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HIGH end build

O

opt789

n00b
Joined
Mar 31, 2008
Messages
33
I am starting to get more and more confused over this so please help if you can, or feel free to be harsh just because you are bored.

Since I listed to you guys about Alienware, I am still looking for an ultra high end machine. Here is a build from Falcon NW that I am looking at:

ICON - Brushed Aluminum
ICON Standard Solid
Silverstone 1200Watt Strider - Modular
EVGA 790i Ultra SLI
Intel Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9770 3.2GHz
ICON Watercooling Kit
8GB (4X2GB) 1066MHZ DDR3
2x nVidia 280GTX 1GB DDR3
CL X-Fi Titanium Fatality Pro PCIE
Raid 1 - Requires 2 Identical Drives
Western Digital Raptor 300GB 16MB Cache
Western Digital Raptor 300GB 16MB Cache
Lite-On 20X DVD+-RW W/Lightscribe
Ultra Flash Media & Floppy Drive
Windows Vista Ultimate - 64 Bit *
Office 2007 Basic
Logitech Gaming G-15
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Enermax Quiet Mag-Lev Fans

System Price:$ 8,543.65

I tried to price the same thing at AVA Direct but they have so many choices, and I don't know much, so my best guess is it would be about $900 cheaper. Does anyone know about the difference in continued warranty and tech support between the two companies?

It would be great to build it myself if I had any idea what I was doing. I tried to price it out, but I am not sure I including all that is necessary so my ballpark guess is about $6k.

One question I have is about 3DMark06 scores. I know that test can't really tell you anything about the GTX280 and especially two of them, but it was all I had to work with. I tried out a system with all the components above (the 9770 was OC to 4GHz) and got about 18k with just one GPU running and over 20k with both cards in SLI. When I called Falcon NW and asked what the scores would be on the above system they said only 14k to 15k, and that anyone over-clocking the chip too high, and over-clocking the ram or video cards will eventually cause the system to fail.

So is Falcon a good company, are they right that the OC ram and video that EVERY other builder is using will fail much sooner, and do their low 3DMark06 scores make sense?
Thanks for any and all help.
 
A little more info:
The price for a similar system at Maingear is about the same as Falcon, but I called them to ask what the test scores would be on their build and they said they would call me back but never did. So there is lost points in service level since they are not cheap. I don't think I made a mistake on Puget's site, but the $10k price tag made me think I did.
 
opt789 said:
A little more info:
The price for a similar system at Maingear is about the same as Falcon, but I called them to ask what the test scores would be on their build and they said they would call me back but never did. So there is lost points in service level since they are not cheap. I don't think I made a mistake on Puget's site, but the $10k price tag made me think I did.
Click to expand...

If you have $8500+ to spend, I think Puget or AVA are the people to go through. If I was going to unload this kind of change onto a boutique then I doubt the $2000 extra to go with a fantastic builder like Puget would turn me off.

This is AVA Directs offering which comes in at $7834.24. I am sure someone like AndonSage or DannyBui will come along and tweak it to make it better. ;) Its $1000 just for the liquid cooling option and I chose one of the cheapest. That covers 1 CPU and 2 GPU's for what its worth. :(

I don't know much about Falcon Northwest but I am sure a regular from these forums is going to tell you to check out ResellerRatings.com (or to build it yourself...or they might even faint dead away that you're going to spend so much money :D ).

You didn't specify in your write up which speed your HD's were so I gave you 10,000rpm.

They also might come in here and tell you, in no uncertain terms, that you should not, under ANY circumstances, buy an Apevia power supply and that you probably don't need 1200w's. I trust them...

I gave you the eVGA GTX 280's because eVGA offers a "Step-Up" program although I'm not really too sure what you would step up to.... :confused:

And take what I say with the smallest granules of salt...I'm a noob and what JoeAverage would call an indecisive prat.

Good luck regardless and I hope they help you as much as they have helped me.


