Topic: Speed freak looking for a new PC

[robotaper]

Looking to buy a new desk top for post production, uploading, bit torrent, etc.  I want speed.  Also, smoothe video editing would be a plus.

Been using a notebook for 5 years and I'm looking to ramp up.  Help?!

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Best deal is going to build your own PC.

If you've got a budget, I'd be happy to put something together.

[yltfan]

I just did a bunch of shopping/research on cheapo brand name prebuilds (although I'd agree with the above about building your own if you have the time and money). Best deals seemed to be on HP over Dell or Gateway. I got an amd quad core with 6 gigs of ram and a sweet monitor for $600. It comes with a bunch of bloatware, of course, but it sure trucks thru these big 24 bit files!

[boojum]

When you buy already assembled boxes you get a warranty and it works when you plug it in.  I used to build my own.  Of course I could walk to Fry's then.  But built now is quite competitive.  I just got an AMD quad core w/1TB drive and 4 or 6GB memory and keyboard and screen, two DVD drives, etc., etc., for ~700.  It looks like the HP may be a better deal.  But I just hate debugging hardware problems so I like to open the box and plug it in.

YMMV

[OFOTD]

But built now is quite competitive.  I just got an AMD quad core w/1TB drive and 4 or 6GB memory and keyboard and screen, two DVD drives, etc., etc., for ~700.

What you don't take into account is that for $700 you're not getting any premium components.  You're getting some good ones and some average ones but not anything great or premium.   These deals from Dell, HP, etc that offer an AIO solution for cheap are nice for an average user but for someone who is a self described 'Speed freak" then these AIO deals are not in any way acceptable.  But hey YMMV.

Speed isn't cheap for a computer but it sure is worth it.   

[rastasean]

make your own. it will be rewarding and you will know how upgradeable it will be in the future. It's not that hard.

as for warranties, motherboards have them, RAM has it, hard drives have it, possibly power supplies and if it arrives DOA, any good dealer would replace it.

[deadhoarse]

If you plan on building...

If you have a Microcenter nearby, they have the best deals on the Intel Core i5 and i7 CPU's, at the time I bought my i7-860 it was 80 dollars cheaper than Newegg.

Tech Report just posted their March System Guide. http://techreport.com/articles.x/18510 They have recommended configurations at various price points. Generally speaking, if it's in your price range, you probably want to configure something around their Sweeter Spot build. But you can probably save a bit of cash by getting a lesser video card if you're not gaming, (maybe) a nicer sound card, and another 4GB of RAM if the editing programs you are using will take advantage of it.

[robotaper]

Thanks for the insight and suggestions.  I had a pretty lengthy discussion a couple weekends back regarding Macs as well.  I just don't see those fitting my needs.

Best deal is going to build your own PC.

If you've got a budget, I'd be happy to put something together.

I'd be interested in seeing what it would take to put my own together.  I'm willing to stretch the budget if it's worth it.

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

This is a great site to use for building your own computer. The keep a running tally on what are the best parts in different price ranges.

http://www.pcper.com/

Check the HW Leaderboard on there.

Deadhorse is right on with getting a lower end video card if you're not gaming.

[Scooter123]

Many of the media types here in LA swear by the HP z800 workstation.  It is super quiet.  The innards are designed by BMW.  Quad Core Processor with up to 3.3htz processors and 32g of RAM. You can also order a second processor!  It supports 6 SATA drives internally with RAID 0 and RAID 1 native to the motherboard, e.g., no controller card necessary.  Comes with a 1gig network card, but you can add a second.  Video Card Supports two DVI Monitors natively.  It has a ton of USB 2  I/Os right to the motherboard and also 2 firewires right to the mother board.  So no IRQ issues. 

I just bought one and it is a friggin rocket ship.  The only complaint I have is that I hate HP Video Cards, with the proprietary "display" plug.  I would order a different adapter, like a Display > VGA adapter from HP, or junk the Video Card altogether.  Also, it has no PCI cards slots, only PCIe. 

[admkrk]

i'd recommend talking to these guys if you're a speed freek.   

[Bullet1979]

My input would be to go Intel and stay away from AMD... not saying AMD is horrible but the i5 and (especially) the i7 lines blow AMD out of the water.  Go with a i7 processor if you can afford the cost difference.  The cost difference between DDR2 and DDR3 memory is almost negligible so I'd say go for it if you can but truthfully the difference in speed is not enormous.

I will add that I agree with the others in saying you can definitely save quite a bit of money buy going with a low-midrange graphics card if you don't plan on gaming.  I will say, however, this does not mean going with a motherboard with integrated graphics.  This will not only save you money on the graphics card, but you will also save money by not having to get a beefy power supply. 

Aside from that, also remember that you can always utilize hardware from your existing PC like the hard drive (as long as it's a decent SATA drive) and rom drive....   Good luck!

[Gordon]

another vote for building or having someone do it for you.  I'll never buy a desktop again.