Dream Machine Help - $10k Budget

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

Umm... could you... maybe send some of that $$$ my way... and get me an 8800GTX water-cooled from BFG? Oh... and a lambo would be nice... and a maserati for my mom... could you throw in some buffalo wings at that? Lol

 

[skyguy]

Well, to tell you the truth, any recommended system here will kick A$$ hardcore, plain and simple. But like you said, which itch to scratch?

Here's my recommendation:

Instead of figuring out specific parts at this point, why not figure out what you NEED to do with this machine. Is it for faster renderings? Massive storage requirements? Bling gaming? What?

Determine the main uses of this system, THEN figure out what components will satisfy those criteria.

A pure gaming rig? Just buy a Voodoo. Renderings? Then CPU(s) that will annihilate those tasks. Build a DVD collection? Then several drives. Security, speed, aesthetics.......what exactly are you looking for?



Figure out your needs and intent. Then just fill in the details that accomplish those.


I'm not a buyer, I'm a Project Manager. I solve problems and get things done, that's what I do. And that's how you will get this thing figured out. Same approach, different details 😉

 

[celewign]

Geez, wow, I had no idea. Good for you. You should tell me what company it is so I can invest and some of those earning can float my way. PM me. Or not, if you don't feel like it.
-cm

 

[Apple_Fritters]

Darn it... I just don't know what I want... 🙁

I bet you were feeling pretty good until you came to this forum. 😀

 

[celewign]

He could just go to Newegg and buy the absolute most expensive component in each list...
-cm

 

[celewign]

Lol, he'd end up with some FireGL thing! 😀
-cm

 

[Apple_Fritters]

Ars puts together an impressive E-penis every couple of months. They call it the "GOD BOX" This one came to almost $13000 not including the OS.

http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/system-guide-200612.ars/4

 

[celewign]

I see they put Linux on it.
All that expensive hardware, and the OS is free, LOL. I wouldn't complain, I love Linux.
-cm

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

I was gonna say.. what's wrong with Linux?

 

[celewign]

We ALL know that Linux sucks compared to Windows 95.
-cm

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

Oh ABSOLUTELY! Come to think of it, I STILL have win95 on my old computer!

 

[Whizzard9992]

Oh ABSOLUTELY! Come to think of it, I STILL have win95 on my old computer!

Dual optys? Meh 🙁

A single OC'ed QX6700 would beat that setup...

That's more like a buddha box. A god box would have a C2D and would totally kick its a$$. :twisted:

 

[PCAnalyst]

The QX6700

 

[Apple_Fritters]

Dual optys? Meh 🙁

That was the december centefold.
I bet the next installment of the "GOD BOX" features Intel's V8. :lol:

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

Um... I'm using dual-xeons right now... I don't like opties... not fast enough.

 

[Whizzard9992]

What do you have for a disk setup in that?

 

[Dante_Jose_Cuervo]

So far... it's just a single Fujitsu 147GB 10k rpm hdd. Running... SuSe linux... quite happy... everything else is onboard like the graphics and everything...

But fear not! I'm getting some money soon and I'll be putting Vista Ultimate on it... and then I'll dual-boot it to my SuSe again... have to put Vista First to make sure LILO works OK.

 

[iq1]

Ok... I can get this from Cyber Power PC for $7k... I know I am now off-topic for the forum... but... what do you think?

CASE: Hot New! CoolerMaster Mystique 632 Tower 420W Case (Black Color)
CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX6700 @ 2.66GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache EM64T
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader)
VIDEO CARD: NEW!!! NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: SPECIAL!!! NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
LCD Monitor: ViewSonic VP2330WB 23" Wide Screen Color TFT Active Matrix WUXGA LCD Display Monitor
HARD DRIVE: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 4 Identical Hard Drives (320GB (80GBx4) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: Gaming Hard Drive (10, 000RPM SATA150) (SATA150 - Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10, 000RPM 16MB Cache WD1500ADFD)
Optical Drive: LiteOn LH-2B1S (BLACK) 2X Blu-Ray (25GB Storage) Rewritable SATA Internal Drive (Black Color)
Optical Drive 2: LiteOn SHM-165H6S 16X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology (Black Color)
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI Elite Pro 24-BIT PCI Sound Card

 

[bananabox]

Nah... it's cash that I have... bonus from work... why is it a waste of money?

its just overkill, i agree with another poster who said just spend 5k now and then incremental down the road to upgrade stuff. also there is no need for 8800gtx in sli.