- INTEL, Core™ 2 Extreme QX9770 Quad-Core, 3.2GHz, 1600MHz FSB, 12MB L2 Cache, 45nm, 136W, EM64T VT XD, Retail
- XIGMATEK, HDT-S1283 CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink, Socket 775/754/939/940/AM2, 120mm Fan, Copper/Aluminum, Retail Not sure if you need this seeing as how you have the $1000 liquid cooling option...
- SERVICE, Overclocking, Dual-Core CPU, 20-30% Performance Increase
- CUSTOM, Coolant, Crystal Clear
- eVGA, nForce 790i Ultra SLI 775 A1, LGA775, nForce 790i Ultra SLI, 1600MHz FSB, DDR3-2000 (OC) 8GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI /3, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s RAID 5 /6, HDA, Gb LAN /2, FW /2, ATX, Retail
- OCZ, 8GB (4 x 2GB) Platinum Edition PC3-10666 DDR3 1333MHz CL (7-7-7-20) 1.8V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
- eVGA, GeForce GTX 280 SSC, GTX 280 648MHz, 1GB GDDR3 2322MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV Out, Retail
- eVGA, GeForce GTX 280 SSC, GTX 280 648MHz, 1GB GDDR3 2322MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, DVI /2, HDTV Out, Retail
- CREATIVE, Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Elite Pro, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 96KHz, I/O Module & Remote, PCI
- WESTERN DIGITAL, 300GB WD VelociRaptor™, SATA 3 Gb/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB cache
- WESTERN DIGITAL, 300GB WD VelociRaptor™, SATA 3 Gb/s, 10000 RPM, 16MB cache
- RAID, RAID 1 (mirroring), min 2 hard drives required
- ROSEWILL, RCR-102 Black 52-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, USB 2.0
- LITE-ON, LH-20A1L Black/Beige 20x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, Retail
- ANTEC, Nine Hundred Black Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU
- CASE FAN, NON-LED, Fans Maximum Package, Low Noise
- ZALMAN, ZM-MFC1 Black/Silver 6-Channel Fan Controller Panel, 5.25" Bay
- CUSTOM WIRING, Standard Wiring with Round Cables
- PC POWER & COOLING, Turbo-Cool® 1KW-SR 1000W Power Supply, 24-pin ATX12V EPS12V, Single +12V Rail, Quad SLI Ready
- MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM
- SERVICE, OEM System Recovery (secure HDD partition only)
- SERVICE, System Binder
- MICROSOFT, Office Basic Edition 2007 V2, OEM, No Media
- LOGITECH, G15 Keyboard (920-000379), Black, w/ LCD, USB, Retail
- LOGITECH, G9 Laser Mouse, USB, Black
- GAMING PC, Gold Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts & Lifetime Labor Warranty, Express/Priority Service)
- SERVICE, Standard Shipping (UPS, DHL, or Fedex)
 
if only you built this yourself... be SO MUCH CHEAPER... edit: like the dude above me said..


ima go price it from newegg for ya


Edit: I priced it out

minor changes include swapping the two hard drives for 640GB Western Digital AAKS (MUCH faster and MUCH more storage), use Mobo for raid.


The only 2x2GB ddr3 memory was this:
OCZ Special Ops 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ3SOE10664GK

got two of em

Also, i just did air cooling, tuniq tower + 6 silenx 120MM fans + rubber dampeners

although watercooling can be done too...



Grand total: $4,742.28 shipped - $90 in rebates
 
Ok first and foremost, after $2000 (Add another $500 or so if you're having a boutique build it for you) or so you get really diminishing returns. And no, spending $2500+ on a PC won't make it last that much longer than a $600 PC. That $8500 rig from Falcon, or from anyone else for that matter, will be outperformed in less than six months from now. So I recommend lowering your budget and requriements significantly. You can still have 95% of the performance of that $8500 rig for 70% to 80% of the price.

If you're that uncomfortable with building your own PC, look to either Puget or Avadirect. They're the two companies I would go with if I had to buy a prebuilt PC. Though I'd give the edge to Puget since I like their support a little better. If you want to know a little bit more about building, buying or setting up a PC, go to the link in my sig. There's a ton of information in that thread that should be usefuly for you.

