Ok nerds build me a computer.

[ActiveAero]

IF things go as plan I might have a little cash left over after the whole condo purchase deal (crosses fingers) and I definitely need a new computer.

You have $2,000 to spend. I plan on doing a lot of video editing so keep that in mind. Gaming will come second.

I'm thinking a P4 3.4GHZ HT 1MB cache with an ASUS motherboard or an AMD 3700 with 1MD L2 Cache and ASUS board.

2-3 gigs of PC 3200 ram should be fine for a while right? What brand?

Harddrive. Raptor 74G 10,000rpm with an external 80 gig SATA phantom sound ok?

Video card. No clue.

Case. No clue.

Other stuff. No clue.

[Quay]

If you're going to be doing a "lot of video editing", I'd suggest either 2 massive harddrives, or 1 10k rpm one and 1 mega massive one. I'd help more but I just woke up =( If nobody suggests anything by tonight I'll try to help out.

also, check out www.alienware.com SWEET computers, I think they only use ASUS too.

[adam p]

Processor is up to you, I would always go AMD because the speed-per-dollar is just alot higher than pentium. Also, build your own computer no matter WHAT people, I swear you can get specific machines almost half price, especially over alien ware.

Anyways, you are definately going to want more harddrive space. I would honestly look into getting maybe even a 250gig harddrive and a smaller 10kRPM one if you can, they aren't THAt expensive these days. RAM - mushkin and crucial is good, and then there is that other company that is great I forget the name though - someone help me out. Even if you are doing a ton of video editing, no more than 3 gigs should he PLENTY. Just get however much you can afford, but at least a gig to a gig and a half.

Video card - you probably don't want to waste money going TOP TOP of the line if you aren't a huge gamer, so go one step down and save alot of money for the other parts - I'd say ATI Radeon 9800XT. I don't know what they are going for now, but significantly less than 500 I paid for mine when new :thumbsup: Still GREAT performers on the most modern games - It runs Doom 3, farcry, and Half Life 2 like a champ and should serve your purposes pefectly.

Case - Psh, whatever you like. I went with a super nice all metal one, but I regret it because its so heavy to carry around. There are some websites with case reviews - :google: those sites and it will help you shop.

Other stuff - Well, you want an Asus MB, which is great obviously. I freaking love my Gigabyte MB, so if they have a deal on the Gigabyte over an Asus I'd go with that. I'd go for a MB with built in sound and firewire to make things simpler. Just make sure you get a case with good cooling (reviews), especially if you get a pentium. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Obike]

Personally, this is what I'd go w/

CPU: P4 3.4GHz w/ HT (make sure your motherboard supports HT), and make sure it's retail. Warranty is better and plus you get the heatsink & fan included. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-182&depa=1
Mobo: ASUS P5AD2 Premium, simply because they have a thing called AI NOS... and anything w/ NOS is alright by me ;) http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket775/p5ad2-p/overview.htm In all actuality, make sure it is Socket 775 if you go with the above processor.
Memory: This also depends on your motherboard selection, but I strongly suggest that you go w/ a motherboard with native DDR2 support (Anything w/ the Intel 925X chipset does). DDR2 is also very expensive, and for 2GB of it you are looking at about $400-500. Newegg.com will be your best friend here.
HDD: I would suggest two HDDs here, both SATA or one SATA and one IDE. For video editing you aren't going to be limited to the IDE write speed, so IDE would do just fine for that. The SATA HDD would be for operating system, video games, and applications. Video games LLLOOOOVVVEEE SATA for those quick load times, and you can actually notice a huge difference with it. A 10K RPM one would do fine, I suggest Maxtor or Western Digital here. You choose the size, but if you go SATA and IDE get a 10K SATA and 7.2k IDE. (Also check the prices, last I checked 4mos ago... SATA HDDs were cheaper than IDE).
Video Card: You are going to be doing video editing, so I strongly suggest the ATI All-In-Wonder series. The type here also depends on your motherboard selection (i.e. PCI Express availability or AGP support). So be sure to read the specs of your motherboard selection. You are looking at All-In-Wonder X800 XT, X600 Pro, or 9800 Pro (make sure it's All-In-Wonder series).
Case: This is all up to you.
CD/DVD drives: Also up to you.

http://www.anandtech.com is a great resource for you.

[A418t81]

Video editing = Intel, otherwise I'd tell you to get an A64 as I do believe they are superior after having both a 3.2 and the AMD. It sounds like everybody else has given you some pretty good advice.

