Wisdom of the Masses

Building the Best PC

from WinCustomize Forums
One day in a (hopefully) not to distant future I will build the ultimate in desktop computers. All the nations will cower before the computing might of my mega computing machine and I will...
Sorry... a little... OTT

If you (the great and wise WC masses) could build your ideal PC what would you put inside it? Which MoBo? Which processor? Ram and what type? What Graphics card? Why?

Indulge in your wildest dreams (and help a future PC builder understand whats Hot and whats Not)

Thank you
64,186 views 21 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I have actually built my own, about a year ago..ready to build a new one now..but..::laughs::
I chose a Soyo MoBo The Dragon Ultra Platinum to be specific
I put a 3gig P4
I used Geil Golden Dragon series RAM PC3200 400MHZ

Then I put it all in a Green UV sensitive Acrylic case and adapted a Modded 500w PSU,Front and rear LED Fans in the PSU w/adjustable speed controll..

all the wiring I sleeved with UV Sensitive red sleeving
I have 4 case 80mm Case fans that are black light LED's and also a 12" black Light cathode

The Graffix card I went with is the Asus 9600XT but I wish I would have paid the Xtra cash and got a Radeon..

I Have an Ernmax fan controller
a TDK Indi 880n DVD Burner

Originally I had a WD 74 gig Raptor for my HD..but I bought the thing off of Ebay and needless to say it fried within the first month
So now I run a Basic 80gig WD as my main drive and a 60gig Maxtor as my slave..

I think that about covers the one I built, as far as whats new on the hardware scene I am not up to speed..I have heard tho that the new processors, the 775's, they are having a bit of an overheating issue..So be careful..

Zero.
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I could have been a little more vague eh?..::laughs:: I am tired, its been a long day, hers better spec's on the hardware..

P4 3.0gig w/800\512 FSB ~These days they are up to 1 mb FSB "Mo Bettah!"

1gig Geil Dual Channel unbuffered DDR RAM PC3200\ 400MHZ ~ They have introduced DDR2 for RAM I htink it was at 800MHZ? Im not sure but it's faster!

I Highly recommend Soyo MB's, this is the 2cnd PC I have built using their product and it is a very solid MoBo. They have an online store at soyousa.com

The Graffix card, the Asus I am using, I bought it because it was like $200 cheaper than the Radeon in the same class, it uses radeon graffix chips..but when all is said and done it just is NOT a radeon..get the Radeon you'll be happy you did.

As for all the other stuff, those are just frills..::laughs:: The UV Fans, the modded PSU, Wire sleeving, Stainless Steel Lazer cut Dragon Fan Covers..etc..etc.. They have a ton of PC Mod stuff, some of it is *Very cool..but..it's mostly lights buzzers and bells...

Zero.
Siege of Centauri
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Sweeeeeeet!

When does the next project begin.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Lian Li PC67 aluminium tower...500 watt PSU

Asus P4P800E Deluxe MoBo Serial raid/9 channel sound, 8 USB2, etc

P4 3gig 800 fsb  !gig DDR3200 400fsb dual channel.

Gigabyte Radeon 9600XT 256 meg.

80, 60, and 160 gig drives.

Pioneer 16x multi format dual layer DVD rewriter

LiteON 52x32x52 CD rewriter.

100 meg Zip

56k modem and ADSL modem.

Diamondview 19" Flat CRT

Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Nice System Jafo..just about the same as mine with minor differences..

I threw together a quick web page so you could get a visual, it's best viewed maximized due to the fact the pics wont stay where they are supposed to..grrr..shoulda used a table..Link


The place to begin when your going to build a system is at the very heart, that would be the MoBo, since it will determine what hardware you can use, RAM, Video..etc..etc..

When I built this thing I pretty much bought a piece at a time, took me over six months to get everything together, the first item I bought was of course the case, because thats what I wanted to use for certain..the next was the MoBo..I knew I wanted a Soyo...but I had not decided which one until I did a little reading..each piece of hardware I investigated, read reviews, compared price..etc... Thats what worked for me when I had decided to "build the ultimate in desktop computers. All the nations will cower before the computing might of my mega computing machine and I will..." LoL! As you appear ready to do..

Good Luck!,
Zero
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
It looks like you have both built some neat systems. Thanks for the web site BTW! Did you face many difficulties in piecing them together?
What tools do I "need."

Ta!
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Any system I own or I dream about have on thing in common: NO INTEL PARTS!

AMD all the way!
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
LoL..Kona...I Have nothing bad to say about AMD, as I am sure you have a list for Intel, I have used both processors and a couple of other off brands, AMD did have an edge on pentium for a short lived time frame as far as bench tests were concerned, But like the Weird Al Parody goes.."It's all about the Pentiums Baby"..Nothing beats a smooth running Pentium chip...a fact is a fact.

As far as tools, I recommend going to your nearest PC store, Major retail, or my personal favorite, just the little hole in the wall PC shop. Purchase a Computer Tool Kit..The good ones will have soldering accessories and the whole ball of wax.
One thing is *Very important, be *Very sure the toolkit you purchase is *Demagnatized* not all of them are, Magnents are a bad thing..::laughs:: real bad..Soooo...there ya go..I hope thats useful for you.

Zero.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Lian Li cases are thumb-screwed.....almost no need for a driver.

About the only tool/s you need is a phillips head [small]   tweezers [if you're a bit dropsy]  and the odd zip-tie to get things tidy...

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Or..What he says..[jafo].LoL...Just watch the magnet stuff...
Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
LoL..Kona...I Have nothing bad to say about AMD, as I am sure you have a list for Intel, I have used both processors and a couple of other off brands, AMD did have an edge on pentium for a short lived time frame as far as bench tests were concerned, But like the Weird Al Parody goes.."It's all about the Pentiums Baby"..Nothing beats a smooth running Pentium chip...a fact is a fact.


