Hello!
At long last it's almost time to pull the trigger and place orders on this baby. Before I get to specific components let me say that there are four goals that I am balancing when choosing which parts to buy:
1) Longevity - I'd like this setup to last 3+ years, with an anticipated video card upgrade at about the 2 year mark. After that 3+ year period is up, I plan on updating the CPU, MB, and RAM.
2) Performance - I'm going to be playing some games on this machine. At first, I'm sure I'll be able to crank up all the visual options. My goal here is to insure I won't be dealing with putting settings below medium 1, 2, or 3 years down the road due to stutter/artifacts.
3) Overclockability - I will doing some basic overclocking at first, then as I learn more I anticipate doing more tweaking and pushing the system to the edges of its limits.
4) Price - Quick price checks on all components suggest an approximate $2300-2500 USD price. The price tag makes me shudder a little, but I'm committed to guaranteeing the system will last and perform well.
Parts List: (I'm starting from scratch)
Motherboard DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D Motherboard
Processor AMD Opteron 165 Dual Core
Video Card Sapphire Radeon X1900 XT Video Card
RAM Mushkin eXtreme Perf. (2 x 1GB) DDR 500 (PC 4000)
Power Supply OCZ PowerStream 600W
Hard Drive WD Raptor X WD1500AHFD (150GB SATA)
DVD-CD Drive No decision yet
Sound Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic
Case Lian Li PC-V2000B (2 fan aluminum, or 4 fan steel version)
Water Cooling Components
Pump Swiftech MCP350
Radiator Black Ice Extreme
Radiator Fans Delta 120mm x2 (maybe)
CPU Block Swiftech Storm
GPU Block Maze4
Reservoir Swiftech MCRES-Micro Hi-Flo Reservoir
The Lian Li case and water cooling solution, while more expensive up front, were selected becuase each should last a VERY long time in computer terms. Barrring any major change in motherboard size or some similar technological earthquake, the Lian Li should last 10 years or more. Water cooling components will require replacement, but the long term costs should be comparable to a strictly air cool solution, and the water cooling components should produce less noise.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Are there components you would change?? If so, please include an expanation of why the other part is a better choice.
I look forward to reading your opinions! Let the flames begin!!! j/k
At long last it's almost time to pull the trigger and place orders on this baby. Before I get to specific components let me say that there are four goals that I am balancing when choosing which parts to buy:
1) Longevity - I'd like this setup to last 3+ years, with an anticipated video card upgrade at about the 2 year mark. After that 3+ year period is up, I plan on updating the CPU, MB, and RAM.
2) Performance - I'm going to be playing some games on this machine. At first, I'm sure I'll be able to crank up all the visual options. My goal here is to insure I won't be dealing with putting settings below medium 1, 2, or 3 years down the road due to stutter/artifacts.
3) Overclockability - I will doing some basic overclocking at first, then as I learn more I anticipate doing more tweaking and pushing the system to the edges of its limits.
4) Price - Quick price checks on all components suggest an approximate $2300-2500 USD price. The price tag makes me shudder a little, but I'm committed to guaranteeing the system will last and perform well.
Parts List: (I'm starting from scratch)
Motherboard DFI LanParty UT NF4 Ultra-D Motherboard
Processor AMD Opteron 165 Dual Core
Video Card Sapphire Radeon X1900 XT Video Card
RAM Mushkin eXtreme Perf. (2 x 1GB) DDR 500 (PC 4000)
Power Supply OCZ PowerStream 600W
Hard Drive WD Raptor X WD1500AHFD (150GB SATA)
DVD-CD Drive No decision yet
Sound Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic
Case Lian Li PC-V2000B (2 fan aluminum, or 4 fan steel version)
Water Cooling Components
Pump Swiftech MCP350
Radiator Black Ice Extreme
Radiator Fans Delta 120mm x2 (maybe)
CPU Block Swiftech Storm
GPU Block Maze4
Reservoir Swiftech MCRES-Micro Hi-Flo Reservoir
The Lian Li case and water cooling solution, while more expensive up front, were selected becuase each should last a VERY long time in computer terms. Barrring any major change in motherboard size or some similar technological earthquake, the Lian Li should last 10 years or more. Water cooling components will require replacement, but the long term costs should be comparable to a strictly air cool solution, and the water cooling components should produce less noise.
I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Are there components you would change?? If so, please include an expanation of why the other part is a better choice.
I look forward to reading your opinions! Let the flames begin!!! j/k
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