[GoRedwings19]

My laptop is going belly up on me at the last gasp. I am looking at buying a desktop to replace it. I want to incorporate DVD, Music and Gaming into an easy solution. I have a plasma display which I can use for Watching DVD's and playing games on and I am about to pick up a monitor.

What I was wondering is what kind of cost am I looking at. I would like to play games at the highest resolution possible with blistering frame rates. I would also like to rip music and then stream it to my DAC and then via my headphone amp.

Given the high price of computers in the EU I have been put off going to a vendor.

I have been currently looking at a dual 6800 ultra sli and AMD 64 4000+, or if it's not that much more a AMD FX55. Would it be cheaper to buy in the US and have it shipped to me in the EU?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Nandro]

If your looking in that price range it might be worth looking into the dual core amd 4400+ or 4800+ if you want to spend the extra dough. If your going SLI, you may as well have the cpu to keep up. The amd spanks even the best intel cpu's across the board. Dual cores will benefit you on a rig that is going to be used for video compression, audio ripping and encoding and such. Also being 64 bit it will use the new xp-64. I would think high end system like that if your going to build it probably around $2500-3000 and over 4k if you have it built. I mean with all that video power you wouldnt skimp on memory. May as well get 2+ Gigs.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro If your looking in that price range it might be worth looking into the dual core amd 4400+ or 4800+ if you want to spend the extra dough. If your going SLI, you may as well have the cpu to keep up. The amd spanks even the best intel cpu's across the board. Dual cores will benefit you on a rig that is going to be used for video compression, audio ripping and encoding and such. Also being 64 bit it will use the new xp-64. I would think high end system like that if your going to build it probably around $2500-3000 and over 4k if you have it built. I mean with all that video power you wouldnt skimp on memory. May as well get 2+ Gigs.

I don't have the skills to build it myself. I was wondering if there are any headfiers who are also into PC's would be interested in building me this system. Is it possible to get a dual core motherboard equip it with only one processor and then at a later date add the other one? AFAIK in the UK we only have the option of AMD 4000+ or FX55 but I don't think it's dual core. I think twin FX55 is a bit overkill for my needs, not to mention expensive.

I don't really have a budget as such But I would prefer it to cost less than $3500

Can you point me to any high end US based manufacturers so I can get some idea of what I might be able to achieve with my budget?

 

[gsferrari]

Wait for the new graphics core cards to show up (R520 for example). They will blow everything away...(6800 Ultra etc. not a patch on these according to industry experts).

If you have $3500.00 you have plenty of room to play with.

AMD for sure...AMD 64 bit CPU of your choice. Clawhammer is nice...the newer cores are now in...

Motherboard...


you know what? wait a few months...buy some cheap dell to last you until then...or just keep your existing PC on life support

 

[Nandro]

I wouldnt go by alienwares prices, but their systems would give you an idea of the components you might want to look for. The dual core cpu's just got released this week so they wont be out in full force for about another month. The FX55 is a great cpu, but if your going to be doing alot of audio/video the Intel cpu's with hyperthreading tend to fare better at those tasks. Thats why amd is finally kicking them in the arse with dual core. It basicly stripped intel of its last benefit over amd.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Wait for the new graphics core cards to show up (R520 for example). They will blow everything away...(6800 Ultra etc. not a patch on these according to industry experts). If you have $3500.00 you have plenty of room to play with. AMD for sure...AMD 64 bit CPU of your choice. Clawhammer is nice...the newer cores are now in... Motherboard... you know what? wait a few months...buy some cheap dell to last you until then...or just keep your existing PC on life support

A few months??? I'll be lucky if it lasts another 10 mins. I have to "smack it around" to keep it operating. Not to mention I can't even play NHL2005 cos it hasn't got enough power. You just don't know the power of the puck....

 

[DMOS]

The new AMD dual cores are not going to show up in volume until December, from the sounds of it he's not on that kind of timeline. While they were "announced" recently, and we had our review sample from them almost a week ago... I can't say with any honesty that you'll be able to buy a system using them for a while. Let alone one to build yourself.

GoRedWings, I really do suggest attempting to build a system yourself. To be honest, it's nearly idiotproof now. If you can plug something into a slot that only fits one way, you're set. It's not like you plan to integrate water cooling or anything into this. You'll save tons of money, learn a lot, and be able to retain an upgrade path in the future if NHL2007 suddenly draws more than your system can deliver.

