$3500 Pc

[EnderW]

DO NOT POST HERE IF YOU ARE NOT ADDRESSING THE QUESTIONS BELOW OR OFFERING OTHER RELEVENT ADVICE

It really pisses me off when I clearly state, that I know this is overkill, and all I want are hardware recommendations, and all I get are people telling me 20 fucking times that "hey, don't you know that system is overkill?" Yes, I fucking know, please quit crapping in my thread unless you are offering advice on the questions I asked.
If you don't want to stay on topic, DON'T FUCKING POST IN MY THREAD!!




So this lady at work today told me she is going to get a new computer and asked me if Alienware is any good. I told her they were great, but personally I would never buy one, because I could build the same type of system myself for less. She seemed interested and told me she had $3500 to spend. I was like "$3500?!?" and of course I started thinking of dual 6800 Ultras, FX55, SCSI RAID5, etc.

But then she told me she just wants to burn CDs really fast and use the internet and didn't play games. Later she did say that her daughter might play an occassional game, but nothing intensive. And she said that althogh she could spend upto $3500, she would of course prefer to spend less. And she already has a 17" LCD.

So right now I'm thinking of someting along these lines:

PC Power & Cooling 425 Turbo-Cool Deluxe (although the Antec Phantom would be much quieter)
Athlon 64 4000+ (any reason to get a FX if not overclocking?)
Lian Li PC1000BW (very cool looking, uses 120mm fans so should be quiet)
NEC-3500A
Samsung SM352
WD Raptor
Seagate 120GB or so for storage
MX1000
Logitech Elite



QUESTIONS:

OK, then some things I need advice on. Remember, this is NOT a gaming PC. There will be absolutely NO overclocking. I don't want to hear about SLI and dual 6800 Ultras. I want to get the highest performance she can get, without wasting money on things she would never notice. Stability is TOP priority.

1) RAM. I'm thinking 1GB of PC3200 TCCD chips at 2-2-2-5 timings, any recommendations on brands? I've heard A64 boards are picky, which ties in with the next question.

2) Motherboard. Need a good Socket 939 board. Needs to be from a well known, very reputable manufactuer and stability is the most important factor.

3) Would a Pentium 4 be a better choice since it has HT? I kinda thought it would but then I read this matchup between the two and at the end they state:

Gamers, business users, developers and the general public will find that the Athlon 64 4000+ is faster in the types of applications they run.

Extras I plan on getting:

Lian Li card reader, matching stealth CD-ROM and floppy bezels. Really nice mousepad. Zalman 7000B HSF. Extra quiet Panaflo fans. And a good UPS of course.

And I know you don't need all this stuff for what she will be using it for, but she seems pretty determined to buy a new system, and I might as well build it for her and make a little cash.

 

[InorganicMatter]

If she has the $$$, is not gaming/OCing, and is using the computer for work, Intel's HT is the way to go. I can assure you that she will GREATLY appreciate it. Get an HT processor and some good Low-Latency RAM. Possibly an Intel 915 chipset, a Socket T processor, good old DDR1 and PCIe graphics (6600 vanilla should do). Best computer for office work you can get.

 

[bobsaget]

5) Soundcard. Since it's only going to be 2 channel, any reason not to get a Chaintech AV-710?

That is a very good reason to get that card.


the system looks great. Does she need that fast of a processor though?

 

[burningrave101]

Ok timeout dude, she doesn't need 99% of that shit for the stuff she's going to use the machine for lol.

PC Power & Cooling 425 Turbo-Cool Deluxe (although the Antec Phantom would be much quieter)

PC Power and Cooling is overkill for that system. Try a Fortron, Enermax, or Antec.

Athlon 64 4000+ (any reason to get a FX if not overclocking?)

There is no way in heck she needs a 4000+ or FX processor. Try a Pentium 4 3.0c or A64 3000+ at the most.

Lian Li PC1000BW (very cool looking, uses 120mm fans so should be quiet)

She probably doesn't give a crap what the case looks like so dont spend a ton of money on it. You can bet she will never even open the case door.

NEC-3500A
Samsung SM352

Alright

WD Raptor
Seagate 120GB or so for storage

The Seagate 120GB HDD will be good but she doesn't need a raptor.