Even among PC boutiques, Falcon Northwest is way too pricey. The two other OEMs I mentioned could do that build for half that price. In addition, if overclocking is done right and throughly tested, no it will not cause the system to fail sooner. I have yet to see ANY report of a someone killing a C2D CPU when overclocking within their limits.

I'm a bit too tired to price out a rig but I recommend not getting 280GTX cards at this time. In another month or so, ATI is releasing their HD4870X2 card. It performs better than 280 GTX SLI. So imagine what two of those HD4870X2 cards could do in Crossfire.
 
falcon Northwest is a company like Voodoopc, they make botique pc's for mucho dinero. They have a relatively good "lifetime rating" reputation, scoring a value of 8.28. I've heard they make some sweet systems and have outstanding paint jobs. However, price is not their best selling point. I'm not sure about the quality of their customer service, but i've seen many Falcon northwest's reviewed and benchmarked in pc mags over the years.
 
Have you looked into Alienware? I priced out a pc with very similar specs and it was around $6,500.
 
Thanks for all the replies, but I am confused by most of them.

To say that Falcon NW is too pricy doesn't make much sense because they are the same price as Maingear, only about 10% more than AVA direct, and a lot cheaper than Puget. Alienware does not have the best reputation on this site and their cost for the same build is about the same as the other guys and they don't have 64 bit windows so no 8gb of ram.

From what I have been told (don't know if it is correct) I need a 1200 power supply and liquid cooling for this setup.

I will admit that building it myself would save me money, but I literally don't have any idea how, and with overclocking, liquid cooling, and other cutting edge stuff I would probably make a mess of it. The time it would take to learn everything, then build and trouble shoot it is honestly not worth it to me. Additionally I need good tech support for the several years I hope to have this machine.

As to going with a lesser machine, I can't really argue with that other than to say I just wanted to get a top of line machine once, and I already spent $4500 on two 30" monitors so I wanted a great computer to go with them. The notion of waiting for HD4870X2 does sound intriguing.

So to summarize, it doesn't make sense for me to build it myself, and I would like to have this level of machine. Falcon NW, Maingear, and Alienware are priced about the same, AVA is 10% cheaper, and Puget is 20% more. So I am still unsure which way to go.

What still confuses me is Falcon telling me that all the ram faster than 1066mhz, a 9770 chip overclocked to more than about 3.6, and any video card overclocking will result is failure long before the three years I hope to keep this machine in stable working condition.
 
Not to be harsh, but theres a big difference between top of the line and excessive, Like they said more then 2500 for a computer really wont make much of a difference. And your computer will drop in "price" very quickly. I know my computer is about 700$ less then it use to be...last year....

But i do hear you on not wanting to do it yourself. You do need a decent bit of knowledge and patience when things go wrong. But you can still get a computer built from lets say alienware too that will get you a pretty good pc with similar specs.

just my 2 cents
 
You should be aware that if you're planning on running 2x30" monitors off the machine, you can't do SLI with multiple monitors. In other words, having 2 graphics cards won't do much for you.
 
The Hunter said:
You should be aware that if you're planning on running 2x30" monitors off the machine, you can't do SLI with multiple monitors. In other words, having 2 graphics cards won't do much for you.
Click to expand...

Yes, but there is a simple software switch to turn SLI on and off. So I will turn it on to play games on one monitor and off to run the two monitors. From what I understand that is where the dual GTX280 really shine, running in SLI on a large monitor with high resolution.

I talked to AVA and they are going to price out a system for me (since they have so many choices I told them what I want and asked them to pick the specifics). Since AVA is a little cheaper, is there any reason not to go with them?
 
You're playing with fire with so much enthusiast hardware and little knowledge on how to fix it.

Having said that, 8500 dollars for a computer, you are wasting your money, there is no doubt about that. But if you're okay with burning 6 grand for an additional 25-50% performance improvement, then that's your choice.