[Quay]

RAM - mushkin and crucial is good, and then there is that other company that is great I forget the name though - someone help me out.

Kingston :D

[Zx RaTeD]

Nerds!!!

[Adam]

If I wasn't mistaken weren't you a Mac guy?

If you want to go a PC route, gimmie a few minutes and I'll spec out something for ya. Actually have a bit of work to finish first

[Adam]

Proc: $189 (CPU + Fan) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-116-184&depa=0)
Mobo: $150 (ASUS P5GDC) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-131-519&depa=0)
Ram: $215x2 (CORSAIR DDR2 1GB Dimms) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-525&depa=0)
Video Card: $245 (Radeon 9800Pro AIW -- Good for analog video capture when you can't use firewire) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-297&depa=1)
System Drive: $57.25 (Maxtor 80GB 7200 -- Nothing sexy needed for just running the OS) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-132&depa=1)
Data/Video Drives: $225 (WD Raptor 74G 10,000 RPM - 1 or 2 depends on what you need) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-366&depa=1)
External Drive: $116.50 (WD 80GB -- For an 80gig drive and the enclosure it's a great deal) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-373&depa=1)
PSU: $72 (Antec P4 450 Watts) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-920&depa=1)
Case: $77.99 (Thermaltake Black ATX) (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-133-147&depa=1)

I make no promises about this being 100% compatible. I tried to match everything up but, I havn't had coffee yet so someone double check my work here :D

I get a total of
$1,785.48 + $58.01 (s/h) = $1,843.49

[Drew]

If gaming is not important, I wouldn't hesitate to get a G5 with dual cpu's. They are rad.

If you want to play the occasional game or do something other than photoshop or edit movies, I say grab a dual cpu intel setup or a single p4 EE cpu. problem with the EE's though is that they cost an arm and a leg.

In all honesty, I would hold off just a bit longer because both AMD and intel are releasing their dual core cpu's. They're pretty pricey right now but they are demolishing the benchmarks that the previous cpu's set.

As for the harddrive, they're expensive but the 10K rpm SATA westerndigital raptor drives make my pants tight.

Get a MINIMUM of 1 gig of ram.

[ActiveAero]

Awesome input so far guys.

What's the big difference between DDR and DDR2 ram?

[Obike]

Memory bandwidth and pin count.

Also, Intel already DOES have dual-core technology. Just not two seperate caches. Hyper-Threading has 2 FPUs and 2 ALUs that allows for multi-tasking, but it can be limited or sped up depending on whether the process shares the same processor-cache or if they both need their own slice.

[WiggiE]

RAM - mushkin and crucial is good, and then there is that other company that is great I forget the name though - someone help me out.
Corsair.

[Drew]

yah my P4 has the hyperthreading goodness but the new dual cores have two separate cores each with their own 1mb of L2 cache.

[ActiveAero]

Another question. When it comes to multi-tasking how far behind is a comparable AMD to a Pentium HT?

In the gaming department it really looks like AMD has the advantage over the Pentiums but I want to make sure the Pentium out classes the AMD's in this same regard on the multitasking/video editing end.

Bottom line: If AMD's can school the Pentiums in gaming and are just a little behind in multi-tasking it'll be hard not to go with them even if my main focus is going to be video editing.

[Obike]

Intel is way ahead of the competition as far as multi-tasking goes.

[WiggiE]

Intel is way ahead of the competition as far as multi-tasking goes.
LOL.....what a fanboy.

Seriously Brock, the Intel does better when it comes video editing, but you won't be disappointed if you buy an A64.

Just make sure you have a good system for cooling if you are going to run one of those P4's. Those Prescott's run ridciously hot.

[adam p]

LOL.....what a fanboy.

Seriously Brock, the Intel does better when it comes video editing, but you won't be disappointed if you buy an A64.

Just make sure you have a good system for cooling if you are going to run one of those P4's. Those Prescott's run ridciously hot.


Yeah, what he said. Benchmarks I saw showed almost negligible improvements in multitasking as far as HT is concerned (As in, not necessarily worth the price of admission). I think the answer to this question is:

The Intel wont be better enough at Multitasking for you to notice. Anyways, I multitask like crazy and I dont recall my computer ever slowing down for me - And my system is only a gig of RAM and an A64 3000+.

I don't know much about computers, but honestly, I wouldn't worry about multitasking having ANY bearing on your purchase. Those stupid rendering times is where you are gonna see your performance! :5-0:

[Drew]

Just make sure you have a good system for cooling if you are going to run one of those P4's. Those Prescott's run ridciously hot.