MX1000

Get a MX500, MX510, or Intellimouse 4.0 instead. She doesn't need wireless and the MX1000 is expensive.

Logitech Elite

Ither that board or any cheap $10 keyboard will do.

I dont think she realizes that she doesn't need all that shit for what she wants to use the computer for so dont go build her a $3500 computer when all she needs is a $300 Dell special lol.

 

[v3rt1g0]

I think you don't have nearly enough information.
She wants those basic things, but had it in her mind that she needed to spend $3500??
What's her current system? How future-proof is she expecting the system to be?

- If she is not gaming, a top end Athlon64 doesn't quite fit the bill. I would go with a dual opteron setup. Seems a bit much, but it's the only (affordable) way to get a dual proc 64-bit setup. The dual procs give you an ultra smooth experience, and 64-bit is for future proofing. She may not need the future proofing. The only reason I suggest the dual setup is because we're in the $2500 range.
- Spend a little extra to make the system ultra quiet. Water cool it and really knock her socks off. Getting a quiet AND ultra fast system would be really impressive.
- I'd put two 74GB Raptors in RAID-0, and have a 160GB PATA drive to ghost the array onto weekly. If she's truly only using this thing for browsing and burning cds (?!?), forget this. But you want some kind of built-in ghost/mirroring solution either way.

Everything else you have there looks good.
I'd definitely talk with her more and learn EXACTLY what she expects from this system.
Sounds to me like she wants raw performance in the OS, web browser, etc.
Work up two or three systems, and the price for each, and let her choose one.

 

[EnderW]

If she has the $$$, is not gaming/OCing, and is using the computer for work, Intel's HT is the way to go. I can assure you that she will GREATLY appreciate it. Get an HT processor and some good Low-Latency RAM. Possibly an Intel 915 chipset, a Socket T processor, good old DDR1 and PCIe graphics (6600 vanilla should do). Best computer for office work you can get.

I was considering a 3.8GHz Pentium, but then I read this matchup between the two and at the end they state:

Gamers, business users, developers and the general public will find that the Athlon 64 4000+ is faster in the types of applications they run.

Still not opposed to changing it, HT is nice, but the P4 is also a lot hotter and is less future proof since it isn't 64 bit. Keep in mind she will probably want this PC to last 5 years like her old one.

Does she need that fast of a processor though?

No, she doesn't need half the shit here, but she wants something fast and in 4 years, that 4000+ will be old news.

Ok timeout dude, she doesn't need 99% of that shit for the stuff she's going to use the machine for lol.

I know she doesn't need a high end system right now, but like I said earlier, she is going to want this to last a long time. And she is going to spend the money anyway, so I feel like it's my duty to build a kickass system for her.

I don't want this to turn into a discussion of she doesn't need that, etc. I want advice for picking out the best parts based on the criteria I stated.

PC Power and Cooling is overkill for that system. Try a Fortron, Enermax, or Antec.

I don't think it's overkill. Highend system = highend PSU. 5 year warranty. Extremely reliable and stable. Cleanest power output available.

There is no way in heck she needs a 4000+ or FX processor. Try a Pentium 4 3.0c or A64 3000+ at the most.

Like I said earlier, this will need to last a long time. She isn't going to be upgrading every year like we do.

She probably doesn't give a crap what the case looks like so dont spend a ton of money on it. You can bet she will never even open the case door.

You've got a point here, but I just think coming from a beige Gateway box and seeing a black shiny aluminum case like that with a window in the side, stealthed drives, etc that it would just be so cool and she would love it.

A more practical choice would be the Antec Sonata, but I really think the Lian Li would be awesome. Plus I'm thinking of buying this case next year and would like the chance to try it out

The Seagate 120GB HDD will be good but she doesn't need a raptor.

Like the processor, this is gonna need to last a long time, so it makes sense to get the fastest currently available. Plus the Raptors are made for enterprise use, so they should be more reliable.

Get a MX500, MX510, or Intellimouse 4.0 instead. She doesn't need wireless and the MX1000 is expensive.

