High End Buyer's Guide - September 2004

Recommended High-End System

Hardware	Component	Price
CPU & Cooling	AMD Athlon 64 FX53 Socket 939 Retail	$829
Motherboard	MSI K8N Neo2 (nForce3 Ultra) Socket 939	$145
Memory	1GB (2 X 512MB) Crucial Ballistix PC3200	$278
Video Card	256MB NVidia 6800 Ultra	$526
Monitor	Dell 2001FP 20.1" Flat Panel	$809
Computer Case	Coolermaster Praetorian (PAC-T01-E1) Silver plus 480W Antec True Power PSU	$203
Sound Card	M-Audio Revolution 7.1	$94
Speakers	Klipsch Pro Media Ultra 5.1	$357
Networking	Onboard 10/100/1000 Ethernet	$0
Hard Drive	2x74GB Western Digital 74GB Raptor 10,000RPM SATA RAID (148GB Total)	$356
DVD/CD-RW	Pioneer 108D 16X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer	$97
Bottom Line	$3597

$3597 is the final price of our recommended Athlon 64 high end system for September, not including any money that you'll spend on software (Windows XP Professional or Home, Office, Photoshop, etc.) or a keyboard and mouse. This is a few dollars less than our last High End Buyer's Guide recommendation, even though we have significantly upgraded some components. Our monitor is now a fast 20.1" flat panel. The optical drive has been upgraded to a 16X Dual-Layer burner that can handle both + and - media at 16X write speeds. The audio card is now an M-Audio card based on the VIA Envy 24T audio chip. Many of you have suggested that we choose the best in these areas and we are happy to accommodate you. We have also updated memory recommendations based on the latest benchmarking at AnandTech.

$3600 is not pocket change, but we do believe that you will get a heck of a high end system for this $3600!! We've included the latest High End video from nVidia and the top Socket 939 Dual-Channel chipset from nVidia that is a particularly good match to an nVidia video card. The system also includes one of the fastest and most visually-pleasing flat panel displays tested at AnandTech in a large and satisfying 20.1" display. There are also CRT options at a lower price for those who prefer a CRT monitor, in addition to the $1050 21.3" flat-panel. You can spend a bit more at every price point, but we really don't believe that you will gain much, if anything, in performance.

Alternative High End System

Almost every recommendation in our alternative system is new, since we are now recommending an Intel 560 (3.6Ghz) on a new 925X motherboard as an alternative. The new Intel LGA 775 requires PCI Express, DDR2, and a 24-pin connector Power Supply in addition to the new processor, so parts are not generally interchangeable with the Recommended System.

Hardware	Component	Price
CPU & Cooling	Intel 560 (3.6Ghz) LGA 775	$505
Motherboard	Asus P5AD2 premium	$264
Memory	1GB (2 X 512MB) Crucial DDR2-533	$362
Video Card	256MB ATI X800 XT Platinum	$545
Monitor	Dell 2001FP 20.1" Flat Panel	$809
Computer Case	Coolermaster Praetorian (PAC-T01-E1) Silver plus 480W Antec ATX v2.0 'NeoPower' PSU	$248
Sound Card	M-Audio Revolution 7.1	$94
Speakers	Klipsch Pro Media Ultra 5.1	$357
Networking	Onboard 10/100/1000 Ethernet	$0
Hard Drive	2x74GB Western Digital 74GB Raptor 10,000RPM SATA RAID (148GB Total)	$356
DVD/CD-RW	Pioneer 108D 16X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer	$97
Bottom Line	$3637

Our Intel alternative system based on the new Socket T/DDR2/PCIe options totals about the same as our top-performing Athlon 64 system. The advantage of the cheaper Intel 560 is offset by the requirement for more expensive DDR2 memory, a more expensive motherboard, and an ATX 2.0 power supply. Where they are interchangeable, we have used the same parts recommended for the Athlon 64 system to provide a better comparison of the true cost of a top LGA 775 system vs. an Athlon 64 system.

By carefully choosing components from our alternative suggestions, you can reduce the price of either high end system to about $3000. The biggest savings would come with the alternative 200GB 7200RPM hard drive and the Mitsubishi 22" CRT instead of the fast 20.1" flat panel. Those two alternatives alone would reduce the total by almost $400. With the excellent on-board sound solutions provided by the motherboards - the 7.1 channel Realtek ALC850 on the A64 and Intel High Definition Audio on the Asus 775 - you can also reduce costs another $200 by using on-board sound and the alternative speaker system. Sound will still be outstanding and very satisfying for most end-users.

There are lots of changes in this High End Buyer's Guide. Take a close look at the complete High End Socket 939 FX53 system and the alternative Socket 775 Intel 560 system. Then, sharpen your pencil and start shopping for your dream high end system.

Please let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of each page. Your comments are always welcome, good and bad, and they help us refine our Buyer's Guides for the future.