 

[PCAnalyst]

Ok... I can get this from Cyber Power PC for $7k... I know I am now off-topic for the forum... but... what do you think?

CASE: Hot New! CoolerMaster Mystique 632 Tower 420W Case (Black Color)
CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX6700 @ 2.66GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache EM64T
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader)
VIDEO CARD: NEW!!! NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: SPECIAL!!! NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
LCD Monitor: ViewSonic VP2330WB 23" Wide Screen Color TFT Active Matrix WUXGA LCD Display Monitor
HARD DRIVE: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 4 Identical Hard Drives (320GB (80GBx4) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: Gaming Hard Drive (10, 000RPM SATA150) (SATA150 - Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10, 000RPM 16MB Cache WD1500ADFD)
Optical Drive: LiteOn LH-2B1S (BLACK) 2X Blu-Ray (25GB Storage) Rewritable SATA Internal Drive (Black Color)
Optical Drive 2: LiteOn SHM-165H6S 16X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology (Black Color)
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI Elite Pro 24-BIT PCI Sound Card

I think you could get better RAM than that Corsair... but you just need to know if that particular model uses the Micron D9GMH chips which are the best. The Model number should have a C4 at the end of it... Crucial Ballistix, Mushkin Extreme Performance, Team Group, OCZ, Geil Ultra... use the good stuff... If I were spending that kind of money I would use only the very best.

2 different video cards??? Not a good suggestion... get Dual 8800GTX and be done.

The HDDs you chose are OK, but you could get the WDs with 16MB cache and the server editions(SE) which will give you some peace of mind as far as stability... and why not get (4) 250GB HDDs since price is relatively the same.

If max storage is not of particular concern I would suggest getting at least 2 raptors - either 74Gig in RAID 0 or 2 - 150Gigs in RAID 0... the drive speed will essentially be double that of 1 HDD.

As a practical spender I can't find any reason to use Blu-Ray. For one- they are too damn expensive... 2- They are not that popular... 3- For the amount you have to pay in Blank media... you could easily make up for by using more DL discs which are considerably cheaper...

which I ask you - Can you think of anytime in which you needed to burn 25 gigs onto 1 single disc? - If so then go for it, but HD is catching up quick and is just more commonly used.

The Striker Board is a great board, but you will find little difference between it and the eVGA model... unless you like the eye candy.

 

[bananabox]

and dont buy a prebuilt either, i just looked at voodoo's site and forgot how overpriced they are. x2 4200 and a 7900 gt for 2k. they want 215 bucks for a stupid sticker on the machine and 515 for a paint job. i now know why they sold out to HP cause they werent selling anything at those damn prices

 

[John_C]

Ok... I can get this from Cyber Power PC for $7k... I know I am now off-topic for the forum... but... what do you think?

CASE: Hot New! CoolerMaster Mystique 632 Tower 420W Case (Black Color)
CPU: (Quad-Core)Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme QX6700 @ 2.66GHz 1066FSB 8MB L2 Cache EM64T
MOTHERBOARD: (Quad-Core Supports) Asus Striker Extreme nForce 680i SLI Chipset LGA775 FSB1333 DDR2 Mainboard
MEMORY: (Req.DDR2 MainBoard)2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2/800 Dual Channel Memory (Corsair XMS2 Xtreme Memory w/ Heat Spreader)
VIDEO CARD: NEW!!! NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
VIDEO CARD 2: SPECIAL!!! NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS 256MB 16X PCI Express (EVGA Powered by NVIDIA)
LCD Monitor: ViewSonic VP2330WB 23" Wide Screen Color TFT Active Matrix WUXGA LCD Display Monitor
HARD DRIVE: Extreme Performance (RAID-0) with 4 Identical Hard Drives (320GB (80GBx4) SATA-II 3.0Gb/s 8MB Cache 7200RPM HDD)
Data Hard Drive: Gaming Hard Drive (10, 000RPM SATA150) (SATA150 - Western Digital Raptor 150GB 10, 000RPM 16MB Cache WD1500ADFD)
Optical Drive: LiteOn LH-2B1S (BLACK) 2X Blu-Ray (25GB Storage) Rewritable SATA Internal Drive (Black Color)
Optical Drive 2: LiteOn SHM-165H6S 16X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology (Black Color)
SOUND: Creative Labs X-FI Elite Pro 24-BIT PCI Sound Card

