Buyer's Guide: High End System - May 2004
by Wesley Fink on May 26, 2004 11:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
High End System Summary
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| CPU & Cooling | AMD Athlon 64 FX53 Retail | $731 |
| Motherboard | Asus SK8V (VIA K8T800 - Socket 940) | $171 |
| Memory | 1GB (2 X 512MB) OCZ PC3500 EL ECC Registered | $339 |
| Video Card | 256MB X800 Pro | $425 |
| Monitor | Samsung SyncMaster 21" CRT (1100DF) | $447 |
| Computer Case | Coolermaster Praetorian (PAC-T01-E1) Silver plus 430W Antec True Power PSU | $194 |
| Sound Card | Creative Labs Audigy 2 6.1 OEM | $71 ($0) |
| Speakers | Logitech Z-5300 5.1 speakers | $148 |
| Networking | Onboard 10/100/1000 Ethernet | $0 |
| Hard Drive | 2x74GB Western Digital 74GB Raptor 10,000 RPM SATA RAID (148GB Total) | $428 ($133) |
| CD-RW | NuTech DDW-081 8X DVD+/-R/RW | $80 |
| Bottom Line | $3034 ($2668) | |
$3034 is the final price of our high end system this week, not including any money that you'll spend on software (Windows XP Professional or Home, Office, Photoshop, etc.) or a keyboard and mouse. $3000 is not pocket change, but what a high-end system you will have for this $3000!! This includes the fastest CPU that you can possibly buy right now, the new generation ATI Radeon X800 PRO video, 1GB of Dual-Channel ECC Registered memory, a 148GB 10,000 RPM SATA RAID array, a 21" .20 dot pitch monitor, and a top performing 8X DVD +/- burner with fast CDRW burn capabilities. You can spend a bit more at every price point, but you won't gain much, if anything, in performance.
Our alternatives also allow you to customize the High-End System to your needs. One painless way to reduce the cost is shown in italics in the price - use the excellent on-board 6-channel sound and substitute a 200GB Seagate Barracuda for the RAID array. For $2668, you will have most of the same performance in the top-performing Athlon 64 FX system.
With the next generation X800 Pro video card, the fastest FX53 on the superb Asus SK8V motherboard, and the fastest 10,000RPM Raid Array, our High End System is the fastest desktop system that you can buy, period. Next month, we will see the introduction of AMD's long-awaited Socket 939 processors, but don't expect performance much different than this top-of-the-line system. Yes, there will be a new and faster 3800+ at 2.4GHz with 512KB cache, but the top AMD Athlon 64 will still be the 2.4GHz FX53 with 1MB of cache. The only real difference will be that the new FX53 will be wearing Socket 939 clothes on a VIA K8T800 PRO instead of a K8T800, or a nForce3-250 Ultra instead of a nForce3-150.
Take a close look at the High-End FX53 system and let us know what you think in the comments section.
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ghoti - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
Thanks for these Guides! I sure appreciate them.I'm about to build my first system.
Anyone know when the MSI K8N Socket 754 MB (mentioned in the Guide) will be available?
Also, assuming I get the MSI K8N, I plan to use the AMD 64 3200, and would like to put in 2GB(?) memory. Considering possible FUTURE use (in a dual channel application), I guess I'd get a PAIR of 1024's. In checking the MSI memory compatability table, I don't see anything I recognize. Do I need to worry about that? Can I just go ahead and get one of the highly-reviewed brands/ types (e.g., Mushkin Pro). I don't plan to OC, but considering possible FUTURE use in/ with some other MB/ processor, does it make sense to get a higher speed than PC3200?
Thanks for the input.
hifisoftware - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
Good to hear about the changes, hopefuly giuides will even be better with more time dedicated to them.Great review, nice choices.
I would choose few componenets differently though:
1. Secondary choice for the HD. Samsung seems to be faster then Segate in real world benches (From xbitlabs testing). Segate is one of the worst performing brands in their tsting.
2. DVD I like NEC DVD writer more since it cost about the same (+/- few $), but there is a hack to convert it to double layer version.
Still a great guide, lots of usefull info. Cool
Ma10n3 - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
For a total budget of $5,000 or less, why not opt for a mobo that can support two Opteron 250s, but only purchase one initially. The TYAN Thunder K8W supports AGP 8x/Pro, has 4 PCI-X slots (hardware RAID anybody?), and a legacy 32-bit/33MHz PCI slot. Also, the onboard gigabit ethernet chip is connected to the PCI-X bus... absolutely no bottlenecks there. And when the Windows 64-bit Home edition comes out you can slap in the second processor and 4 more DIMMS and effectively double your memory bandwidth, due to the NUMA support in Windows 64.My point is, if you're going to invest so much in a high-end system, why not make it as future-proof as possible by leaving open extreme expandability paths.
PCI-X rulez.
Zebo - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
My bad wesley I was comparing the $404 Opteron 148 (2.2) to the $728 FX 51 (2.2). However I'm building this system with the $210 Opteron 144;) and hope to get the FX53 speeds for 1/4 the price....Wesley Fink - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
#2 - The same speed Opteron is the 150 at 2.4GHz. It is a bit cheaper at $620 but it is hardly half the price. It is also multiplier locked where the FX is completely unlocked. If overclcoking is not important to you, then the Opteron 150 and 3200 Registered memory would be a good choice and save about $150 total.Your point about the Saphire Radeon 9800 PRO is well taken, and I have changed the Alternate to the 256-bit model, which I did find on Pricewatch for $192 shipped.
Zebo - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
#1 I agree or go for one of LG/Philips's 20" 16ms IPS LCD branded by Dell, Viewsonic, NEC, amoung others. At around $700-$1200 it's pretty competitive.Azmedaj - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
Typo on the storage page: "Those concerned about data security more than ultimate speed can configure the drives as RAID 0, or mirroring", it Should be Raid 1Zebo - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
Opteron is half the price as FX and is the same but for top locked multiplier, but with that ram recommedation you can OC with ease, if that's a concern.Also 128MB Saphire Radeon 9800 PRO for $175 shipped is the 128bit verison aka LE, I would get the 256 for $209 shipped.
JGF - Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - link
I like everything except for the CRT monitor. I would swap the samsung out for a 21" mitsubishi diamond pro 2070 or the equivalent NEC model the FP2141SB.