I am satisfied with XP 64 for applications such as Photoship, but I require the Vista experience, no matter how unfulfilling it may be. It might as well be served on one of the best plates I can get, and a 300GB Raptor will do. To back up this insanity, XP Pro will be installed onto a 500GB drive, where 99% of my games that won't work with Vista will have a place to call home. On the side is a 750GB drive for things like video capture, more games and a mess of text logs from the early 90's.
Optical 1, Optical 2, HD Optical: I'm not sure what I was thinking when I added a $50 DVD writer to the list. Must've been tired, or under some sort of (hopefully by now) outdated impression that having an IDE drive would be nice. Subject to change. The Samsung's fine, but was part of an older list. A newer model may be available for about the same price. As for Blu-Ray, why not? Another item to hack off the list at a whim.
Floppy, Card Reader: The floppy disk is for utilitarian purposes. Doesn't seem to matter what computer I'm using; they always come in handy now and then, even if USB. The card reader is more for bragging rights than whatever occasional use it would see.
OS 1, OS 2, Remote: I already have an XP disc lying around, so in that goes. Amazon has a great deal on the latest version of Vista that beats the crap out of Newegg's. And yeah, I'm going to get a remote. Can always use something that I lose more batteries for.
I wouldn't mind getting the chassis, the NPU and the Blu-Ray player, but they are free to go, which would clear up another ~$800, knocking base price to ~$1700, DDR2 combo price to ~$2400 and DDR3 price to ~$3200. No matter which way I mix it, it still comes out better than pre-built outfits.
All that remains are the two biggies: compatibility research for RAM and MB.
Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2008-06-24 05:13:53)