Another $50 with a $3500 budget isn't a big deal. I want to contrast her current computer in everyway. Imagine going from an old, dirty trackball mouse to the king of mice, MX1000. Old people love simple things like a wireless mouse.

Ither that board or any cheap $10 keyboard will do.

This is a top of the line system. There is no reason to skimp on the "little things" like so many people do. The mouse, keyboard, and monitor are often overlooked, yet these are the parts you interact with. Makes no sense to me.

I dont think she realizes that she doesn't need all that shit for what she wants to use the computer for so dont go build her a $3500 computer when all she needs is a $300 Dell special lol.

I know she doesn't need all that shit right now, but like I said, this will need to last a long, long time. She is going to spend the money whether I build it or not, so I'm actually helping her out by building her a $2500 PC instead of letting her blow the whole $3500 at Alienware.

And like I said earlier: This thead is NOT for telling me she doesn't need all this. I know that. I made this thread in order to get advice on the best, most stable components possible.

So far only one reply has addressed the 5 questions I asked.

 

[Tengen]

You might want to suggest having 2 computers, so she can burn CD's with one while using the internet on the other. Or even build a stripped down CD burner with a controller.

 

[v3rt1g0]

1) RAM. I'm thinking 1GB of PC3200 TCCD chips at 2-2-2-5 timings, any recommendations on brands? I've heard A64 boards are picky, which ties in with the next question.

Kingston. It doesn't overclock for poop, but it's been rock solid in all the systems I've built. Sounds like the two qualities you want.

2) Motherboard. Need a good Socket 939 board. Needs to be from a well known, very reputable manufactuer and stability is the most important factor.

ASUS. They have a reputation for reliability in my experience.
Since you're talking future proofing, I'd go with a dual Socket 940. It'll last her a good long time.

3) Videocard. Like I said this is not really for gaming, so I was thinking of putting in like a 9600xt or something along those lines. Maybe my old 9800 Pro.

Ask what kinds of games her daughter will be playing.
If it's anything semi-modern, I'd get a vanilla 6800. Future proofing, right?

4) Speakers. A nice 2.1 setup, something kinda small and cool looking, but high quality. Or just get the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1s?
5) Soundcard. Since it's only going to be 2 channel, any reason not to get a Chaintech AV-710?

Looks good to me.. Most average users don't give a rip about sound anyway.

 

[EnderW]

I think you don't have nearly enough information.
She wants those basic things, but had it in her mind that she needed to spend $3500??
What's her current system? How future-proof is she expecting the system to be?

Her current system is a 5 year old Gateway. She spent $4200 on it, so she is thinking a similiar budget and she is a pharmacist, so she has the money. I'm sure she will want another 5 years or so out of this one.

- If she is not gaming, a top end Athlon64 doesn't quite fit the bill. I would go with a dual opteron setup. Seems a bit much, but it's the only (affordable) way to get a dual proc 64-bit setup. The dual procs give you an ultra smooth experience, and 64-bit is for future proofing. She may not need the future proofing. The only reason I suggest the dual setup is because we're in the $2500 range.

I don't think dual CPUs are a good idea. Remember I want this system to rock solid and there aren't a lot of motherboard choices, plus I don't have any experience building dual CPU systems, and while I'm sure it's not that much different, I don't want to start on this system. Besides most programs don't take advantage of them anyway

Spend a little extra to make the system ultra quiet. Water cool it and really knock her socks off.

It should already be pretty quiet since I'll be using low speed 120mm fans, a Zalman 7000 and a quiet video card. Watercooling = HORRIBLE idea. I don't even know where to start on why I would never do this. Just think about.

Getting a quiet AND ultra fast system would be really impressive.
- I'd put two 74GB Raptors in RAID-0, and have a 160GB PATA drive to ghost the array onto weekly. If she's truly only using this thing for browsing and burning cds (?!?), forget this. But you want some kind of built-in ghost/mirroring solution either way.

Ghosting the boot drive is a good idea, but RAID0 is just asking for problems - doubles the chance of drive failure and little performance increase without a good controller card and several (> 2) drives.

Everything else you have there looks good.
I'd definitely talk with her more and learn EXACTLY what she expects from this system.
Sounds to me like she wants raw performance in the OS, web browser, etc.
Work up two or three systems, and the price for each, and let her choose one.