Your setup looks solid and it will dominate, not much more to be said. I'd say make sure you get with a vendor who offers no nonsense and no hassle tech support and RMA procedures.
 
opt789 said:
Thanks for all the replies, but I am confused by most of them.

To say that Falcon NW is too pricy doesn't make much sense because they are the same price as Maingear, only about 10% more than AVA direct, and a lot cheaper than Puget. Alienware does not have the best reputation on this site and their cost for the same build is about the same as the other guys and they don't have 64 bit windows so no 8gb of ram.

From what I have been told (don't know if it is correct) I need a 1200 power supply and liquid cooling for this setup.

I will admit that building it myself would save me money, but I literally don't have any idea how, and with overclocking, liquid cooling, and other cutting edge stuff I would probably make a mess of it. The time it would take to learn everything, then build and trouble shoot it is honestly not worth it to me. Additionally I need good tech support for the several years I hope to have this machine.

As to going with a lesser machine, I can't really argue with that other than to say I just wanted to get a top of line machine once, and I already spent $4500 on two 30" monitors so I wanted a great computer to go with them. The notion of waiting for HD4870X2 does sound intriguing.

So to summarize, it doesn't make sense for me to build it myself, and I would like to have this level of machine. Falcon NW, Maingear, and Alienware are priced about the same, AVA is 10% cheaper, and Puget is 20% more. So I am still unsure which way to go.

What still confuses me is Falcon telling me that all the ram faster than 1066mhz, a 9770 chip overclocked to more than about 3.6, and any video card overclocking will result is failure long before the three years I hope to keep this machine in stable working condition.
Click to expand...


you do NOT need either a 1200W or a watercooling setup.

air cooling is fine, just get a decent HSF.. and you wont need more than a 900-1000W powersupply, which is considerably cheaper.

however, i also agree with the other people in this thread, i wouldnt get such a high end machine, quadcore + 4gigs + 2x 4870 + 640AAKS HDD is really all you need to future proof to about 90% of what you original rig would... and its only ~ 1500-2000
 
Volcanon said:
Having said that, 8500 dollars for a computer, you are wasting your money, there is no doubt about that. But if you're okay with burning 6 grand for an additional 25-50% performance improvement, then that's your choice.
Click to expand...

I think it's even less than that. Maybe 10 to 15%.

Anyway, OP, I understand that you only want to get a top of the line PC once but it's a really really utter waste of money to spend more than $2500 on a PC. You can save that money and buy another $2500 PC next year. Next year's $2500 PC will outperform a $6000 PC built today. So by buying a new PC every year or so, you'll get more bang out of your hard-earned money and still maintain a serious performance edge.

As for what I said about the other two OEMs being cheaper, I should have added "could do a comparable rig for half that price." Sorry for the confusion

What still confuses me is Falcon telling me that all the ram faster than 1066mhz, a 9770 chip overclocked to more than about 3.6, and any video card overclocking will result is failure long before the three years I hope to keep this machine in stable working condition.
Click to expand...

Like I said earlier, TOTAL BULLSHIT. If the overclocking is done right, the PC will last for years without any stability or reliability degradation. Sounds to me like Falcon Northwest don't know how to OC right. I have at least three 3 to 4 year old rigs with overclocked CPUs and GPUs and they're still alive kicking to this day. Today's hardware is even better when it comes to overclocking so they should last longer than overclocked rigs from 3-4 years ago.

Also, I recommend ditching ANY extreme edition CPU from your PC. They're a total waste of money even when you're building the PC yourself. The 5% to 10% performance increase over regular C2D CPUs is not worth the extra $700 to $800.
 
IMO to save the biggest bucks that yield the smallest bang, ditch the watercooling and the processor and get something more reasonable. You might see a 5-10% performance improvement with the OCing and extra performance those afford you for nearly 2 grand.

Other than that... why do these machines cost so much? There's like a 3 or 4x markup on these machines or something, the parts you listed there are pretty modest for 8 and a half grand.
 
Hey, Opt...

