• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Technology Thread: Building a Desktop Computer

Well there's not really such a thing as extreme high end. Government funded super computers cost in the $100s of millions of dollars lol. If you want to as a consumer you could build a $50,000 machine. Diminishing marginal returns kick in very very fast after $1000 though. Unless you are doing very heavy physics modeling or other scientific computing anything more than about $1500 really isn't justified unless money is no object to you
 
OliveGardenDeac said:
Well there's not really such a thing as extreme high end. Government funded super computers cost in the $100s of millions of dollars lol. If you want to as a consumer you could build a $50,000 machine. Diminishing marginal returns kick in very very fast after $1000 though. Unless you are doing very heavy physics modeling or other scientific computing anything more than about $1500 really isn't justified unless money is no object to you
Click to expand...

You know what I mean. Don't argue semantics with me :p Building a $2,500 computer with a monitor, case, overclocking equipment and higher-end materials with lots of storage isn't that much of a stretch.
 
TWDeac said:
I don't really agree. A grand can get you a decent machine, but it's not going to be blazing by any stretch of the word.
Click to expand...
You should seriously see my sub-$600 box with old video card in action. Paying twice as much for something that will only stave off becoming outdated by 6 months isn't worth it.

Here's one for half your price that will be ridiculously good:
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-920-N520-GP 43.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($374.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1316.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-10-11 13:51 EDT-0400)
 
dot com said:
You should seriously see my sub-$600 box with old video card in action. Paying twice as much for something that will only stave off becoming outdated by 6 months isn't worth it.

Here's one for half your price that will be ridiculously good:
Part list permalink / Part price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($279.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-920-N520-GP 43.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($374.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake 850W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1316.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-10-11 13:51 EDT-0400)
Click to expand...

Trust me, I see what you are saying. While some of the components might be the same, there are other components for which I'd rather splurge. Case, motherboard, video card, air cooling and power supply being the main areas. I've always built budget systems and I see the benefits of them, but I also see the benefits of leaning towards the higher end.

Of course, it is stupid to buy the $1000 Intel chips and the $800 video cards, but the waters get murky with the components I am talking about.

$300 for a CPU(especially one that overclocks well) and $350 for a video card is not out of line in my opinion.

The case I added for grins was a $300 Lian-Li, so that adds to the price. I do like Lian-Li a lot, but I don't think I'd get that one. Either way, I definitely want a full tower.
 
One comment I would make is that it may be better to choose your processor, or at least processor manufacturer and class, before picking the motherboard. There are only a few processors that will work on a particular motherboard, because the manufacturers seem to change the number of pins and placement with every new series of processors, requiring the motherboard manufacturers to build new boards with sockets to fit the new processor family.
 
Do you really get that much of a performance increase with 16 GB ram? I'd think you'd see a real dip in increase after 8. Lemme know if I'm wrong, that'd be a cheap upgrade.
 
dagreekdeac said:
Do you really get that much of a performance increase with 16 GB ram? I'd think you'd see a real dip in increase after 8. Lemme know if I'm wrong, that'd be a cheap upgrade.
Click to expand...

Most commercial software today will not take any advantage of having more than 6gb of ram. Ram is cheap. $85 for 16gb. I remember when I paid $350 for 1gb not too long ago. I plan on botting 8 instances of Diablo 3 at a time and selling on the real money auction house. And if that goes well, expand from there. Other than that, as a computer scientist, I do a fair amount of scientific computing on large datasets, and sometimes it's easier to test locally than through the cluster.
 
I currently have 8GB in mine and have been holding off on going to 16. I rarely see my system use more than 6-7GB, but I will still upgrade when I get some extra cash.
 
Ram is so cheap nowadays that it is worth it just in case IMO.

There are studies(tests?) out there that show that about 8gb it doesn't really affect performance, but if I want to have 25 excel sheets open at a time, I might need it :p
 
MicroCenter has a "deal" for Processor/MoBocombo. buy an i7 2600 for $279, get $80 off a compatible motherboard. example:

GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Motherboard $69.99 with the processor.
GA-Z68AP-D3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Motherboard $19.99 with the processor.
P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Motherboard $44.99 with the processor.

Any thoughts on which of these is better?

Micro Center has others as well.
 
Deaconblue said:
MicroCenter has a "deal" for Processor/MoBocombo. buy an i7 2600 for $279, get $80 off a compatible motherboard. example:

GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Motherboard $69.99 with the processor.
GA-Z68AP-D3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Motherboard $19.99 with the processor.
P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Motherboard $44.99 with the processor.

Any thoughts on which of these is better?

Micro Center has others as well.
Click to expand...

I'm partial to ASUS. I'd go with the P8Z68-V.
 
I've used 3 Gigabyte boards over the years, currently running a different version of the first one listed, and they've all been great. ASUS quality is good too, and I like MSI.
 
OliveGardenDeac said:
Most commercial software today will not take any advantage of having more than 6gb of ram. Ram is cheap. $85 for 16gb. I remember when I paid $350 for 1gb not too long ago. I plan on botting 8 instances of Diablo 3 at a time and selling on the real money auction house. And if that goes well, expand from there. Other than that, as a computer scientist, I do a fair amount of scientific computing on large datasets, and sometimes it's easier to test locally than through the cluster.
Click to expand...

Gotcha... definitely benefit if doing that.
 
Hmm, I should be getting a small tax return sometime this week. Hopefully it's enough for a new video card.
 
Ouch. :rulz:

I'm thinking a 560 TI for mah new card.
 
OK...so...

I already have a 2TB HDD and a copy of Windows 7...figure that saves me some money on building a new PC.

I don't need anything super crazy (i.e. I'm not a huge gamer, but there are a couple of things I would be interested in trying in the future), but a good deal of memory and a good processor. I would really like a dual monitor setup, but that's not a requirement.

I don't need/want a separate Sound Card either.

I have a 500W PSU unopened, but not sure if it would be adequate.

Where should I splurge first?

Should I start with MoBo or CPU?
 
Pick your CPU first, then find a compatible MoBo.
 
Should I definitely go Intel?...or would an AMD cpu be sufficient if I'm not going for hardcore gaming?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top