High-End Buyer's Guide - October 2006
by Jarred Walton on October 9, 2006 5:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Alternatives
As if all the options we've already given you aren't enough, there are so many choices available when you have such a large budget that we felt it would be beneficial to put together a quick list of alternatives. We've broken them down by component type, but otherwise we have made no attempt to clearly separate the configurations that work together. For example, if you're interested in getting an SLI motherboard, you won't want to purchase a couple of ATI graphics cards to go with it - unless you simply want to run the graphics cards as individual units rather than in CrossFire mode.
Depending on where you live in the world, it may be easier to get some of these alternative recommendations over the components we listed earlier. We feel confident that all of these components are very high quality and will work well in any high-end computer. In some cases, the differences are going to be very slight, and we didn't bother listing all of the various GPU manufacturers as by and large a 7900 GTX from company A is going to be nearly the same as a 7900 GTX from company B.
Hopefully it's pretty clear by now that there are a lot of different choices you could make and still end up with a very good high-end computing system. We would also be remiss if we didn't mention the fact that one more point in favor of ATI graphics cards right now is their support for Folding@Home's new GPU accelerated client. Even if you have no interest in Folding@Home, we have to commend ATI for their efforts, and we hope to see additional applications in the future leverage the floating-point number crunching power offered by today's GPUs.
Conclusion
Some companies like to advocate the "one size fits all" approach, whether it be for clothing, computers, transportation, or just about any other product. We here at AnandTech are strong believers in individualization, as what works best for one person may be overkill or insufficient for another. We have made an effort in this buyers guide to address many of the configuration options that are available for anyone looking to build a new computer. Even with everything we've said here, however, there are still many areas that we only glossed over. Naturally, if you have any questions, feel free to send them our way or post them to our comments section.
If you're still confused after all of the information we've unloaded, or if you're uncertain whether or not you should upgrade right now, discretion is usually the best course of action. Do some more research, ask some questions, and remember that something better/faster/cheaper is always just another month away. Today is not the perfect time to upgrade or buy a high-end computer system; neither was last month, and next month won't be either - at least not for everyone. The best time to upgrade is when you are no longer happy with your computer... or perhaps just after winning the lottery. Many of us still have computers that are over two years old that we use on a regular basis, and while they may not be the fastest systems on the planet, for a lot of tasks they are perfectly adequate.
As if all the options we've already given you aren't enough, there are so many choices available when you have such a large budget that we felt it would be beneficial to put together a quick list of alternatives. We've broken them down by component type, but otherwise we have made no attempt to clearly separate the configurations that work together. For example, if you're interested in getting an SLI motherboard, you won't want to purchase a couple of ATI graphics cards to go with it - unless you simply want to run the graphics cards as individual units rather than in CrossFire mode.
| Alternative Processors | ||
| Brand | Component | Price |
| AMD | AMD Athlon 64 X2 (AM2) 4000+ - 2.0GHz 2x1024KB Windsor | $196 |
| AMD | AMD Athlon 64 X2 (AM2) 4200+ - 2.2GHz 2x512KB Windsor | $204 |
| AMD | AMD Athlon 64 X2 (AM2) 5000+ - 2.6GHz 2x512KB Windsor (Backordered!) | $364 |
| Intel | Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 - 2.13GHz 2MB Shared L2 | $220 |
| Intel | Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 - 2.67GHz 4MB Shared L2 | $502 |
| Alternative Motherboards | ||
| Brand | Component | Price |
| AMD | MSI K9A Platinum - ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 + ATI SB600 AM2 | $136 |
| AMD | Asus M2R32-MVP - ATI CrossFire Xpress 3200 + ATI SB600 AM2 | $148 |
| AMD | Foxconn C51XEM2AA - nForce 590 SLI AM2 | $177 |
| AMD | Asus Crosshair - nForce 590 SLI AM2 | $235 |
| Intel | ASUS P5B-E - Intel P965 775 | $164 |
| Intel | DFI Infinity 975X - Intel 975X 775 | $185 |
| Intel | Abit AW9D - Intel 975X 775 | $209 |
| Intel | Abit AW9D-MAX - Intel 975X 775 | $260 |
| Alternative Graphics Cards | ||
| Brand | Component | Price |
| ATI | 2 x Sapphire Radeon X1900GT 256MB | $404 |
| NVIDIA | 2 x XFX GeForce 7900GS 256MB DDR3 RoHS | $404 |
| NVIDIA | EVGA GeForce 7950GX2 1GB | $500 |
| NVIDIA | 2 x EVGA GeForce 7950GT KO 512MB | $580 |
| Alternative Memory | ||
| Type | Component | Price |
| DDR2 | G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model F2-6400CL4D-2GBPK | $265 |
| DDR2 | OCZ Platinum 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model OCZ2P8002GK | $280 |
| DDR2 | WinTec AMP-X 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model 3AXT6400C4-2048K | $295 |
| DDR2 | Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 | $300 |
| DDR2 | Super Talent 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model T800UX2GC4 | $310 |
| DDR2 | Patriot 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model PDC22G6400LLK | $310 |