I suspect you're heading in the right direction as it is beginning to sound like you'd rather just buy a high end system rather than buy a bunch of parts and start tinkering trying to get them all working. Without concern for the supplier (I only have first hand experience with Alienware and I like them as a supplier except for their teen looking monster themed cases)...

I am the king of not buying power you don't need, but 430W won't cut it for what you are wanting to do.

GF 7900 as second video card doesn't make any sense. Either get a second 8800GTX in SLI or leave it alone with 1 unless you have some exotic need you haven't yet discussed.

23" monitor isn't bad, but at your budget I'd go with a 30" unles you have space constraints. Dell has a nice one. Just buy it separately. Just be sure to get a "Dual-link DVI" cable with it - which is a slightly special cable so just stick with those exact words in the length you need.

EDIT: You might want to configure a Area-51® ALX at Alienware. I think that is pretty close to what you are really looking for.

 

[PCAnalyst]

Holy!!!... Yeah I didn't even see that you had a cheap arse 420W PSU...

Might I recommend the very best?

PC Power & Cooling 1000W

PC Power & Cooling 1000W Turbo Cool

It doesnt get any better than that.

 

[John_C]

and dont buy a prebuilt either, i just looked at voodoo's site and forgot how overpriced they are...

They have their place. Not everyone enjoys tweaking systems, and for those who just want a quality system that comes completely assembled with a warrenty in case anything goes wrong, vendors like Alienware are a great choice even though you are paying extra for the assembly and service they provide.

 

[telim]

iq1:

Wait for the next quad core from Intel based on 45nm.

Wait 3-5 weeks for the specs/benches on the ATI R600.

Get the ARECA raid card. Use 4+ RAPTORS in a RAID0, and store any crucial data on a network drive.

Get 2-4GB of Corsair Ram. The only reason to not use Corsair is price; not important to you. Also look into thier newest dominator line-up; I think I saw some C5 stuff???

Definitely stick with a non-workstation motherboard. You want to be able to use dual video cards in 16x PCI-E slots for the best results.

Noise level output from your Powersupply should be a concern. Make sure you get something both powerful enough and quiet.

Get a watercooling kit from DANGERDEN. Use this with your 8800GTX BFG Pre-Waterblocked video cards (or ATI R600s).

Get the best case you can find. Big. Shiny. Silverstone, Antec, Coolermaster, Lian-Li, etc. All great names. I really like the Coolermaster Stacker CM830 series stuff. The Silverstone TJ-09 is really nice too.

Overclock the quad-core proc until it becomes slightly unstable, then reel it back in a little for stability.

Definitely get the best sound card money can buy. XFI plat or whatever.

Get the Logitech Z5500 speakers. Or go crazy and get a Onkyo Receiver and spend another $10k on decent speakers/subwoofer.

Whatever you do, don't use an HDTV as your monitor. Get the 1080p Dell 27" monitors (2 of them). Or wait for the new 30"s with the good response times.

Look into getting a UPS - these filter the power being fed to your system and can extend it's lifespan. Worthwhile with so many high end parts plugged into it.

I've tried almost all the gaming mice, and I still prefer the Logitech G5, although it's last years baby.

Get the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard. Its sweet.

Don't get the Xeon/Opteron rigs. They sound great on paper, but they are really meant for workstation-level jobs, like serious number crunching for scientific research or crazy-busy fileservers with 100s of users requesting I/Os. These rigs have expensive motherboards, have limited upgrade paths, require ECC ram, don't have a full feature set, don't have SLI, etc.

Finally - tell us what you decide to do!