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NEW COMPUTER! Now that I got flow, I need some new "office" equipment. I've put this page up to get some feedback and also to be used as a guide for friends wanting to also make a computer purchase. I was orignially planning to spend $1000 to $1500. The only things I'm moving over are my harddrive, DVD±RW drive, monitor, and keyboard and mouse. Before you look at the list, keep in mind that it is a rough draft. I'm still doing research on these parts, and some parts I put down as place holders to get an idea of what I'm looking at, not what I have decided on. Usually I will try to stay within a price range but I think you may find the prices will fluxuate a lot as I try to find a good balance of price and performance.
I ordered my CPU and PSU from monarchcomputers.com last night, after reading that their retail processors mostly have CABYE stepping (a revision number, which almost ensures great overclocking). The post I read is a month or so old so hopefully they haven't sold out! I think I've hit a comfortable balance of price and performance with the CPU, especially if I overclock it. The mainboard is a little more expensive but it is highly regarded and has a Silicon SATA RAID driver (which I might use later). It also comes with a crap load of UV responsive round IDE and floppy cables. The memory gives me a good room to breath when I try to overclock the CPU. The main parts are around $1000 which is what I was shooting for. I decided to get some more extras which is why the final price tag inflates so high. I plan to keep the sound system and LSC glasses for at least a couple systems so I think the extra cost now will be worth it. I was very excited about the case when I first saw it. Unfortunately it requires me to get a PSU. The PSU I selected makes going this route more expensive (almost $190 for a complete case when I'm done), but consider what I'm getting. A case that is rugged, has a good handle, plenty of room, and good airflow, and a PSU that will ensure stability with SLI and overclocking. I moved the case and PSU into the main equipment category. I left it out originally because I think its overkill for most people. I would probably recommend an Antec case that comes with a PSU if someone asked me. It's much cheaper and the case the cases they make are top quality. The Ammo case fits my niche more, but I can't say whether it will be as well made. If you are interested in overclocking I added a couple links below which I found very helpful. Some useful links:
You can find my old computer upgrade information here. Last updated Monday, January 12, 2006, 3:13 AM. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||