Need Intel system recommendations for building a computer for Uncle's business

[Rhin0]

hey guys,

No joke in the title... My uncle makes dentures (has for along time) He retired from the V.A. making dentures and started his own business. This dude is pulling down some serious cash! Anyways he is currently using a laptop to run this program he uses for denture design. It is not adequate at all it lags so bad and doesn't run smooth. He asked me a long time ago to build him a computer when he got the extra money but I've been busy with work and school. Now I want to help him out.I can't remember the name of the program but basically you pick up models of human teeth in 3 dimensional form and you can spin then any direction, move pieces, flex stuff, etc. It is a real hog. Looks kind of like CAD sorta but more like a 3D design program. He is wanting to stick with the programs company recommended specs and what they have tested on.


Here is what I am thinking... I'll be looking for performance but not at the cost of stability cause can't be having crashes:

-mid-tower (plain but with good features such as removable mobo tray, low noise, and good cooling)
-high quality ~450w (plain)
-Intel P4 Northwoods with HT (need recommendation)
-Abit motherboard (need recommendation)
-1 gig Corsair RAM (Which series? Or should I just get Crucial? Doesn't need to be peformance but stable!)
-Seagate or Hitachi ~150-250 gig (Just to be on the safe side as far as storage)
-Nvidia 6800 Ultra (ASUS V9999 non-deluxe most likely)
-CD-ROM
-DVD/CD-RW burner for backups and large data writes
-3.5" floppy
-Windows XP Pro


I am not familiar with the Intel processors or which one was good or bad. Which speed is the best? I am already scared of prescott heat. I think the Northwoods with HT would be a good choice. Please recommend a CPU.

Also on the motherboard I prefer to stick with Abit since my experience has been more than outstanding vs. every other manufacturer. If there is an ASUS board that was significantly more stable or something I would consider it (only other consideration would be ASUS). I don't even know what chipset is good for intel CPU's?

-For PSU I'll probably get a Zalman or something that is quiet with good cooling. (recommendations?)

-What about the RAM? Corsair or Crucial? What series?



This computer will run all day for sure.

Please let me know some info guys.

Thanks,
Seth

 

[DaveSimmons]

If stability is a key goal, why not look at a Dell?

Since you need a legal copy of Windows and want an intel CPU you won't be able to build it yourself for any less than a Dell Hot Deal, and he can pay the extra for on-site service and extended warranty if he wants.

It might also be worth taking the time to find the actual bottlenecks, it could be one or more of CPU, RAM, hard drive, video card.

Also, does he store records on the PC? Then RAID-1 mirroring might be worth getting (or building the PC yourself to get).

 

[jpeyton]

You could streamline everything a little. You want it as basic as possible to be stable.

Antec Sonata + Antec 380W Silent PSU $99
Intel Pentium 4 3.2E 1MB L2 OEM $215
Zalman 7000 AlCu Heatsink/Fan $30
Seagate 200GB PATA 7200RPM 8MB $115
Abit IS7 $92
Corsair Value Select 1GB Dual Channel $160
NEC ND3500A 16X DVDRW $68
WinXP Pro OEM $100
Floppy $10
eVGA 6800 Ultra $515

Or do what DaveSimmons said. Find a Dell 400SC on eBay for cheap, and build around that.

 

[Rhin0]

Thanks for the info guys.

Peyton, that looks like a solid build.

I will mention to him about the Dell computers. That warranty is nice since we all know sh!t happens when you build your own.



I may have overstated how big of a hog this program is. It does need a good machine to run it but that pathetic laptop is running it good enough for him to slug along using it. It is miserable using it though and it crashes a lot.


Are the Dell computers powerful enough to run this stuff? I'll go look at what they have to offer

 

[Rhin0]

Oh and I think he said he runs two monitors or wants to do so he can put the dentures he is building off to the side while other stuff is going on...

maybe he said that I'll have to check



Crap, forgot to mention the software company recommends 256mb video card. Checking to see if Dell even offers that

 

[Rhin0]

Hmm one of the dell XPS gaming systems with a Intel 560 3.20ghz and 256mb Ultra GTO looks like it might fit the bill. You can get the big HD and burner and everything too.

Maybe slightly more expensive than what I could build but it would be close and have a warranty. I think i'll tell him about this as an alternative. I hate to build him something then it start having problems

 

[Zucarita9000]

I would go for an ATI FireGL or an Nvidia Quadro. You can get two decent 19" CRTs for a good price also.

 

[tynopik]

dual opterons

 

[formulav8]

You don't want Intel ANYTHING! A64 for EVERYTHING 😀 Just figure I would say it before someone else would 🙂



Jason