Yes, that is an excellent idea. I definitely plan to give her about 3 choices and see what is important to her.

 

[Met-AL]

Why dont you do the right thing and build her something sensible, nice looking, and quiet and giver her back $2000. That will be something she would appreciate. You, being the expert in this situation, should lead her with your infinite knowledge of the art of building PC's away from overpriced unneccesary components in an ethical manner.

Hmmm...I edited my post, but it took 7 hrs to show up?

 

[EnderW]

You might want to suggest having 2 computers, so she can burn CD's with one while using the internet on the other. Or even build a stripped down CD burner with a controller.

Interesting, but to an average person I don't think they would go for this. Also, with a 52x burner, a CD will only take about 2.5 minutes to burn and she has more then enough horsepower to surf while burning.

 

[EnderW]

Why dont you do the right thing and build her something sensible, nice looking, and quiet and giver her back $2000. That will be something she would appreciate.

And like I said earlier: This thead is NOT for telling me she doesn't need all this. I know that. I made this thread in order to get advice on the best, most stable components possible.

That said, I will draw up a more conservative system and let her make the decision.

 

[burningrave101]

Still not opposed to changing it, HT is nice, but the P4 is also a lot hotter and is less future proof since it isn't 64 bit. Keep in mind she will probably want this PC to last 5 years like her old one

I think the multitasking of the Pentium 4 will be more beneficial to what she will be using the machine for.

No, she doesn't need half the shit here, but she wants something fast and in 4 years, that 4000+ will be old news.

Your exactly right, it will be old news. See the thing most people dont realize is that it makes no sense to buy the most expensive hardware and try to make it last 5 years. Its MUCH more sensible to build a descent system now and then buy or build another one for the same price in about 2.5-3 years.

I know she doesn't need a high end system right now, but like I said earlier, she is going to want this to last a long time. And she is going to spend the money anyway, so I feel like it's my duty to build a kickass system for her.

She doesn't need a kickass system though. This poor lady probably has no idea what the hell she needs and i can tell you right now that she doesn't need anything close to a $3500 PC.

I don't want this to turn into a discussion of she doesn't need that, etc. I want advice for picking out the best parts based on the criteria I stated.

Based on what you said she was going to use the machine for though she doesn't need any of that hardware so i dont see the need in recommending it when your just doing her an injustice.

I don't think it's overkill. Highend system = highend PSU. 5 year warranty. Extremely reliable and stable. Cleanest power output available.

Its also the most expensive PSU out there and she doesn't need one. Her system will not be overclocked and the majority of computers run off generic power supplies without issue. An Antec or Fortron are both high quality power supplies.

Like I said earlier, this will need to last a long time. She isn't going to be upgrading every year like we do.

Even if she didn't upgrade for 3 or 4 years a 3.0c or A64 3000+ would be more then she needs for what she is doing.

You've got a point here, but I just think coming from a beige Gateway box and seeing a black shiny aluminum case like that with a window in the side, stealthed drives, etc that it would just be so cool and she would love it.

I can tell you right now that 99% of women dont give a rats ass about having some fancy PC case. They just want the PC to function like it should and nothing else.

Sure, get her a nice looking case but dont spend over $50 or $60 on it.

A more practical choice would be the Antec Sonata, but I really think the Lian Li would be awesome. Plus I'm thinking of buying this case next year and would like the chance to try it out

It would be awesome for you or me but she isn't you or me and she doesn't think like you or me so it makes no sense to buy one for her.

Like the processor, this is gonna need to last a long time, so it makes sense to get the fastest currently available. Plus the Raptors are made for enterprise use, so they should be more reliable.[]/quote]

She isn't running an enterprise here lol. She is going to browse the internet, check her e-mail, and use a few standard office applications.

Another $50 with a $3500 budget isn't a big deal. I want to contrast her current computer in everyway. Imagine going from an old, dirty trackball mouse to the king of mice, MX1000. Old people love simple things like a wireless mouse.

A MX500 or Intelli 4.0 or 3.0 is more then she needs. She wouldn't even know what to do with a MX1000 lol.

