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Having a computer built - what to ask for??
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spliff



Joined: 19 Jan 2004
Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jnj wrote:
Do they charge some kind of tax/tariff for important RAM?


Laughing

If your gonna bring it w/ you here don't tell anyone....just pack it in your check-on luggage. Then it won't seem so "important". Very Happy
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Demophobe



Joined: 17 May 2004

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jnj wrote:
Wow, thanks guys. I didn't expect so much help so soon.

I can find all of this hardware here in Korea? Do they charge some kind of tax/tariff for important RAM?


Sorry I didn't ring in earlier. I don't get back into older threads often....the orphaned words.

I am not much of a shopper. I typically went top shelf until my last buy, and even then, my decisions were based on money, a yoke which a 2.5 million won budget wouldn't know.

I am more of an after service guy...when and if things go wrong, I may be able to help.

For the core components, eamo, as usual, has good ideas. Quad core, 4~8GB DDR2, Radeon HD3970X2, 2x500GB HDD, Gigabyte or Asus mainboard, with DDR3 option or not.

Please shop carefully for a mainboard/chipset. Intel is in chipset transition right now; a hard sell as DDR3 is still expensive comparatively and P35 is doing well. However, for the true enthusiast, its X38 (or Skulltrail, for the insane) all the way, and that means DDR3.

Get a server case as well. And a 3rd party CPU cooler.
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Demophobe



Joined: 17 May 2004

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Having a computer built - what to ask for?? Reply with quote

kprrok wrote:

MB: ASUS Maximus Special Edition - 325,000 (comes with water cooling if I'm not mistaken)
CPU: Intel C2D E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz - 350,000
RAM: OCZ Titanium PC2-6400 (2x2GB) - 100,000
VGA: HIS Radeon HD 3870x2 - 450,000
HDD1: Raptor 150GB - 175,000
HDD2: Raptor 150GB - 175,000 (For RAID 0 or 5, can't remember which)
HDD3: Seagate 1TB 7200.11/32MB) - 290,000
ODD1: Samsung DVD-Multi - 30,000
ODD2: Samsung DVD-Multi - 30,000
Case: Antec 900/P182 - 170,000
Power: Zalman ZM850-HP - 185,000
OS: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - 200,000

Total: 2,480,000

That's a DDR2 memory-based system. If you want DDR3, that'd be a lot more, or you'd have to sacrifice in the storage section. Also, I've heard that in may the Intel Q6700 is gonna drop in price by almost half, so that would be a nice buy then.

Good luck, I would love to be able to have permission to spend this much on a computer!

KPRROK


Good list. Very good...

...and very indicative of 2.5 million not being enough for total top shelf. Graphics can go higher (The X2, while being a great card, is an immature technology and will be vastly improved in it's next incarnation), DDR3 is a heavy consideration and that will be dictated by your mainboard chipset.

The Maximus is king of a dying memory breed, DDR2. I say dying, which sounds more dire than it is in reality; DDR2 will be around for a long while yet, but DDR3 is the future.

1TB hard drives...yeah...a good white paper on perpendicular recording is here.


Last edited by Demophobe on Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:13 pm; edited 1 time in total
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kprrok



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Location: KC

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Server case? Got a link to a good one? I'd be interested in seeing more about them.

Also, demo's right. The P35 chipset is good, I've read it's even within a few percetnage points in performance to the X38, even with the X38s PCI-e 2.0 crossfire capability.

The new X48 chipset will only support DDR3, which is really expensive and just coming online. I've even read some places, can't remember where so no links unfortunately, that the next generation after the Penryn will not be compatible, so there's another potential upgrade.

That list above also doesn't include any cooling or software. It's astonishing that 2.5 won't get you top of the line anymore. You could sacrifice in some areas for others, but if you're going top of the line, you shouldn't have to sacrifice.

For storage, you can definitely go for dual 500GBs instead of the 1TB, it's even cheaper. 500s run about 115 vs. the 280 for 1TB. And do you really need RAID on raptors for your programs? Probably not, but if you want to save a few seconds in your program loads, it'd be worth it.