If you have any questions for Puget (or about hardware in general), feel free to give me a call or email me.
 
opt789 said:
I talked to AVA and they are going to price out a system for me (since they have so many choices I told them what I want and asked them to pick the specifics). Since AVA is a little cheaper, is there any reason not to go with them?
Click to expand...


Taking some notes from all the posts I have come up with an updated AVA build.

1. You said you were intruiged by the 4870x2 so I built a Crossfire capable machine. I put 4870's in it but it would be better to stick two 4850's in it and be cheaper, but you sound like someone who wants the best available so... :) Having the Crossfire capable machine lets you switch out to the newer, faster x2's when they do come out.
2. "A 1200w PSU isn't needed" so I dropped you down to a 1000w Corsair which are suppose to be really good. From what I hear, you could probably do with an 850w PSU from a good company.
3. "You don't need liquid cooling" so I gave you a HSF suggested by AndonSage in another thread. I also gave you the Maximum Fans, Low Noise package.
4. "Don't get an Extreme" when you can overclock the Q9550 instead. So I added the 20-30% overclocking option on the CPU and the overclocking option on the dual GPU's.
5. It was suggested that you get the 640gb Hard Drives so I added those.

This system comes in at $4124.04 which according to most here is still too much.

GAMING PC, Core 2 CrossFire™ DDR3 Gaming System $4118.44
-INTEL, Core™ 2 Quad Q9550 Quad-Core 2.83GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 12MB (2 x 6MB) L2 Cache, 45nm, 95W, EM64T EIST VT XD, Retail
-XIGMATEK, HDT-S1283 CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink, Socket 775/754/939/940/AM2, 120mm Fan, Copper/Aluminum, Retail
-ARCTIC COOLING, MX-2 High-Performance Thermal Compound, Non-Electrical Conductive
-SERVICE, Overclocking, Dual-Core CPU, 20-30% Performance Increase
-GIGABYTE, GA-X48T-DQ6, Intel X48, 1600MHz FSB, DDR3-1900 8GB /4, PCIe x16 CF /2, SATA 3.0 Gbit/s RAID 5 /8, HDA, GbLAN /2, FW /3, ATX, Retail
-CORSAIR, 8GB (4 x 2GB) XMS3 DHX PC3-10666 DDR3 1333MHz CL9 (9-9-9-24) 1.7V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC
-VISIONTEK, Radeon® HD 4870 750MHz, 512MB GDDR5 1800Mhz, PCIe x16 CrossFire, DVI /2, Retail
-VISIONTEK, Radeon® HD 4870 750MHz, 512MB GDDR5 1800Mhz, PCIe x16 CrossFire, DVI /2, Retail
-SERVICE, Overclocking, Dual GPU, Optimal and Stable Performance
-AUZENTECH, Auzen X-Mystique 7.1 Gold, 7.1 channels, 24-bit 96KHz, S/PDIF, PCI
-WESTERN DIGITAL, 640GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD6400AAKS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200-RPM, 16MB cache
-WESTERN DIGITAL, 640GB WD Caviar® SE16 (WD6400AAKS), SATA 3 Gb/s, 7200-RPM, 16MB cache
-RAID, RAID 1 (mirroring), min 2 hard drives required
-ROSEWILL, RCR-102 Black 52-in-1 Card Reader/Writer Drive, 3.5" Bay, USB 2.0
-LITE-ON, LH-20A1L Black/Beige 20x DVD±RW Dual-Layer Burner w/ LightScribe, SATA, Retail
-NETWORK, Integrated Dual 10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN Network Controller
-ANTEC, Twelve Hundred Black Full Tower Case w/ Window, ATX, No PSU
-ACCESSORY, Universal Acoustic Foam
-CASE FAN, NON-LED, Fans Maximum Package, Low Noise
-SCYTHE, Kama-Meter Fan Control Panel, 4 Channels, 5.25" Bay, Silver/Black/White
-CUSTOM WIRING, Standard Wiring with Round Cables
-CORSAIR, CMPSU-1000HX HX Series Power Supply w/Modularized Cable Management, 1000w, 80 PLUS, 24-pin ATX12V
-MICROSOFT, Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM
-SERVICE, OEM System Recovery (secure HDD partition only)
-SERVICE, System Binder
-MICROSOFT, Office Basic Edition 2007 V2, OEM, No Media
-LOGITECH, G15 Keyboard (920-000379), Black, w/ LCD, USB, Retail
-LOGITECH, G5 Laser Mouse, USB
-GAMING PC, Gold Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts & Lifetime Labor Warranty, Express/Priority Service)
-SERVICE, Standard Shipping (UPS, DHL, or Fedex)