This is a top of the line system. There is no reason to skimp on the "little things" like so many people do. The mouse, keyboard, and monitor are often overlooked, yet these are the parts you interact with. Makes no sense to me.

A $10 keyboard functions the same way a $30 keyboard does and to a normal person they will never notice a difference.

Build her a nice $1000-$1500 system and charge her a fair amount for the work you did and be done with it.

 

[independantvariable]

I would get a pentium for that system, you can not say that any 64 bit proc out there is future proof. By the time a final version is released there will be leaps and bounds from the standart of computer processors.

 

[TheScott2K]

Whenever someone says they want a system "that will last me" and therefore spends ~$3500 my ass starts to twitch. My dad just dropped an ungodly amount of money on a Dell XPS and he's convinced himself that it has a chance of lasting SIX YEARS.

The public at large needs to realize that you're a hell of a lot better off spending $1500 now and $1500 two and a half years from now. It will save them money and give them WAY less headaches caused by the machine they paid three grand for three years ago running sluggishly.

More money does not necessarily equal better than.

 

[v3rt1g0]

I don't think dual CPUs are a good idea. Remember I want this system to rock solid and there aren't a lot of motherboard choices, plus I don't have any experience building dual CPU systems, and while I'm sure it's not that much different, I don't want to start on this system. Besides most programs don't take advantage of them anyway

It doesn't matter that most programs don't use both, the OS does. When you have multiple apps open, they share the two CPUs. If you've built machines before, it's not hard to pop in a second proc.... There's nothing different there.

Ghosting the boot drive is a good idea, but RAID0 is just asking for problems - doubles the chance of drive failure and little performance increase without a good controller card and several (> 2) drives..

It doesn't double the chance for DRIVE FAILURE, it double the chance for DATA LOSS.
Data loss wouldn't be a problem since the drive would be ghosted periodically. It's a win-win.

 

[Ludic]

I'd build the system as conifgured above, especially focusing on the parts that she will see/interact with. People who don't know PC's want it to look like they spent $3500 (or whatever) on their PC whether they did or not. A cool looking case, a MX1000, or a really nice keyboard/speaker set will accomplish this.

Is it overkill? Yeah, but I imagine he's told her that already, and can price a more reasonable system with the above listed components (case, keyboard, mouse, speakers) that will still make her just as happy. Coming from an old Gateway, almost anything will seem like a quantum leap in speed.

 

[EnderW]

The public at large needs to realize that you're a hell of a lot better off spending $1500 now and $1500 two and a half years from now. It will save them money and give them WAY less headaches caused by the machine they paid three grand for three years ago running sluggishly.

I agree. And most of the time, people don't need an entirely new computer. If you start out with high quality, core components (psu, case, etc), then you can just upgrade the cpu, mb, ram. Another issue I will ask her about.

I'd build the system as conifgured above, especially focusing on the parts that she will see/interact with. People who don't know PC's want it to look like they spent $3500 (or whatever) on their PC whether they did or not. A cool looking case, a MX1000, or a really nice keyboard/speaker set will accomplish this.

Exactly. I'm glad someone understands this.

 

[EnderW]

I think the multitasking of the Pentium 4 will be more beneficial to what she will be using the machine for.



Your exactly right, it will be old news. See the thing most people dont realize is that it makes no sense to buy the most expensive hardware and try to make it last 5 years. Its MUCH more sensible to build a descent system now and then buy or build another one for the same price in about 2.5-3 years.



She doesn't need a kickass system though. This poor lady probably has no idea what the hell she needs and i can tell you right now that she doesn't need anything close to a $3500 PC.



Based on what you said she was going to use the machine for though she doesn't need any of that hardware so i dont see the need in recommending it when your just doing her an injustice.



Its also the most expensive PSU out there and she doesn't need one. Her system will not be overclocked and the majority of computers run off generic power supplies without issue. An Antec or Fortron are both high quality power supplies.



Even if she didn't upgrade for 3 or 4 years a 3.0c or A64 3000+ would be more then she needs for what she is doing.



I can tell you right now that 99% of women dont give a rats ass about having some fancy PC case. They just want the PC to function like it should and nothing else.

