I'd like to build a computer which hits the "sweet spot" of the hardware market and gets maximum performance for the dollar. I'd also like it to be as "futureproof/upgradeable" as possible, so that, as it starts to fall behind, a few upgrades might extend its lifetime. I'd also like to aim for a price range somewhere near $700, but this is not firm.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within a month or two
BUDGET RANGE: $500-$850, emphasis on price/performance and upgradeability
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, video editing, Matlab, Solidworks
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, keyboard, 5.1 speakers
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.newegg.com, will take suggestions
PARTS PREFERENCES: None, other than aforementionred emphasis on price/performance
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Probably Crossfire, again, willing to follow advice
MONITOR RESOLUTION: currently 1280x1024, would like to be able to run on a 22-24" monitor with decent resolution
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: would like the build to be quiet, upgradeable (if possible), and to maximize performance/price
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an initial configuration I put together. Nothing is set in stone.
Hard Drive: $74.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
GPU: $183.99 - $20 MIR
HIS Hightech H487QT1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ 4+ Turbo ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161265
Memory: $97.99
GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Quad Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GB28GB5300C5QC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144236
Case: $54.95
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Motherboard: $109.99
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
PSU: $99.99 - $10 MIR
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
CPU: $139
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649
Mouse: $8.25
Logitech SBF-96 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104026
DVD/CD Player/Burner: $27.99
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030
Total: $797.14 - $30 MIR
Specific questions:
Should I go for a better motherboard that supports DDR3 Memory? Will there be much performance difference in DDR2 and DDR3 memory?
Should I try to reconfigure for an Intel chip like the i7?
Where is the bottleneck on the system I've put together? How can it best be addressed?
Where is the system over-performing and what would be the recommended solution?
What could be done to improve upgradeability?
What could be done to improve the performance/price ratio?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: within a month or two
BUDGET RANGE: $500-$850, emphasis on price/performance and upgradeability
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: gaming, video editing, Matlab, Solidworks
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: monitor, keyboard, 5.1 speakers
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: www.newegg.com, will take suggestions
PARTS PREFERENCES: None, other than aforementionred emphasis on price/performance
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Probably Crossfire, again, willing to follow advice
MONITOR RESOLUTION: currently 1280x1024, would like to be able to run on a 22-24" monitor with decent resolution
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: would like the build to be quiet, upgradeable (if possible), and to maximize performance/price
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an initial configuration I put together. Nothing is set in stone.
Hard Drive: $74.99
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319
GPU: $183.99 - $20 MIR
HIS Hightech H487QT1GP Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported IceQ 4+ Turbo ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161265
Memory: $97.99
GeIL Black Dragon 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Quad Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model GB28GB5300C5QC - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144236
Case: $54.95
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
Motherboard: $109.99
GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128387
PSU: $99.99 - $10 MIR
CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 ... - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
CPU: $139
AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor Model HDZ720WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649
Mouse: $8.25
Logitech SBF-96 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104026
DVD/CD Player/Burner: $27.99
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030
Total: $797.14 - $30 MIR
Specific questions:
Should I go for a better motherboard that supports DDR3 Memory? Will there be much performance difference in DDR2 and DDR3 memory?
Should I try to reconfigure for an Intel chip like the i7?
Where is the bottleneck on the system I've put together? How can it best be addressed?
Where is the system over-performing and what would be the recommended solution?
What could be done to improve upgradeability?
What could be done to improve the performance/price ratio?