One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that DDR3 for the price doesn't really offer the gains over DDR2. I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong but I have seen that said quite a lot here. The price of this system drops considerably when you go to DDR2.

Having said that, the new Nehalem stuff is coming out soon and if you were dead set on getting the best of the best, I would wait for that.

Either way, good luck. It's exciting to be shopping for a new computer.

Although if I had $10k to spend, I would get a kick ass DDR2 system for $2500 to $2800 and buy a kick ass laptop(or TWO!) to go with it.

Also, no need to buy from Alienware or FNW or Voodoo PC, you get better service for your money from AVA or Puget.
 
opt789 said:
I am starting to get more and more confused over this so please help if you can, or feel free to be harsh just because you are bored.
Click to expand...

No one in this forum is ever harsh because they are bored; they only get harsh when someone is stupid :) And no, asking for help is NOT stupid, it's actually smart.

That being said, I recommend going with either AVA Direct or Puget Systems. While I really like Heather from Puget Systems, I just couldn't justify the extra money that a Puget computer would have cost me over a computer from AVA Direct. I'm am sure that Joe at AVA will work with you to get you the system you want, without spending $8500. Joe was very helpful when working with me on my computer configuration, and made several great recommendations.

The computer in my sig is from AVA Direct, and I received it back in June. If you are interested, you can read my review here on [H] regarding my purchase experience, the computer, and the support I received from AVA Direct.

I am still very happy with my AVA computer, and would not hesitate to purchase from them again. My friends and my father who have also purchased computers from AVA Direct are still happy with their systems also :) Another of my friends has a computer currently being built at AVA.

Normally I would configure a suggested system for you and list it here, but since you've already spoken with Joe Mundy, I'm sure he'll take good care of you :)
 
Everyone,
Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate them, and it has given me something to think about.

Heather Taylor,
My question for Puget is why do you charge so much? Currently I am waiting for a response from Perry on a build I emailed him.
 
I've found that spending $2000 is the most you should spend (shopping around, at least) to get your money's worth. Sure, that can stretch to $2500, depending on where you shop and if you want to boost your specs--or $3000 if you really want to watercool and overclock-ready your machine.

I recently spec'd out a pretty nice system for my Dad--being fairly conservative, but catering towards his gaming needs. It broke around $1700-$1800.

The real question, as some have posed before me--is do you really want/need to spend over $8000 on a computer? I, myself, would never spend over $4000 on a computer--probably not even $3000--but the point is. Do you want your computer to be really shiny? I mean. Sure, it can calculate decimals of Pi alot quicker--but do you really need 8GB of DDR3?

Also: If you're going to spend 8 grand on a system--make sure you spring the extra $40 and get the G9 over the G5. I own both--trust me on this one.
 
opt789 said:
Heather Taylor,
My question for Puget is why do you charge so much? Currently I am waiting for a response from Perry on a build I emailed him.
Click to expand...

I've let Perry know to look for your email--if you want to send me a message at heather@pugetsystems.com so I know who you are, it will help us find your inquiry and get it moved to the front.

As to pricing, please let me know to whom or what you're comparing us...is it individual part pricing, or just overall? It's hard to explain sometimes that part of what you pay for when buying from a builder includes some "intangible" benefits--good support, craftsmanship, etc. At Puget specifically, we offer a few things that other companies don't--such as free lifetime labor on your system, including phone and email support.
 
