So it's that time of the year, tax refunds! I just got mine back and seeing as I need a new computer and my parents need a slightly faster, I decided I'm going to give/sell them my current desktop for a new desktop. I priced out a computer for around $1800 (very expensive but planning on lasting me for 6+ years like my current one). Here are the specs: - Intel i7 CPU (quadcore 2.8 ghz) - 6 GB DDR3 1800 RAM (I think it was 1800...) - 2 x 1 GB ATI Radeon cards in crossfire mode (can't remember the model right now) - 2 x 1 TB HDD running in Raid 0 - Onboard 2 gb LAN - Some kind of Sound Blaster audio card (again, can't remember) - Windows 7 Ultimate Pre-Installed (accounts for about $200 of the price) - Other standard items include: About 600-700w power supply, standard mouse/keyboard (no monitor), case, MoBo (duh) This was priced out on iBuyPower.com (where I got my last desktop). My last desktop lasted me 5-6 years though wasn't super high end (it has an AGP slot...) I'm hoping since this one is a bit beefier it might last me a bit longer. So what do you guys think? Should I be looking at some other pieces of hardware? I am planning on ordering it this weekend if all goes well. Feel free to suggest other parts and I'll see what they have, the only thing I'm dead set on is the i7 CPU (the speed can vary). (Admins: Not sure if this can be here or should be in Hardware...)

Moved to Hardware Discussion.

I'd almost be tempted to go for some more ram and drop the crossfire card. I've got 8 GB of ram in my machine at work and 9 GB in my home machine. I've got a similar machine at home to what you've got spec'ed out - Core i7 920, 9 GB of ram, 2x500 GB HDD (not raided, though). I would like to get a better video card and a backup/storage server...

I guess it depends on what you are doing though. That, and I'd be tempted to ditch the SoundBlaster card. Onboard sound is pretty decent these days.

EDIT: Something else to consider, since you are piecing it together yourself: Try running the machine without the extra bits, like the second video card or the audio card. If it doesn't suit your tastes, then upgrade more. There's no point in blowing money on something that makes a negligible difference.

Quote:Original post by nem123
Ditch the sound card, use onboard, no reason not too.
Ditch Windows 7 Ultimate, go for Windows 7 Home Premium, unless you can give a valid reason for why you need the extra fluff.
Go for single graphics card instead of SLI/crossfire, upgrade when you need.
Add a high-performance SSD disk.
Get a really nice LCD :).

I'd go with these recommendations as well. Except to say "get two really nice LCDs :)" Technically, you could get one nice (& expensive) one and one cheaper one. Use the nice one for gaming, etc and the cheaper one for Visual Studio - you don't need an IPS panel just for text.

my few bits,

if you can build your own computer do, you can make a machine that is easier to upgrade and if you chose the hardware carefully you'll get better quality hardware, for ~ $1200 i managed to build myself a

i7 920 2.66ghz oc to 3.03
x58 asrocks deluxe mb
12gb ddr3 1600mhz ram
2x nVidia 1gb gt 250s
1x sata 1tb hdds
1x sata 20x dvdrw
1x 850w power supply
1x mid size case
win 7 pro 64

Regarding the sound card vs. onboard audio issue: if you use headphones a lot, onboard sound systems tend to have electrical interference (i.e. clicks, beeps, static) that can get really annoying with earbuds or headphones. If you're just using speakers though, I'd drop the sound card. You probably won't notice a difference.

Firstly, I'll disclose that I'm the kind of person that believes spending much more than $1000 on a computer is a pointless endeavor, unless you're actively using your computer to earn money by doing a task that goes significantly faster with more expensive hardware (Artists, consultants, web developers who run a lot of VMs -- time is money after all.)

The reason I believe this is a preference to build a new (just behind the bell-curve -- aka price/performance sweet-spot) $1000 computer every 3 years or so, instead of building some uber-rig every 6. Out of 6 years, building two moderate PCs is going to give you more months of what I'd call a "comfortable" computing experience. Remember that building a bleeding-edge rig only buys you about 6 months at best before the same technology can be had for half the price in a moderately high-end, mainstream computer (the type I build for myself.)


That said, I'd agree for the most part with what's been said here. Go with a single (more powerful if you really must) graphics card -- going dual-GPU from the git-go is stupid unless you're putting in the most-powerful cards available (I presume you're not with only a 700W PSU.) A Single, faster card will perform better in a wider range of games, and leave a slot open to pair it with another in a couple years when its companions are on the clearance rack.

Also, its kind of stupid to put your OS on a RAID volume. Remember that RAID is fault-tolerance (meaning a physical hard disk failure won't take your data), it is not a backup solution -- you're far more likely to hose your OS than loose your drive, and RAID won't help you at all there. Instead, consider 4 hard drives -- 1 primary disk (with partitions for OS(s) and maybe data (anything that you're willing to loose (maybe re-ripping your CD collection is inconvenient, but not irrecoverable) or restore from a backup (I'm thinking non-HDD backup solutions, DVDs, tape, etc), 1 backup disk (optional) serves as more convenient backup for the primary data partition, as well as periodic backup for the RAID array, 2 in mirrored RAID for important data.

I think you'll find that your *truly* important data is nowhere near 2 terrabytes, unless you're doing ediiting, rendering or very serious audio work. In my desktop, my primary drive is 300GB, my backup drive is 500GB and my RAID drives are only 160GB.

Getting a good sound card is largely worthless for Windows Vista and Windows 7 because they do all their audio processing on the CPU anyways -- there's no such thing as hardware-accelerated sound on either of those OSes. If you're going to spend money on a sound device, its all about the quality of the DACs and analogue components. Nothing else will matter. Even look at the latest "X-Fi" cards from Creative -- all they are is, wait for it... nice DACs and quality analogue components! There's no X-Fi chip on these new cards, no on-board RAM... because neither Vista nor 7 would use it anyway. Don't get suckered into buying someone's old X-Fi stock because it "has a DSP and its own memory."

Finally, given the 6GB RAM you intend to get, it sounds like you're planning on the uber-high end i7s that support 3-channel memory... Don't... just don't. That third channel only buys you bandwidth on paper, and the only tangible benefit is for those few folks who can actually use and saturate the 30 or so PCIe lanes its chipset enables. Go with a cheaper, dual-channel i7 is you must have i7, or even one of the faster i5s. Socket 1156 (or there abouts) motherboards are significantly cheaper than their 1366 counterparts, and dual-channel RAM kits are typically cheaper than comparable amounts of RAM in a triple-channel package. All told, you can save $200 bucks, and still get a similarly speedy i7 CPU in socket 1156 form, on a motherboard with all the same features (save a few PCIe lanes).