If you are set on DDR3, the Maximus Extreme has DDR3 support, and Gigabyte just released a new board. Yeah, look at Skulltrail too, that'd be nice. Dual Quad Cores...sounds like something the beaver would like.

Start doing lots of research. I started reading a lot more about 6 months ago and have learned a ton! I'm still not up to the level of demo, cuban, eamo, super or beaver, but I can hold my own a bit. Also, once you have some ideas, post them and the others here can put up their advice. It's best to know what you're getting and understand why some things are better to invest in than others rather than relying on what others tell you. Most here won't steer you wrong, but it's good to understand it yourself.

Check out the thread of computer websites (I believe it's a sticky) and you can learn a lot.

Cheers,

KPRROK
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sargx



Joined: 29 Nov 2007

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

High end systems run: 4,000,000 and up
Mid end is: 2,000,000 and up
Low end is: 1,000,000 and up
Pauper is: under 1M

For 1,000,000 I don't think you can buy anything that will play the newest games.
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kprrok



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Location: KC

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sargx wrote:
For 1,000,000 I don't think you can buy anything that will play the newest games.


This is completely wrong. I could play Crysis on my computer right now and I've had it since 2005. BUT...I couldn't play on the highest settings. I'd probably have the absolute lowest settings on DX9 plus a low framerate. I could still play, though.

You build a good gaming rig for around 1.5. It won't be top-end, but it'll play the newest games at decent settings and framerates.

KPRROK
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sargx wrote:
High end systems run: 4,000,000 and up
Mid end is: 2,000,000 and up
Low end is: 1,000,000 and up
Pauper is: under 1M

For 1,000,000 I don't think you can buy anything that will play the newest games.


I can play Crysis on my 900,000 won system, at high-settings, and get 40-70fps. But I overclock!! Very Happy
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Demophobe



Joined: 17 May 2004

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I play crysis, UT3, Bioshock, SC4, CoD4...all on my 600,000 won machine. Granted, 600,000 only got me core components (RAM, Graphics, CPU, HDD, mainboard), but still, it plays all well at 1280x1024.

I overclock as well and have my system pretty tweakd out, but still...
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jnj



Joined: 29 Jul 2007

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Having a computer built - what to ask for?? Reply with quote

Demophobe wrote:
kprrok wrote:

MB: ASUS Maximus Special Edition - 325,000 (comes with water cooling if I'm not mistaken)
CPU: Intel C2D E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz - 350,000
RAM: OCZ Titanium PC2-6400 (2x2GB) - 100,000
VGA: HIS Radeon HD 3870x2 - 450,000
HDD1: Raptor 150GB - 175,000
HDD2: Raptor 150GB - 175,000 (For RAID 0 or 5, can't remember which)
HDD3: Seagate 1TB 7200.11/32MB) - 290,000
ODD1: Samsung DVD-Multi - 30,000
ODD2: Samsung DVD-Multi - 30,000
Case: Antec 900/P182 - 170,000
Power: Zalman ZM850-HP - 185,000
OS: Vista Ultimate 64-bit - 200,000

Total: 2,480,000

That's a DDR2 memory-based system. If you want DDR3, that'd be a lot more, or you'd have to sacrifice in the storage section. Also, I've heard that in may the Intel Q6700 is gonna drop in price by almost half, so that would be a nice buy then.

Good luck, I would love to be able to have permission to spend this much on a computer!

KPRROK


Good list. Very good...

...and very indicative of 2.5 million not being enough for total top shelf. Graphics can go higher (The X2, while being a great card, is an immature technology and will be vastly improved in it's next incarnation), DDR3 is a heavy consideration and that will be dictated by your mainboard chipset.

The Maximus is king of a dying memory breed, DDR2. I say dying, which sounds more dire than it is in reality; DDR2 will be around for a long while yet, but DDR3 is the future.

1TB hard drives...yeah...a good white paper on perpendicular recording is here.