Not anymore. They switched to a 90nm construction and the temps plummetted. I've built a system with each type. the 1st gen 3.0ghz prescott idled at 60*C The new 90nm revision idled at 39*C.

I just finished an A64 system with the new winchester core cpu. It's really fast but still couldn't hang with my P4. the A64 had a clock speed of 2.0ghz. It was the A64 3000+ I clocked it up to 2.3 and it still benchmarked lower than the P4.

Gaming wise, I was shocked. With the same ram and the same video card, doom 3 on ultra settings at 1280X1024 resolution benchmarked 65 fps with the P4 system and only 38 on the A64. :confused:

If you want my honest opinion, Brock, I'd wait just a bit longer and get one of the dual core intel cpu's.

Regardless of what system you get there is only one choice in my book for cooling. Zalman's new all copper 120mm cooler. I put it in the guy's A64 and at 2.3ghz, it idles at 32*C :O I thought the motherboard was reading it wrong but a thermal probe verified the temperature. so either AMD did something phenomenal with their heat managment or the zalman is just that good. The heatsink was cold to the touch and since it doesn't have to spin at rediculous RPM's, it is completely inaudible.

Here she is :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Computer/Hunter/IMG_4525.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/fastredponycar/Computer/Hunter/IMG_4531.jpg

[ActiveAero]

I was just reading about that cooler in CPU magazine and will definitely be picking one up.

Ok a few more questions.

1. What is raid (apparently something to do with linking HD's) and what purpose does it serve?

2. When looking at RAM it's best to go with a lower latency right (the numbers that look like 4-4-4-12, etc.)? I was reading that the only real problem with the first generation of DDR2 ram was that the latency numbers were still high which made the performance increase negilible, but now there are lower latency models now.

3. Can you ever have too much ram?

[Obike]

1) RAID was originally invented for backing up data and such, there are several different levels of RAID which all have their own purpose (RAID0-5).
2) Lower latency is better.
3) Can you ever have too much NOZ?!?!?!?!?!?!??! :flame: I'd go with as much as your pocket book allows, but remember... 32-bit CPUs have a limit on the max allowed RAM (3GB I do believe). 64-bit CPUs have a hell of a lot of a higher limit, but it still exists.

[A418t81]

Not anymore. They switched to a 90nm construction and the temps plummetted. I've built a system with each type. the 1st gen 3.0ghz prescott idled at 60*C The new 90nm revision idled at 39*C.

I just finished an A64 system with the new winchester core cpu. It's really fast but still couldn't hang with my P4. the A64 had a clock speed of 2.0ghz. It was the A64 3000+ I clocked it up to 2.3 and it still benchmarked lower than the P4.

Gaming wise, I was shocked. With the same ram and the same video card, doom 3 on ultra settings at 1280X1024 resolution benchmarked 65 fps with the P4 system and only 38 on the A64. :confused:

If you want my honest opinion, Brock, I'd wait just a bit longer and get one of the dual core intel cpu's.

Regardless of what system you get there is only one choice in my book for cooling. Zalman's new all copper 120mm cooler. I put it in the guy's A64 and at 2.3ghz, it idles at 32*C :O I thought the motherboard was reading it wrong but a thermal probe verified the temperature. so either AMD did something phenomenal with their heat managment or the zalman is just that good. The heatsink was cold to the touch and since it doesn't have to spin at rediculous RPM's, it is completely inaudible.

Here she is :D

[/IMG]

Drew, honestly, I think there is something wrong with your system. I have an A64 3400+ that I have oc'ed to 2.4 GHZ and in the version of sandra I have it has no problem taking out the P4 3.2 EE. Also, the fact that you computer doesn't play games for crap is something else to be concerned about....A64's DOMINATE the FPS by a fairly sizable magin....which you see repeated everywhere. I would look into seeing what the issue is....or maybe you just have a slow A64 ;)

[Adam]

1) RAID was originally invented for backing up data and such, there are several different levels of RAID which all have their own purpose (RAID0-5).

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO


RAID IS NOT BACKUP. Repeat after me slowly.

RAID IS NOT BACKUP

RAID is for REDUNDENCY! Hence the DAMN NAME
RAID = redundant array of independent disks

I don't see backup in that definition. RAID is suceptable to failures. Yes, it is less than a single disk but, it still can fail.