I just noticed this thread... only 8GB of RAM? My lord... for $8K+? Shit, I could build a machine that would eat any of the configs listed with 16GB or more and do it for what, 2/3 the cost, if that much. What is it with people that just have money to burn... toss some my way, geez.

And yeah, no Blu-Ray drive either? WTF man, I mean come on. :D

If the OP could ask "Why do you charge so much?" I guess turnabout is fair play:

Why would you spend so much?
 
Blu ray?
I already have a player for my plasma, and the computer burners are too slow right now, I will add one later when they get faster.

Why would you spend so much?
Because the lesser machine some are advising will not handle Crysis on a 30", edit HD video, and run complex mathematical back testing as well as a build with higher end components. Why would anyone buy a car over 20K, why would anyone pay more than 250k for a house, etc?

Why don't you build it for much less $?
Because I don't know how and I value my time differently than most people.

Am I listening?
Yes, I have actually taken some of the advice here and am looking at a scaled down build for less.

Anyone here that would recommend for or against Maingear?
 
opt789 said:
Because the lesser machine some are advising will not handle Crysis on a 30", edit HD video, and run complex mathematical back testing as well as a build with higher end components.
Click to expand...

The build that Shawnasee made will definitely fit your requirements.

Alternatively, this will also fit your requirements:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 CPU - $330
Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 Intel X48 Motherboard - $225
2 x G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ 2 x 2GB DDR2 1000 RAM - $170 ($85 each)
2 x VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB PCI-E Video Card - $570 ($285 each, For Crossfire)
2 x Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000GLFS 300GB 10000 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $600 ($300 each, For RAID 0)
Samsung SH-203N 20X DVD±R SATA DVD Burner - $27
Corsair 1000HX 1000W PSU - $270
Cooler Master Cosmos S 1000 RC-1100-KSN1-GP Full Tower ATX Case - $230
Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme HSF - $57 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21E 120MM Case Fan - $14
Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 OEM - $110
Asus Xonar DX 7.1 Channels PCI-E x1 Sound Card - $100
-----
Total: $2703 plus tax and shipping
 
One suggestion: the OP mentioned some "complex mathematical back testing" so my earlier comment about more RAM becomes even more relevant. Most if not all mathematical software available today works better when you give it gobs of RAM to work with so, even if he can't or won't front for the 16GB I was talking about (yeah, the big sticks are expensive and not every mobo supports it), then 8GB is a must for this machine. As much as possible, really.

Realistically, there isn't a machine on the planet today nor one that could be built from available hardware (not even dual quads with 16GB of RAM and triple SLI GTX280s or Crossfire 4870's) that are going to play Crysis at reasonably playable speeds on a 30" LCD at native resolution. :)

You gotta wonder sometimes: these games have hardware requirements that are simply beyond the means of even hardcore gamers, so what the hell kind of machines are the developers creating them on in the first place? I wish I could understand the draw of Crysis, or any games coming out in the near future that have such absolutely ridiculous requirements as to make them unplayable. After dealing with things like the Quake series for over a decade I wouldn't touch anything that can't run at a solid 60 fps. Sure 30 fps is enough for watching TV or a movie, but there's no game that's ever been made that I'd play if it was capped at 30 fps, even if it was a perfect 30 fps all the time regardless of what was happening onscreen, amount of activity, objects, etc.

I saw Crysis on a machine at Fry's here in Vegas a few months back, 24" LCD, native resolution, and it was horribly choppy - and this was on a machine that was watercooled, overclocked, tricked out, with tons of high speed RAM, Raptors, and SLI 8800 GTS cards too. It's sheer insanity... ;)
 
When nehalem comes out you'll be kicking yourself in the pants with this decision...

The people here know what they're talking about when they say something is either overkill, or it will be worthless in a few years.
 
I'm just going to jump in and say keep pursuing Puget. They aren't much more than AVA for the same specs, and Heather is utterly addicted to Customer support :D

To everyone suggesting he build his own, PLEASE leave the thread and go read the sticky at the top of this forum. Thanks :)
 
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