High End Buyer's Guide - September 2004
by Wesley Fink on August 30, 2004 12:22 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
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.
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53 Comments
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decptt - Sunday, September 12, 2004 - link
Sep 11, No OC guide again -_-"I am waiting for Fink' comment about HS/HSF.
rbils - Wednesday, September 8, 2004 - link
Ignore me. I read the comments last week, and didn't bother to read them again before I posted today. Sorry!rbils - Wednesday, September 8, 2004 - link
I didn't notice in the article, but are you using the included (retail) heatsink and fan that ships with the AMD processor? If so, do you feel that it is adequate as installed? I've read so much lately about 3rd party CPU coolers and thermal compound that it has me questioning whether or not the items shipping with the retail CPU are sufficient.Wesley Fink - Thursday, September 2, 2004 - link
The 480W True Power has been more than adequate for my tests, BUT the OCZ 520W was my recommendation for the last Overclocking Guide. I personally believe the Antec 480W is more than adequate, but the OCZ 520W does provide an extra margin of safety - particularly if you plan to overclock your video card or seriously overclock the whole system. The OCZ 520 has the added advantage of both 24-pin and 20 pin compatability as well. If you can handle the OCZ price of $150 it is an excellent choice.As for coolers, water cooling and phase-change are outstanding, but specialized and expensive, and beyond the scope of our recommendations. I have had good success with the stock A64 cooler made by Ajigo, and it is MUCH better than past AMD coolers - even for some modest overclocking. If you want more, there are coolers that do a better job. My favorites are the Scythe Samurai, the Thermalright SLK948U, and the Thermaltake Silent Boost K8. The Gigabyte 3D Cooler Ultra GT is also great-looking, but it really doesn't add that much in the way of improved cooling over the stock fan. The Samurai, SLK948U, and Gigabyte are Universal HSF and will work on most sockets.
southernpac - Thursday, September 2, 2004 - link
Congradulations on a comprehensive and well thought out guide. I will very shortly be relying on it a lot. Two concerns: As #16 has testified to his 480W PSU being inadequite, I would like for AnandTech to comment on this (we are relying on your advise in making this purchase). I realize that nVidia has revised their power requirement downward, but only after a lot of critism. As I don't want any more heat in the case than is really necessary, SHOULD more than 480W be shown necessary, I would also like your view of OCZ's 520W PSU.The one hole in the review certainly appears to be the lack of a recommendation for a better than "decent" (read adequite) cooler. If there are "better solutions" available - the high-end system should have it. Heat is the enemy of electronics, so the best cooler is worth while, particularly at only about $50. However it's not that simple - hence the need for a recommendation. #44 for example advocates his Zalman CNPS7000B-Cu, but if you look at Zalman's own site info on this cooler, Zalman specifically disavows moving any system having an installed cooler weigning over 450g. The 7000B-Cu weighs 755g (50% over Zalman's own limit). Many high-end coolers have similar weight. The just released Gigabyte 3D Rocket heat pipe cooler has just reduced it's weight to ONLY 500g's - but is it still effective now that it's aluminium instead of copper? Wesley please, we need a recommendation! In spite of the above - a great guide! Bill
NoGodForMe - Thursday, September 2, 2004 - link
Great article.I'd be interested in seeing if the Thermalright XP-120 fits in the Asus AV8 and other AMD boards for the FX53.
And most of these products are still hard to find. I'm sure someone will say they can get them, but it's very hard to do. For example, find me a BFG 6800 Ultra OC.
southernpac - Thursday, September 2, 2004 - link
gimper48 - Thursday, September 2, 2004 - link
When is the next Overclocking Review?!!swampy11 - Wednesday, September 1, 2004 - link
I certainly agree with your picks for the Hi-end set-up, but here is my question. With the new PCI-Express just around the corner and the supposed "horsepower" gain by this new architecture, should I jump in now with your suggested Hi-end recommendation or wait until the newer GPU and MB bear fruit.... probably fourth quarter?Thanks
`swamp
Uff - Wednesday, September 1, 2004 - link
Personally, I had quite a negative experience with my stock cooler, as soon as I locked the cam lever, it bent my motherboard just enough to make my RAM not make contact with the slots in the middle, resulting in failed boots. In addition to that, while it did keep my cpu temps at reasonable levels they were far from perfect.2 days later i received my Zalman 7000B-Cu and my temps dropped over 10C even if the cooler was running in silent mode (which is practically inaudible as opposed to the level of noise you get with the retail HSF).
While the stock cooler might do its job (barely), this was, after all, a high-end guide, and there's nothing high-end about that HSF.