Sure, get her a nice looking case but dont spend over $50 or $60 on it.



It would be awesome for you or me but she isn't you or me and she doesn't think like you or me so it makes no sense to buy one for her.



A MX500 or Intelli 4.0 or 3.0 is more then she needs. She wouldn't even know what to do with a MX1000 lol.



A $10 keyboard functions the same way a $30 keyboard does and to a normal person they will never notice a difference.

Build her a nice $1000-$1500 system and charge her a fair amount for the work you did and be done with it.

All you've done is repeat everything you already said in your first post and have offered no help on the questions I asked. If all you're going to do is tell me to build a cheap system, please quit posting here.

 

[dainthomas]

Women generally like things that are cute. Why not pick up one of these:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=56-101-450&DEPA=0

Slap in a 3400+, gig of ram, 6800NU, DVD Burner (silly not to), and a 160-200gb seagate SATA drive. This system would haul ass and be whisper quiet. Not to mention it would look nice next to her LCD. And you could do it all for $1300-1400.

 

[Dan_D]

Actually the Pentium 4 LGA775 is future proof with the i925XE chipset, as it does support 64bit Prescott's and has DDR2 memory (Which will take over one day.) and of course you've got PCI-E as well.

64Bit Prescott's are shipping to OEM's right now. So that arguement doesn't hold true. The HT is nice. I've got a 3.4GHz P4 with daul Raptors, and the damn thing is quick enough for any office apps and multi-tasks like crazy. I've played games well on my old rig so I am sure when my video card arrives, that this one will do better.

Also I'd like to say that with the thermal design of the LGA775 systems, you've got better power and better cooling solutions. My LGA775 setup runs cooler than my S478 one did.

I of course prefer Intel, I'm not knocking the AMD setup, I just want to dispell any of these missconceptions about the Intel platform.

And from a reliability Standpoint, It's hard to beat an Intel CPU with an Intel chipset based motherboard.

 

[EnderW]

Actually the Pentium 4 LGA775 is future proof with the i925XE chipset, as it does support 64bit Prescott's and has DDR2 memory (Which will take over one day.) and of course you've got PCI-E as well.

A lot of good points.

Wouldn't the i915P chipset be just as good? The i925XE carries a heavy premium of about $100. Is 1066 fsb going to make any difference if the chip is still at 800?

And from a reliability Standpoint, It's hard to beat an Intel CPU with an Intel chipset based motherboard.

That is very true. I'm really leaning towards an Intel setup right now.

 

[dainthomas]

And from a reliability Standpoint, It's hard to beat an Intel CPU with an Intel chipset based motherboard.

My AXP/nforce2 system is the most stable system I've owned. And that includes a PIII Dell. I've never understood this argument.

 

[v3rt1g0]

I've never understood this argument.

Same. Stock hardware is generally never the cause of instability.
That's all software. Many people still think that Intel = Stable for some reason. It's just a brand.

 

[EnderW]

My AXP/nforce2 system is the most stable system I've owned. And that includes a PIII Dell. I've never understood this argument.

Stability is a hard thing to measure and I'm sure there are people on both sides that have had good and bad experiences. But if you think about it, one company making and designing the board, chipset, and cpu as opposed to one company making the chip and then another designing the chipset, then a third building the motherboard, the former seems likes a better idea.

 

[Talonz]

Pentiums and AMDs are all equally stable when well built and configured. The instabilities lie in the motherboard chipsets. IMO, yes, go with the Pentium. Since you have 3.5k to blow, spend it on a EE and 2 gigs of RAM.

Raptor? Consider that it might be too loud. I haven't heard one for myself, but people generally want their computers to be very quiet.

I completely agree with the high end keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Hi-tech looks are important to someone who is dropping 3.5 grand and doesn't know much about computers. My advice is not to go with a dualie system, even though they are nicer. There are too many possible problems that could arise from them, such as software incompatabilities. And before someone questions that, yes, they DO exist.

Good luck.

 

[v3rt1g0]

Stability is a hard thing to measure and I'm sure there are people on both sides that have had good and bad experiences. But if you think about it, one company making and designing the board, chipset, and cpu as opposed to one company making the chip and then another designing the chipset, then a third building the motherboard, the former seems likes a better idea.

Then there's Apple. They've always touted "we make the whole widget". But back in the system 7.5 days, macs were horribly unstable (I know from experience, I was a total mac geek in the mid-late 90s). It really has everything to do with software, not hardware.

 

[EnderW]

Pentiums and AMDs are all equally stable when well built and configured. The instabilities lie in the motherboard chipsets. IMO, yes, go with the Pentium. Since you have 3.5k to blow, spend it on a EE and 2 gigs of RAM.

Raptor? Consider that it might be too loud. I haven't heard one for myself, but people generally want their computers to be very quiet.

I completely agree with the high end keyboard, mouse, and speakers. Hi-tech looks are important to someone who is dropping 3.5 grand and doesn't know much about computers. My advice is not to go with a dualie system, even though they are nicer. There are too many possible problems that could arise from them, such as software incompatabilities. And before someone questions that, yes, they DO exist.

Good luck.

Thanks. Like I said, I am trying to keep it relatively reasonable. Here is my current newegg wish list:

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishHistoryReview.asp?position=HISTORY&submit=VIEW&ID=1151256


Decided against the Turbo-Cool because it is loud and their Silencer line aren't rated any better then the Antec, which is supposed to be fairly queit with it's 120mm fan.

 

[EnderW]

Then there's Apple. They've always touted "we make the whole widget". But back in the system 7.5 days, macs were horribly unstable (I know from experience, I was a total mac geek in the mid-late 90s). It really has everything to do with software, not hardware.

But aren't current Macs extremely stable and reliable?

 

[burningrave101]

All you've done is repeat everything you already said in your first post and have offered no help on the questions I asked. If all you're going to do is tell me to build a cheap system, please quit posting here.

It just seems as though your trying to build a system that YOU want instead of a machine that she actually needs and your doing it at her expense. She doesn't realize what she needs and how much she needs to spend on it to get it so you ought to be the one that tells her instead of even considering building a $3500 computer so that she can browse the internet and check her e-mail.

If you dont want real advice thats actually worth something instead of a bunch of nOObs telling you "woah thats an awesome system" then dont ask for help here on the forums.

Thanks. Like I said, I am trying to keep it relatively reasonable. Here is my current newegg wish list:

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishList.asp?DEPA=0&position=current&submit=add&item=36-121-116


Decided against the Turbo-Cool because it is loud and their Silencer line aren't rated any better then the Antec, which is supposed to be fairly queit with it's 120mm fan.

All i see on the wishlist is some Logitech 2.1 speakers. Did you take everything else off?

But aren't current Macs extremely stable and reliable?

Yes, the MAC's today are very stable and reliable and they are considered to be an idiot-proof machine.

 

[EnderW]

It just seems as though your trying to build a system that YOU want instead of a machine that she actually needs and your doing it at her expense. She doesn't realize what she needs and how much she needs to spend on it to get it so you ought to be the one that tells her instead of even considering building a $3500 computer so that she can browse the internet and check her e-mail.

If you dont want real advice thats actually worth something instead of a bunch of nOObs telling you "woah thats an awesome system" then dont ask for help here on the forums.

No, what I wanted was advice on building a very high end computer for someone, that would be the best at what they would be using it for and be rock solid, not a lecture on why they don't need it.

People buy things they don't "need" all the time. What you're doing is the equivelent of if I asked for recommendations on a fast, reliable sports car for $40000 that I would mainly be using to drive to work. "You don't need a fast car to do that, get a Honda Civic - it will do everything you need"

Besides, if I was building it for myself, I would have used dual 6800 Ultras, SCSI drives, TDX silver water cooling blocks, etc.

All i see on the wishlist is some Logitech 2.1 speakers. Did you take everything else off?

Link should be fixed now.

 

[burningrave101]

No, what I wanted was advice on building a very high end computer for someone, that would be the best at what they would be using it for and be rock solid, not a lecture on why they don't need it.

