Looking for Second Opinion on Custom-Built Rig

Status
Not open for further replies.
Cyberpower PC are pretty cheap yes but still always the best price/performance and quality parts are building your own. However like he said if you really absolutely don't want to build your own go with a site like those.
 
I got my computer built thru digitalstorm for only 150-200 more than it would have been to build it myself and they've sent me a new mobo and there's a 2 year warrnty. It seemed like a good way to be sure parts would work, great customer service and warranties.
 
Nice list.

No, P4's are much slower than C2D's... different architecture.

Why spend the $$$ for a Raptor? Grab a couple of these and put them in RAID0 and get basically the same performance with twice the storage for less dinero:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB Serial ATA(SATA) 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer at ZipZoomfly

didn't know raid0 would boost performance that much. i've been looking at reviews for raid0 and it seems to not do much at all.
however, hard drive performance is rarely an issue if you have enough RAM. i never would have bothered with raid or faster HDD's had it not been for everquest 2 which i was playing at the time that had load zones every 5 minutes.

also, i advise you to not be an AMD fanboy at this time, cunjo. if you're building a system RIGHT now, intel hands down is the way to go. intel is all around better at this point. if you want overclocking, intel's conroes are simply amazing.

also, i didnt research mobo's in depth while making that list. i picked something that had the right socket type, a pci-e slot, and good reviews.
 
that pc can be bult for like 600$, if ur too lazy to make it ur self, just wtb the system here to tech forums, and ask for the specific parts, maybe some1 will be generous enough to buy the parts assemble it and sell it to u (maybe for an assembly fee), or buy a second-hand one
Hey, if you're too lazy to spell out three-letter words, don't be calling me lazy, bub.

Next time, read the whole thread.

Nice list.

No, P4's are much slower than C2D's... different architecture.

Why spend the $$$ for a Raptor? Grab a couple of these and put them in RAID0 and get basically the same performance with twice the storage for less dinero:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST380815AS 80GB Serial ATA(SATA) 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB Buffer at ZipZoomfly
Well I have no doubt that C2Ds are faster than P4s, it's the PDs I was asking about.

I'll look more into depth on the HDDs before I buy... been focusing mostly on the other stuff so far. I want to get the Motherboard, CPU and Video Card nailed down before I worry too much about other components.

What's the advantage of a RAID0 array? Shouldn't just a normal HDD be sufficient? I agree that the HDD listed was on the expensive side, though I haven't gone to change that yet - I just copied LV's list and modded the parts I thought needed to be changed.

didn't know raid0 would boost performance that much. i've been looking at reviews for raid0 and it seems to not do much at all.
however, hard drive performance is rarely an issue if you have enough RAM. i never would have bothered with raid or faster HDD's had it not been for everquest 2 which i was playing at the time that had load zones every 5 minutes.

also, i advise you to not be an AMD fanboy at this time, cunjo. if you're building a system RIGHT now, intel hands down is the way to go. intel is all around better at this point. if you want overclocking, intel's conroes are simply amazing.

also, i didnt research mobo's in depth while making that list. i picked something that had the right socket type, a pci-e slot, and good reviews.
Not trying to be an AMD fanboy. I'm mostly just trying to avoid the inverse, and going with OldNews(TM) advice I'd gotten before. If Intel is the better way to go, then I can go with that.

By the way... a couple friends of mine have told me that I should go with an ATi Radeon chipset instead of an NVIDIA GeForce. Can anyone explain to me what the difference is as far as performance, price and specs? What's the advantage (if any) to buying an ATi?

EDIT:
To those recommending sites for pre-assembly, I've already decided to do it myself or with my friend's help, so don't bother. It's just a matter of finding the time and money.
 
RAID0 splits the data between two drives, reading/writing to both at the same time. This gives a nice performance boost. Two 7200.10 drives in RAID0 are just a shade slower than a RAPTOR.

As to chipsets, the new stuff coming out of both camps are just awesome. SLI/Crossfire is a waste of money, so either one would fit the bill.
 
Well, unless I'm expecting to need a speed boost when loading from the HD, I don't really see the point in it. I'll keep that in mind, though. Personally, I'd rather have the safety and reliability of a RAID1 if I was to go that route.

On the subject of GPUs, I can't seem to find any good benchmark comparisons between the models I'm considering. Since they're both (more or less) within my price range, I naturally want to go with the better performing card, but only if the price difference is worth it. Can anyone tell me how a Powercolor ATi Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 compares to an EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3?

For the record, I don't plan on using Crossfire or SLi, but I want my Mobo to support it anyway in case I ever change my mind and go that route for one reason or another. Do either of these support multiple monitors?
 
yeah.. most (if not all) of the new gpu's support dual screens.
But if you want more than two screens you will need to go SLI/Crossfire

(Nvidia)Geforce and (ATI)Radeon are just like Amd and Intel... competitive.
Right now Nvidia has the best GPU like Intel has the best CPU.
if you can afford it go with the 8800's and Core2Duo's.

You shouldn't be completely against one company or the other, just go with the one thats winning. Most likely next year AMD and ATI will strike back and become the ones ahead.
 
Ok, so lets say I want to go with an Intel Core 2 Duo Conroe E6600 @ 2.4GHz and an EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTS 320MB GDDR3, 3 Western Digital HDDs and an 18x Samsung DVD burner. What kind of power draw can I expect, and is a 600W Power Supply going to cut it?

Still trying to find an acceptable case... aside from NewEgg, is there a good place to look for them?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom