Dream Computer???

[Deemanota]

I was recently asked to build a computer by my husband:-)

What is your suggestions?what about stores? I was thinking tigerdirect.com and newegg.com any others i should be made aware of?

The computer will be for internet browsing, video storage/editing, and gaming

Any ideas of the best things I should get for him? I want to make it pretty nice and easily upgradable, because of his gaming addiction:-)

[WillyW]

...what about stores?...

What country are you in?

Is the budget unlimited?    ... or....?

[Deemanota]

Sorry

In the US

I'm not SO concerned about budget, because even if I can get some ideas, I have other resources for computer components-I'm just not a great "from scratch" kind of person. If a person tells me exactly what they want, I can build it, but figuring it out-I kinda feel lost, because I know I will come up with something, then seem to find something better and say ::::DOH::::

[Jess607]

Sorry

In the US

I'm not SO concerned about budget, because even if I can get some ideas, I have other resources for computer components-I'm just not a great "from scratch" kind of person. If a person tells me exactly what they want, I can build it, but figuring it out-I kinda feel lost, because I know I will come up with something, then seem to find something better and say ::::DOH::::

That's where I come in.

All the knowledge you need, I have.

But I wonder, why would your husband ask you to perform a task that you are incapable to performing, and then, why won't you tell him that you cannot perform it?

And I will need an approximate budget.. something like "1000-2000$" at the very least.

[GX44]

Dream Computer? My dream computer would need an unlimited budget right now hah.

But a budget range would be nice, so we know how crazy to go on the components 

[Spero-T]

Ok computers are a rapidly changing field and this can lead to some nice discussions. Essentially, spec out the best money can buy! (gosh this is making me drool as it is). To avoid too much conflict both AMD and Intel chips/mobos can be accepted as the #1 chip (i.e., list both if you'd like to be a diplomat hehe). Same goes for ATI vs nVidia. This is meant to be a friendly drooling party rather than a corporate pissing contest

PROC
AMD FX53-2.4Ghz (1600MHz)
INTEL P4EE-3.4Ghz (800MHz)

MOBO
ASUS SK8V
Chosen over nVidia's nForce3Pro because the NF3 only supports 650MHz (1300DDR) bus and has a different emphais (its a business oriented mobo)
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket940/sk8v/overview.htm

ABIT KV8 Pro
Another serious contender on the AMD side of things, Abit brings reliability and more recently, more OC headroom compared to ASUS.
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=176

ASUS P4C800E-Deluxe
The premier board for testing out Dual Channel memory, you cant go wrong with this baby. Not to mention the fact its the highest performing Canterwood board available.
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4c800-e_d/overview.htm

ABIT IC7-MAX3
The IC7 series stirred a lot of comotion amoungst ASUS circles when it came out as it offers a CRAPLOAD of functionality and reliability not to mention some seriously kewl features. If it wasnt for my undying love of ASUS, I would have switched to this already (assuming I went Intel of course )
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=130

RAM
Corsair RegisteredXMS TwinX2048-3200 (3-3-3-8)
Registered memory for the FX peeps, nothing special except it does have some nice timings for PC3200. The stock heatspreader isnt that fancy but thats the price one pays for regsitered ram
http://www.corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/specs/twinx2048RE-3200.pdf

Corsair XMS Pro TwinX1024-4000 (3-4-4-8)
These babies are for Intel folks only and very very nice both in performance, looks and stock cooling
http://www.corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/specs/twinx1024-4000pro.pdf

OCZ PC3700 Platinum OCZ466-1024 (3-2-2-8)
What's there to say, these sticks are absolutely fabulous -- and they look fantastic.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/OCZ_DDR_PC-3700_Platinum_Enhanced_Bandwidth_Dual_Channel

OCZ PC3500 Gold OCZ433-1024 2-3-2-6
One word describes the timings: stunning -- especially so for registered memory (meaning its for FX peeps)
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/OCZ_PC-3500_ECC_Registered_Dual_Channel_DDR

VIDEO CARD
eVGA GeForce6800 Ultra Extreme Edition
Three words: close your mouth....
http://www.evga.com/articles/public.asp?AID=188

ASUS AX800 XT/TVD
Three more words: .... and stop drooling
http://usa.asus.com/products/vga/ax800xt/overview.htm

SOUND
Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Sometimes these naming conventions just get out of hand.... lol and excellent set all around still
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?prodid=4925

PSU
Coolermaster RS450 (450W)
Premodded, effective cooling, open design to limit dust getting clogged and reliable rails, this PSU is an excellent deal all around.
Link Edit

Thermaltake Polo12 (410W)
Similar design as the Coolermaster (premodded and makes use of a 120mm fan), this baby comes with a front and/or rear mounted fan controller as well as some very nice case fans, an excellent PSU in any respect.
http://www.xoxide.com/polo12.html

HSF
Thermaltake Silentboost K8
This is the K8 version of Thermaltakes very effective Silentboost HSFs.
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1838.htm

Thermaltake Venus12
This is the badass supercharged fan for the K8 procs.
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1744.htm

Thermaltake DIY Tower112
The ultimate in quiet (or loud depending on the fan config), this is a highly adaptable HFS for both Intel and AMD applications
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/comboCool/cl-p0024tower112/cl-p0024tower112.htm

CoolerMaster Jet4
For P4 chips, this blower gets around the deadzone introduced by traditional fans and has air flowing over the entire surface of the heatsink.
http://www.xoxide.com/comajet4p447.html

Thermaltake Polo735
Although this is a 3-in-1 cooler, it is most commonly found on Intel chips since AMD chips typically use the Venus/Volcano line of coolers. This is one loud mofo
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/comboCool/a2144Polo735/polo735.htm


Thoughts? Ideas? Challenges?

I am liking it !

[Jess607]

Ok computers are a rapidly changing field and this can lead to some nice discussions. Essentially, spec out the best money can buy! (gosh this is making me drool as it is). To avoid too much conflict both AMD and Intel chips/mobos can be accepted as the #1 chip (i.e., list both if you'd like to be a diplomat hehe). Same goes for ATI vs nVidia. This is meant to be a friendly drooling party rather than a corporate pissing contest

PROC
AMD FX53-2.4Ghz (1600MHz)
INTEL P4EE-3.4Ghz (800MHz)

MOBO
ASUS SK8V
Chosen over nVidia's nForce3Pro because the NF3 only supports 650MHz (1300DDR) bus and has a different emphais (its a business oriented mobo)
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket940/sk8v/overview.htm

ABIT KV8 Pro
Another serious contender on the AMD side of things, Abit brings reliability and more recently, more OC headroom compared to ASUS.
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=176

ASUS P4C800E-Deluxe
The premier board for testing out Dual Channel memory, you cant go wrong with this baby. Not to mention the fact its the highest performing Canterwood board available.
http://usa.asus.com/products/mb/socket478/p4c800-e_d/overview.htm

ABIT IC7-MAX3
The IC7 series stirred a lot of comotion amoungst ASUS circles when it came out as it offers a CRAPLOAD of functionality and reliability not to mention some seriously kewl features. If it wasnt for my undying love of ASUS, I would have switched to this already (assuming I went Intel of course )
http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/products.php?categories=1&model=130

RAM
Corsair RegisteredXMS TwinX2048-3200 (3-3-3-8)
Registered memory for the FX peeps, nothing special except it does have some nice timings for PC3200. The stock heatspreader isnt that fancy but thats the price one pays for regsitered ram
http://www.corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/specs/twinx2048RE-3200.pdf

Corsair XMS Pro TwinX1024-4000 (3-4-4-8)
These babies are for Intel folks only and very very nice both in performance, looks and stock cooling
http://www.corsairmicro.com/corsair/products/specs/twinx1024-4000pro.pdf

OCZ PC3700 Platinum OCZ466-1024 (3-2-2-8)
What's there to say, these sticks are absolutely fabulous -- and they look fantastic.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/OCZ_DDR_PC-3700_Platinum_Enhanced_Bandwidth_Dual_Channel

OCZ PC3500 Gold OCZ433-1024 2-3-2-6
One word describes the timings: stunning -- especially so for registered memory (meaning its for FX peeps)
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/OCZ_PC-3500_ECC_Registered_Dual_Channel_DDR

VIDEO CARD
eVGA GeForce6800 Ultra Extreme Edition
Three words: close your mouth....
http://www.evga.com/articles/public.asp?AID=188

ASUS AX800 XT/TVD
Three more words: .... and stop drooling
http://usa.asus.com/products/vga/ax800xt/overview.htm

SOUND
Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro
Sometimes these naming conventions just get out of hand.... lol and excellent set all around still
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?prodid=4925

PSU
Coolermaster RS450 (450W)
Premodded, effective cooling, open design to limit dust getting clogged and reliable rails, this PSU is an excellent deal all around.
http://www.coolermaster.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RS-450-ACLY&other_title=+RS-450-ACLY+Real%20Power&PHPSESSID=44b08d797d2500981a71d14c35f4b74e

Thermaltake Polo12 (410W)
Similar design as the Coolermaster (premodded and makes use of a 120mm fan), this baby comes with a front and/or rear mounted fan controller as well as some very nice case fans, an excellent PSU in any respect.
http://www.xoxide.com/polo12.html

HSF
Thermaltake Silentboost K8
This is the K8 version of Thermaltakes very effective Silentboost HSFs.
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1838.htm

Thermaltake Venus12
This is the badass supercharged fan for the K8 procs.
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/venus/rs/a1744.htm

Thermaltake DIY Tower112
The ultimate in quiet (or loud depending on the fan config), this is a highly adaptable HFS for both Intel and AMD applications
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/comboCool/cl-p0024tower112/cl-p0024tower112.htm

CoolerMaster Jet4
For P4 chips, this blower gets around the deadzone introduced by traditional fans and has air flowing over the entire surface of the heatsink.
http://www.xoxide.com/comajet4p447.html

Thermaltake Polo735
Although this is a 3-in-1 cooler, it is most commonly found on Intel chips since AMD chips typically use the Venus/Volcano line of coolers. This is one loud mofo
http://www.thermaltake.com/coolers/comboCool/a2144Polo735/polo735.htm


Thoughts? Ideas? Challenges?

I am liking it !

Did you just copy this post from 2004?