A backup is a seperate copy of the file.
A backup is stored on a different machine in a different physical location
A backup is NOT RAID

If you want a backup get a tape drive. Thats what they were invented for :D

Sorry... I deal with this problem all day long and I give this speech alot. Having your data RAID'd does not ensure it's safety.

[WiggiE]

1) RAID was originally invented for backing up data and such, there are several different levels of RAID which all have their own purpose (RAID0-5).
There are PLENTY more levels of raid besides 0-5. :cool:

2) Lower latency is better.
To a point. A64's don't work well with super low latency chips. Also, latency isn't the only determing factor of performance on ram chips.

3) Can you ever have too much NOZ?!?!?!?!?!?!??! :flame: I'd go with as much as your pocket book allows, but remember... 32-bit CPUs have a limit on the max allowed RAM (3GB I do believe). 64-bit CPUs have a hell of a lot of a higher limit, but it still exists.
"NOZ" and ram is the WORST analogy. Having more NOS just means that you can use it more times and not run out. PLEASE get the F&F thoughts out of your head. :bang:

Brock, get 1 gig to 2 gigs of ram depending on what you can afford. Anything more would be a waste of money.

[Adam]

3) Can you ever have too much NOZ?!?!?!?!?!?!??! :flame: I'd go with as much as your pocket book allows, but remember... 32-bit CPUs have a limit on the max allowed RAM (3GB I do believe). 64-bit CPUs have a hell of a lot of a higher limit, but it still exists.
:bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts: :bang: :nuts:

[Drew]

Drew, honestly, I think there is something wrong with your system. I have an A64 3400+ that I have oc'ed to 2.4 GHZ and in the version of sandra I have it has no problem taking out the P4 3.2 EE. Also, the fact that you computer doesn't play games for crap is something else to be concerned about....A64's DOMINATE the FPS by a fairly sizable magin....which you see repeated everywhere. I would look into seeing what the issue is....or maybe you just have a slow A64 ;)

Eh, it's not my machine. I just built it for a guy. It's still really fast...just not as fast as mine. He got value ram though. so that might have something to do with it. :confused:

I was confused to when I saw the low benchmakr numbers but now that he's got a job he can update the machine with new parts whenever he wants. This configuration he has just got him started.

[ActiveAero]

Ok what about this setup.

Athlon 64 FX-53 CPU on a Gigabyte Nvidia NForce SLI 939 board with dual Nvidia 6600GT video cards.

2 gigs of PC3200 DDR ram.

74gig 10k rpm raptor.

200gig seagate internal.


I was thinking Pentium before but this FX-53 processor seems to pretty much be a bad ass in everything. Combined with the SLI board that will allow me to run two cheaper cards in tandem (not to mention the ability to upgrade later) would this meet my needs? Should be pretty darn good at gaming too from what I'm reading.

Any input?

[Drew]

dual 6800's will just make your games faster. I've got a 6800 ultra and it's already faster than I need but it has the speed to play tomorrows games for quite a while. if you get an SLI board you could do with 1 6800 then mabey a year or two down the road when the 6800 is getting obsoloete, you could just slap another one in.

the raptor is the best choice for your main system files. everything will happen in the blink of an eye or quicker.

[Obike]

Hahahahaha, the nos comment was a joke guys. :D

Adam: Didn't know that, thanks.

[WiggiE]

Ok what about this setup.

Athlon 64 FX-53 CPU on a Gigabyte Nvidia NForce SLI 939 board with dual Nvidia 6600GT video cards.

2 gigs of PC3200 DDR ram.

74gig 10k rpm raptor.

200gig seagate internal.


I was thinking Pentium before but this FX-53 processor seems to pretty much be a bad ass in everything. Combined with the SLI board that will allow me to run two cheaper cards in tandem (not to mention the ability to upgrade later) would this meet my needs? Should be pretty darn good at gaming too from what I'm reading.

Any input?

Everything looks pretty good. Maybe even a little overkill. You probably aren't going to need an FX processor, but if you want it, it certainly won't hurt. I would swap out the mobo for an Asus (A8N-SLI), especially since this is your first build. A bunch of my friends have had alot of problems with Gigabyte's. Also, I'd do what drew said about the graphics cards, get one 6800 Ultra now, and when you need more power, pick up another one. Make sure you get high performance ram for this machine, value ram will take away an advantage you had. The Raptor is fast, but it's speed really shines once run it in Raid 0. You may want to opt to get 2 Raptors for raid 0 instead. On the Seagate, make sure you get their new line: 7200.8

[adam p]

my dual bios Gigabyte socket 754 has worked like a champ. *shrug*