Dual core/cpu at the moment does nothing for games. The software side of things is way behind. Music and DVD playback require next to nothing for hardware requirements, any reasonably modern system can handle this. Even using directshow filters to clean up video, and any plugins you'll find for foobar etc. Using any nForce4 socket 939 board will allow you to put in any high end A64 now, and have the ability to upgrade later to a dual core model if that does suit your desires later. So far our tests for compatibilty are encouraging. The only thing I was really worried about was power requirements of dual core on the motherboard (PSUs have excess power to donate at the high end).

The problem (ATM) with SLI is that to use it requires nVidia to include a "profile" in their drivers for each individual game. No profile, you only get single card performance. Hopefully they include them for the ones you want. They seem to be doing a better job lately of adding those in. As per usual though, there's always something better coming. The next generation will probably give quite a kick in the pants. To be honest though, an FX-55 is the limiting factor in games when using dual 6800 Ultras. The next gen are only going to make that discrepancy worse until games start to use multi-threading.

If you really feel uncomfortable with building it yourself, I can work out specific specs with you, and see how that compares price wise with available systems in the EU. I write about these things (www.devhardware.com, www.sudhian.com) and build them for "bonus" money to support my various interests...

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DMOS The new AMD dual cores are not going to show up in volume until December, from the sounds of it he's not on that kind of timeline. While they were "announced" recently, and we had our review sample from them almost a week ago... I can't say with any honesty that you'll be able to buy a system using them for a while. Let alone one to build yourself. GoRedWings, I really do suggest attempting to build a system yourself. To be honest, it's nearly idiotproof now. If you can plug something into a slot that only fits one way, you're set. It's not like you plan to integrate water cooling or anything into this. You'll save tons of money, learn a lot, and be able to retain an upgrade path in the future if NHL2007 suddenly draws more than your system can deliver. Dual core/cpu at the moment does nothing for games. The software side of things is way behind. Music and DVD playback require next to nothing for hardware requirements, any reasonably modern system can handle this. Even using directshow filters to clean up video, and any plugins you'll find for foobar etc. Using any nForce4 socket 939 board will allow you to put in any high end A64 now, and have the ability to upgrade later to a dual core model if that does suit your desires later. So far our tests for compatibilty are encouraging. The only thing I was really worried about was power requirements of dual core on the motherboard (PSUs have excess power to donate at the high end). The problem (ATM) with SLI is that to use it requires nVidia to include a "profile" in their drivers for each individual game. No profile, you only get single card performance. Hopefully they include them for the ones you want. They seem to be doing a better job lately of adding those in. As per usual though, there's always something better coming. The next generation will probably give quite a kick in the pants. To be honest though, an FX-55 is the limiting factor in games when using dual 6800 Ultras. The next gen are only going to make that discrepancy worse until games start to use multi-threading. If you really feel uncomfortable with building it yourself, I can work out specific specs with you, and see how that compares price wise with available systems in the EU. I write about these things (www.devhardware.com, www.sudhian.com) and build them for "bonus" money to support my various interests...

I am not really upto date on devolpements on the computer front as I stop following it about ten months ago. Which in computing terms is an eternity. I would like to try and build it myself as I have a friend who lives close by who could help me through it. But time is the limiting factor as my laptop is nearly being read last rites.

So let's say for example I want a Amd 4000+ with a 1 meg of ram and a 250gb hard drive for the time being with 1 6800 ultra. Would that be suffiecient for the time being?

Also the difference between Ati and nvidia top end boards is their really a difference? On paper the 6800 wins hands down but people have said that in reality the Ati boards has the edge.

 

[Sinbios]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 I don't have the skills to build it myself. I was wondering if there are any headfiers who are also into PC's would be interested in building me this system. Is it possible to get a dual core motherboard equip it with only one processor and then at a later date add the other one? AFAIK in the UK we only have the option of AMD 4000+ or FX55 but I don't think it's dual core. I think twin FX55 is a bit overkill for my needs, not to mention expensive.

i'd be happy to build it for you if you procure the parts, if only for the joy of being able to fiddle with such a high end system!

and buying only one processor right now and one later isn't worth it - by the time you need the upgrade, the price of the two processors + the motherboard is probably going to be more than the price of a normal board and processor in the future, which will end up a lot better too. if you really want the performance the upgradeability, go for a 939 board so you can use the new dual core cpus. the socket will definitely last quite a while, since it's amd's flagship socket at the moment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 So let's say for example I want a Amd 4000+ with a 1 meg of ram and a 250gb hard drive for the time being with 1 6800 ultra. Would that be suffiecient for the time being? Also the difference between Ati and nvidia top end boards is their really a difference? On paper the 6800 wins hands down but people have said that in reality the Ati boards has the edge.

the specs you described (assuming you mean 1 gig of ram ^_^) is very high end, and should be enough for anything you want it to do.

and i think the nvidia performs better, at the price of more heat and power draw.