People buy things they don't "need" all the time. What you're doing is the equivelent of if I asked for recommendations on a fast, reliable sports car for $40000 that I would mainly be using to drive to work. "You don't need a fast car to do that, get a Honda Civic - it will do everything you need"

Besides, if I was building it for myself, I would have used dual 6800 Ultras, SCSI drives, TDX silver water cooling blocks, etc.

Have you even talked to her about what she needs and told her that a system for a third of the cost of what she said she wanted to spend would be faster then what she needs for the tasks she will be doing on the computer?

Seriously, why the hell would she want to spend $3500 on a PC to do a few office tasks that are not CPU or GPU intensive whatsoever. Heck, an Athlon XP 2500+ would be all she needs for what shes doing.

Any PC would be "rock solid" whether it cost $5000 or $500.

It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever to build this lady a high-end computer. It has nothing to do with bragging rights and having things she doesn't need because i'm pretty much 100% positive she doesn't give a rats ass about whats in that computer as long as it does the few simple tasks she wants to do proficiently. Do you seriously think she cares about bragging rights?

So why dont you tell her that a $1000 machine will do all she needs and more and then see if she still wants this badass system your wanting to put togethor for her.

If she's anything like my girlfriend and most of the women i know then she is completely computer illiterate and wouldn't know a Lian Li from a shoebox lol.

 

[EnderW]

Have you even talked to her about what she needs and told her that a system for a third of the cost of what she said she wanted to spend would be faster then what she needs for the tasks she will be doing on the computer?

Seriously, why the hell would she want to spend $3500 on a PC to do a few office tasks that are not CPU or GPU intensive whatsoever. Heck, an Athlon XP 2500+ would be all she needs for what shes doing.

Any PC would be "rock solid" whether it cost $5000 or $500.

It just doesn't make any sense whatsoever to build this lady a high-end computer. It has nothing to do with bragging rights and having things she doesn't need because i'm pretty much 100% positive she doesn't give a rats ass about whats in that computer as long as it does the few simple tasks she wants to do proficiently. Do you seriously think she cares about bragging rights?

So why dont you tell her that a $1000 machine will do all she needs and more and then see if she still wants this badass system your wanting to put togethor for her.

If she's anything like my girlfriend and most of the women i know then she is completely computer illiterate and wouldn't know a Lian Li from a shoebox lol.

All you do is keep repeating the same thing. It's obvious you aren't providing any help on the topic I asked. Please move along.

 

[burningrave101]

All you do is keep repeating the same thing. It's obvious you aren't providing any help on the topic I asked. Please move along.

I provided you with all the help you needed. You just choose to ignore it.

Just exactly why are you so stuck on spending all this money that isn't even yours? Is it because you really think she needs a machine like this or is it because you just want to get to fool around with all this expensive hardware while putting it togethor?

If you built her a nice quality system in the $1000-$1500 range then she would be alot more satisfied and would most likely want you to build her another one in a few years.

But then she told me she just wants to burn CDs really fast and use the internet and didn't play games. Later she did say that her daughter might play an occassional game, but nothing intensive. And she said that althogh she could spend upto $3500, she would of course prefer to spend less.

I think she would be better off buying a good Dell or HP system for what she's going to use the machine for. They aren't overly expensive and she will have tech support for any issues she has. If you build it then she doesn't have any kind of tech support and if something fails you'll be the one having to take care of the warranty on it. I bet she hasn't thought of that part.

 

[EnderW]

I provided you with all the help you needed. You just choose to ignore it.

Just exactly why are you so stuck on spending all this money that isn't even yours? Is it because you really think she needs a machine like this or is it because you just want to get to fool around with all this expensive hardware while putting it togethor?

If you built her a nice qualitly system in the $1000-$1500 range then she would be alot more satisfied and would most likely want you to build her another one in a few years.

I am not stuck on spending all this money. If you bothered to read my previous comments, you would see I plan on giving her about 3 different system plans, so she can decide herself.

All you seem to do is try and start arguments all over this forum, whether it be in the Video Card section, PSU forum - anywhere you go all you do is argue and spam your criticisms while hardly ever providing anything constructive.

I asked you nicely not to continue crapping in my thread if you didn't have something positive to add, but you can't do that can you? You always think you're right and that anyone who doens't agree is stupid. And you always have to have the last word - well not this time.