| DDR2 | Kingston HyperX 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2-800 model KHX6400D2LLK2 | $330 |
| Alternative Hard Drives | ||
| Type | Component | Price |
| SATA2 | Seagate 3.0Gbps 250GB 7200RPM 16MB Barracuda 7200.10 | $75 |
| SATA2 | Western Digital 3.0Gbps 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Caviar SE16 | $100 |
| SATA | Western Digital 1.5Gbps 400GB 7200RPM 16MB Caviar SE16 | $135 |
| SATA2 | Seagate 3.0Gbps 400GB 7200RPM 16MB Barracuda 7200.10 | $154 |
| SATA2 | Maxtor 3.0Gbps 500GB 7200RPM 16MB MaXLine Pro 500 | $209 |
| SATA2 | Maxtor 3.0Gbps 500GB 7200RPM 16MB DiamondMax 11 | $219 |
| SATA | Western Digital 1.5Gbps 150GB 10000RPM 16MB Raptor | $219 |
| SATA2 | Seagate 3.0Gbps 500GB 7200RPM 16MB Barracuda 7200.10 | $220 |
| SATA2 | Seagate 3.0Gbps 750GB 7200RPM 16MB Barracuda 7200.10 | $356 |
Depending on where you live in the world, it may be easier to get some of these alternative recommendations over the components we listed earlier. We feel confident that all of these components are very high quality and will work well in any high-end computer. In some cases, the differences are going to be very slight, and we didn't bother listing all of the various GPU manufacturers as by and large a 7900 GTX from company A is going to be nearly the same as a 7900 GTX from company B.
Hopefully it's pretty clear by now that there are a lot of different choices you could make and still end up with a very good high-end computing system. We would also be remiss if we didn't mention the fact that one more point in favor of ATI graphics cards right now is their support for Folding@Home's new GPU accelerated client. Even if you have no interest in Folding@Home, we have to commend ATI for their efforts, and we hope to see additional applications in the future leverage the floating-point number crunching power offered by today's GPUs.
Conclusion
Some companies like to advocate the "one size fits all" approach, whether it be for clothing, computers, transportation, or just about any other product. We here at AnandTech are strong believers in individualization, as what works best for one person may be overkill or insufficient for another. We have made an effort in this buyers guide to address many of the configuration options that are available for anyone looking to build a new computer. Even with everything we've said here, however, there are still many areas that we only glossed over. Naturally, if you have any questions, feel free to send them our way or post them to our comments section.
If you're still confused after all of the information we've unloaded, or if you're uncertain whether or not you should upgrade right now, discretion is usually the best course of action. Do some more research, ask some questions, and remember that something better/faster/cheaper is always just another month away. Today is not the perfect time to upgrade or buy a high-end computer system; neither was last month, and next month won't be either - at least not for everyone. The best time to upgrade is when you are no longer happy with your computer... or perhaps just after winning the lottery. Many of us still have computers that are over two years old that we use on a regular basis, and while they may not be the fastest systems on the planet, for a lot of tasks they are perfectly adequate.
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JarredWalton - Monday, October 9, 2006 - link
Try configuring a similarly equipped "ultra" system at any of the vendors you mentioned for $5500 - including a 30" LCD, remember, plus speakers and all the other stuff. Note that all prices include shipping to the continental US (although tax is not included). Sure, you get support from one location, but we're not here to constantly recommend system vendors.There's a huge DIY audience that reads AnandTech, and at least this gives people a baseline price list that they can look at when they're considering pre-built systems. We try to cater to all markets, not just the vendors that buy advertising.
Powersupply - Monday, October 9, 2006 - link
As always someone has to be the annoying person who feels this or that is missing. Today it is me.1. I can't see why Thermalright Ultra-120 should be missing from the selection of CPU coolers. It performs on par or better than the Infinity with the same fan.
2. Why not putting more than 2 harddrives into the "Ultra High-End Platform"? After all you went with a stacker case who got plenty of space. 2 x Raptor + 2 x Other HDD would be sweet.
JarredWalton - Monday, October 9, 2006 - link
Added mention of the Thermalright. As for the HDDs, I quote from the original text:I believe that fully covers your second comment, right? It's always an option, but it's not required by any means.
yacoub - Monday, October 9, 2006 - link
The Antec P150 is such a superb case I can't believe it does not many any of your four case recommendations. It is an ideal case in that it is built for quietness, airflow, ease of cleaning, and ease of access. Everything about it is pretty much perfect AND it's not upside-down like the more "popular" Antec P180 case, nor does it have a silly topvent. It's also a little more reasonably-sized (I don't know of anyone building a gaming PC that needs more than 2-3 5.25" bay drives nor room for more than 3-4 hard drives. Really, this case has it all. It's probably the one part of my current build I'm most satisfied with and have been since purchase, which was when they first came out about a year ago.JarredWalton - Monday, October 9, 2006 - link
Some people love the P180, others love the P150, and still others think the ASUS plastic monstrosity is the coolest looking case ever. I figured with a choice of the SLK-3000 and P180, I needed someone other than Antec to represent the case section. :)