 

[mmmmcheese]

Depending on the games you play certain cards will run it faster than others. Half-Life 2 for example will most likely run faster on a x800 then a 6800. I would say just to get the stuff out now. The newer stuff will not really increase performance enough to justify the price. I would say go with a

CPU:Athlon FX-55
GPU

ual BFG 6800 512 Mb versions
Soundcards: E-MU 1212 or higher/Audigy 2
Hard Drives: Dual 74Gb Western Digital Raptors (10,000 rpm) + a 7200 rpm 250 Gb drive for backup
Memory: 2Gb Corsair 3200 ECC
PSU: Pc Power and cooling TURBO-COOL® 850 SSI
then find a sli motherboard, some speakers, case, monitor, and mouse + keyboard.

EDIT: this pc would be screaming fast and would probably be overkill. hehe (i get excited and carried away when I talk about high end pc stuff) This might also be above you budget.



Quote:

Originally Posted by GoRedwings19 I am not really upto date on devolpements on the computer front as I stop following it about ten months ago. Which in computing terms is an eternity. I would like to try and build it myself as I have a friend who lives close by who could help me through it. But time is the limiting factor as my laptop is nearly being read last rites. So let's say for example I want a Amd 4000+ with a 1 meg of ram and a 250gb hard drive for the time being with 1 6800 ultra. Would that be suffiecient for the time being? Also the difference between Ati and nvidia top end boards is their really a difference? On paper the 6800 wins hands down but people have said that in reality the Ati boards has the edge.

 

[GoRedwings19]

Thanks for all the responses dudes, you have been most helpful. What about pricing? I would like to keep it under $3500 if possible. Are the prices generally cheaper in the US. I took a look on the alienware website for the UK and a fx55+dual 6800 ultra cost about £2400 which is way too much.

 

[mmmmcheese]

I have to get off for tonight but tomorrow night i'll see what i can fix up for about 3500.

 

[macman88]

for $3,484 you can get this


[1] Aurora™ 7500

Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 4000+ Processor with HyperTransport Technology
Memory: 2GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 333MHz - 4 x 512MB
Keyboard: Free Alienware® Microsoft® Multimedia Keyboard
Mouse: Free Alienware® Microsoft® IntelliMouse Explorer
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy® 2 ZS High Definition 7.1 Surround Firewire (IEEE® 1394)
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support with Onsite Service
Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Chassis: Alienware® Full-Tower Case
Motherboard: Alienware® nForce™4 SLI™ Chipset Motherboard PCI Express
Floppy Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive - Black
Optical Drive One: NEC® ND-3520 16x Dual Layer DVD±R/W Drive
Optical Drive Two: Lite-On 52x32x52x CD-RW Drive
Free Alienware T-Shirt: Free Alienware® T-Shirt - Black
Display One: No Monitor
Display Two: No Monitor
Network Connection: Integrated High Performance Gigabit Ethernet
Video Optimizer: AlienAdrenaline: Video Performance Optimizer
Cable Management: Alienware® Cable Management System
System Drive: High Performance - Serial ATA - 74GB Serial ATA 10,000 RPM w/8MB Cache
Storage Drive: Additional Storage Drive - 250GB Serial ATA 7,200 RPM w/8MB Cache
Alienware Exclusive Offers: Gamespot Complete - Free 90-day Trial (a $20.85 value)
Alienware Exclusive Offers: 10% off your next EB Games online purchase
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 510 Express
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Free Alienware Mousepad: Free Alienware® Mousepad
AlienWiring: AlienWiring - Exclusive Internal Wire Management - $99.99 Value - FREE!
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager
AlienInspection: AlienInspection - Exclusive Integration and Inspection - $99.99 Value - FREE!
Graphics Processor: Dual NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6800 Ultra PCI Express 256MB DDR3 with NVIDIA SLI Technology

 

[gsferrari]

Please dont throw your money on an Alienware...

 

[GoRedwings19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Please dont throw your money on an Alienware...

no I wasn't planning to. It was just to see what is possible and not, that's all. I would prefer a technically minded head fier to build it than splooging all that money. How would the PSU be affexted seeming I live in the EU where we have 220v instead of North America's 110v. Would it make a difference?