Thanks so much for the help, guys/gals. Do you have any recommendations on where I should have it built at?

On the flip side of it, I figure I'll probably want to use this system for a few years. If I'm willing to wait a few months, I could definitely put another 1mil on my budget. Would it be worth it? Or should I just go forward with the 2.5mil computer?
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kprrok



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Location: KC

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't take that list I put up as a final idea. I just threw that together in about 5 minutes. Read about what I put up, check prices and decide if you really need all of it. If you don't need much storage space, you could drop a drive or two and spend that money elsewhere. Half of the fun in building (not that I've actually done a full build yet) is swapping out parts and trying to get the best bang for buck.

Also, if you're gonna add to the budget, you could definitely get DDR3 memory. The new nVidia 9600GT is being released today/tomorrow, so you might want to look into that.

Notice in that list that there is no cooling or anything else. It's all just the basic components. Do you want a sound card? Crossfire or SLI? That question question alone will determine which mother board you'll want as you can't do SLI in a Crossfire board and vice versa. Dual optical drives for multiple-region DVD watching/copying? Do you need it all? You have to answer those questions before you build.

You should also probably take at least a month or more in reading and researching before building. That will be time very well spent in checking if the parts are even compatible with each other (something I didn't check!).

Cheers

KPRROK
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eamo



Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I figure I'll probably want to use this system for a few years


Not a good strategy, IMO.

Even though you're thinking of spending 2.5mill now, you'll still be a victim, like everyone else, to the endless progress of tech. Your 2.5 mill monster will be a mid-range normal norman in about 1 year.


I would spend 1.7 or so on an awesome PC now. That's easily done. 1.7, not including monitor, will get you a fantastic PC. Then budget to spend another 1,000,000 to upgrade it in a year or so. A new CPU and GPU. Maybe RAM too.

If you're spending this much money on PC stuff then you must be pretty into it as a hobby. A bleeding-edge PC built in February 2008 will be a dinosaur in 2 years and not be making you happy.

That's basically the pattern I've fallen into. About every 18 months I'm spending a chunk to get up to date. You don't need to replace every component. Just the important bits.
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Demophobe



Joined: 17 May 2004

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eamo wrote:
I would spend 1.7 or so on an awesome PC now. That's easily done. 1.7, not including monitor, will get you a fantastic PC.


Exactly.
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jnj



Joined: 29 Jul 2007

PostPosted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eamo wrote:
Quote:
I figure I'll probably want to use this system for a few years


Not a good strategy, IMO.

Even though you're thinking of spending 2.5mill now, you'll still be a victim, like everyone else, to the endless progress of tech. Your 2.5 mill monster will be a mid-range normal norman in about 1 year.


I would spend 1.7 or so on an awesome PC now. That's easily done. 1.7, not including monitor, will get you a fantastic PC. Then budget to spend another 1,000,000 to upgrade it in a year or so. A new CPU and GPU. Maybe RAM too.

If you're spending this much money on PC stuff then you must be pretty into it as a hobby. A bleeding-edge PC built in February 2008 will be a dinosaur in 2 years and not be making you happy.

That's basically the pattern I've fallen into. About every 18 months I'm spending a chunk to get up to date. You don't need to replace every component. Just the important bits.


Ah, that makes sense too. In that case, it'd be OK to just get a pre-built 1.7mil PC from Yongsan/Technomart?

I'm not really into PCs as a hobby. I just like PC games more than console games, and since I don't have time to play much any more I'd like to have a really smooth ride whenever I do get a chance to play.
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SuperHero



Joined: 10 Dec 2003
Location: Superhero Hideout

PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jnj wrote:
Ah, that makes sense too. In that case, it'd be OK to just get a pre-built 1.7mil PC from Yongsan/Technomart?

don't buy a pre-fab. Choose your parts and then pay the shop to assemble and test it for you on the spot if you're not confident to build it yourself.
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kprrok



Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Location: KC

PostPosted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What SuperHero said. The assembly fee is normally 20,000 won.

KPRROK
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