Help me build a computer with my bonus money!

[vood0g]

Well, I just got my bonus paycheck this year and have decided to make me a new computer. The budget for the computer is $2,000 +/- $200.

So far, i have decided upon:

AMD 64 3500+
DFI Ultra-D

any suggestions for the remaining parts? With the recent anandtech SLI round up, i have decided to move away from SLI, and I am considering a 6800 GT vid card.

 

[UsandThem]

Look here.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

With that kind of cash you should get an X850 Xt PE. SIK_L_CELL scored a 101k 3Dmark01 with one of those cards. They're the best single card you can get right now. You can find them for under $600. Get a Raptor 74gb for your OS & games. Get some lifetime warranty value RAM since you're going AMD, or some TCCD if you can find them & really want the extra 2-5% performance. Get a good PSU and a cool case with lots of cooling options. With the board & 3500 you should be at around $1200-1400 at this point depending on your PSU, RAM, & case. From there you should get a killer CRT monitor & a good keyboard & mouse. Don't forget your speakers as well & you may need a sound card if DFI has bad sound.

 

[Cheesetogo]

I would recomend you get an sli board because it will give you more upgradability, and by teh time that you buy another card all the bugs will be worked out. Here is my recomended setup:

Here's my recomended setup:
3500 winchester $280
DFI SLi $240
1 GB Corsair Value Ram $120
eVGA 6800 ultra $500 (in stock now at newegg!)
Seagate 120gb IDE HDD $90
NEC 16x DVD-RW Drive $60
Fortron BLue Storm $90
case ~$100
Windows XP OEM $100
Total Only $1580!

If you want to spend 2k, get another 6800 ultra, more storage, more ram, or better processor.

 

[imported_NoGodForMe]

I got 3k for my bonus.
Gonna wait for the 6800 Go Ultra to apear in a Sager laptop, then buy one. That will probably happen in two months after the Dell XPS2 ships on April 8th.

 

[Cheesetogo]

Originally posted by: NoGodForMe
I got 3k for my bonus.
Gonna wait for the 6800 Go Ultra to apear in a Sager laptop, then buy one. That will probably happen in two months after the Dell XPS2 ships on April 8th.

? YOu can buy the dell xps right now.

 

[vood0g]

Originally posted by: UsandThem
Look here.

That $1600 AMD based system you have listed seems pretty cool. But I will probably get the Thermaltake Armor case instead. have you heard anything about this?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-133-155&depa=0

and does the brand of the video card really matter? was there a specific reason as to why you chose the leadtek and not the other brands?

 

[vood0g]

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo
I would recomend you get an sli board because it will give you more upgradability, and by teh time that you buy another card all the bugs will be worked out. Here is my recomended setup:

Here's my recomended setup:
3500 winchester $280
DFI SLi $240
1 GB Corsair Value Ram $120
eVGA 6800 ultra $500 (in stock now at newegg!)
Seagate 120gb IDE HDD $90
NEC 16x DVD-RW Drive $60
Fortron BLue Storm $90
case ~$100
Windows XP OEM $100
Total Only $1580!

If you want to spend 2k, get another 6800 ultra, more storage, more ram, or better processor.

I was really considering the SLI, but with the mentioning of all the bugs and kinks that is in it really deters me. but you do bring up a good point about increasing future upgradeability. another thing is, the DFI boards can not be found anywhere...

edit: what's up with the value ram recommendations for the set up? does it run just as well as the $250+ ram?

 

[Cheesetogo]

Originally posted by: vood0g

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo
I would recomend you get an sli board because it will give you more upgradability, and by teh time that you buy another card all the bugs will be worked out. Here is my recomended setup:

Here's my recomended setup:
3500 winchester $280
DFI SLi $240
1 GB Corsair Value Ram $120
eVGA 6800 ultra $500 (in stock now at newegg!)
Seagate 120gb IDE HDD $90
NEC 16x DVD-RW Drive $60
Fortron BLue Storm $90
case ~$100
Windows XP OEM $100
Total Only $1580!

If you want to spend 2k, get another 6800 ultra, more storage, more ram, or better processor.

I was really considering the SLI, but with the mentioning of all the bugs and kinks that is in it really deters me. but you do bring up a good point about increasing future upgradeability. another thing is, the DFI boards can not be found anywhere...

edit: what's up with the value ram recommendations for the set up? does it run just as well as the $250+ ram?

ULess your doing extreme overcloking, yes it's pretty much the same.

Edit: THermaltake is okay, but If your spending 200 on a case get lian li or this thing: http://www.coolermaster.com/special_report/stc-t01/stc-t01.htm

 

[UsandThem]

That case would be fine. Most cases come down to personal preference (look). It has a 120mm fan in front and back, and for $190.00, it should be built like a tank (I think it looks big enough to be one).

I chose Leadtek because they do make quality cards. They were one of the few manufactuers that had a good heatsink/fan on the 6600GT cards.

There are other good choices out there concerning the different cards.

 

[vood0g]

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo
ULess your doing extreme overcloking, yes it's pretty much the same.

Edit: THermaltake is okay, but If your spending 200 on a case get lian li or this thing: http://www.coolermaster.com/special_report/stc-t01/stc-t01.htm

i was about to get the Stacker, but it didnt come with a side window.

 

[Cheesetogo]

I'd take a look at lian li too.