I really hate to do this but here goes.

Intel Pentium 4 chips are not 64 bit. They are 32 bit. AMD FX series are 64 bit. And basically blow Intel chips away.

Sorry kid.
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
::nods:: For the time being, The 64's are pretty fresh still..When in competition thats how it goes..::laughs:: But soon Intel will release their new line of processors and AMD will then again be "Second Rate" The thing that I personally found about AMD at least for me, is they do not have the lungevity of the Intel.
Gamers love them because they are so impressively "overclocked" which only leads to an even ealier demise..

Anyway, Thats why we have slogans in this country like "Have it your way" because you can.. If AMD works for you then by all means..keep using it..I may purchase another one in my life myself!

As for the "Kid" part..Thanx..at 42 I was beginning to feel old..real mid-life crisis stuff and all...LoL!

Take Care,
Zero.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
But soon Intel will release their new line of processors and AMD will then again be "Second Rate" The thing that I personally found about AMD at least for me, is they do not have the lungevity of the Intel.


Again I beg to differ.

Intel is supposed to be releasing a 64 bit chip but from what I have heard it is nothing more than a AMD clone. Everyday they do not release it is another day AMD gains ground.

AMD chips last just as long as Intel. And here is something else to think about: They are much cheaper while offering above avaerage performance. In other words you can get an Intel crushing AMD CPU for a lot less than an simular speed Intel chip.

My system I have right now is AMD and has an Nvidia Nforce chipset and an Nvidia based graphics car.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I believe I did state, somewhere in this thread that it has been awhile since I looked into all the goodies the hardware scene had to offer, but I have managed to catch scaps and tidbits of info here and there [what can I say, old habits die hard..LoL]

Concerning Intel, the last article I read about their upcoming chips stated they were going to be of a *Very unique design, something to do with nano-architecture, the overall design of the new chip will not even function in the same respect that the modern ones do today..::sighs:: I wish I knew more about them right now because I remember being pretty amazed at the features..

Either way..I dont want this to turn into the "Cliche'" Mac-PC arguments. only concerning Processors now..::laughs:: I am receptive to innovation and I go with whats Hot at the time I am reaching for it..be it AMD at the time or Pentium..For I am a consumer, my crime..I consume..LoL

I generally start reading reviews, asking questions, taking cost into perspective and go from there. I simply prefer Pentiums, but I am not a die-hard, loyal to the last breath consumer, if there is another product out there that I find better than what I have, I'll jump right on it..but that takes alot of investigation and information to base a decision upon.

Sooo..Friends?..LoL..or do you hate me because of Pentiums...LMAO

Zero.
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Btw, When I do become a member [would have been today but the banks were closed and mine hasnt posted my deposits yet..GRRRR!]

Will I be able to do that cool yellow highlighting that all of you seem to love to use when your throwing words back in someones lap??

Im not done yet [obviously, ya got me on a rant now..LoL] I never once suggested that anyone buy a Pentium, I simply stated what *I had, and some of the capabilities I have heard the newer ones boast.

infact, I even cautioned against purchasing the new 775pin Pentiums due to the fact I have read they are having heat issues.
Even I would take a AMD over a chip that is destined to go down in flames! "mama dint rayz no dumy" LoL

So there, you have been officially "Told"..

Zero.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Btw, When I do become a member [would have been today but the banks were closed and mine hasnt posted my deposits yet..GRRRR!]

Will I be able to do that cool yellow highlighting that all of you seem to love to use when your throwing words back in someones lap??

Just highlight the text you want to make the cool yellow highlighting and then click on the Quote button.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
heh heh, Thanks guys. "Stay away from the magnets" good thing you told me! I was thinking how useful it would have been when I took my laptop apart the other week! I have never used an AMD. Back in the "old day when I was a lad" I remember them not even comparing to an Intel. Sounds like they have done a bit of homework.

Thanks for the info.

If you want another bout. Radeon or Nvidia? (Talking about the big boys i.e. 256mb)
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well, perhaps Kona would like to offer his opinion of that, I personally have used ATI products for the past 10 years or so, the only reason I opted to buy the Asus this time around was due to the fact it boasted to be a better product than the ATI's Radeon of the same class, at about half the cost, while using ATI's graffix chip set. There are a TON of Vid cards out there that do indeed use ATI chips, bundled with xtra features of their own creation, Jafo's Vid card is a perfect example of one such manufacturer, Gigabyte, was another consideration of mine, along with Power Color,,etc,,etc,,
I cannot possibly offer any insight into Nvida because I have actually never even studied the product, other than witnessing it's popularity.
ATI has been a solid Vid card manufacturer for quite awhile, I have never been "sorry" for choosing to use their product, I have never had a reason to go from ATI to Nvida, until that happens..::laughs:: I personally will stick with what I am happy with, and that is ATI.
Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Akoloutheo, just wanted to throw a link your way, it's one of the sites I go to and read reviews/benchmark results and learn about things to come in the world of computing. This is a link to an article on the site about building your own PC in 05 and should give you a fair amount of information regarding the things to come, when they may become available and what not to waste your money on.. I hope you find it useful, I know I have
Link

As for the processor discussion that Kona and I were having, AMD vs Intel, you may want to also read the reviews at the very same site about those before making a final decision. The decision does revolve around what you will be applying the processor for, Gaming-Business-graffix work. Kona claims the AMD is a Intel crushing CPU, I personally disagree. Although AMD performs better in certain applications, the newer Intel chips outperform the AMD in other applications, and although similar in design with minor differences it is by no means a AMD "Clone" as Kona believes. The site will prove that to anyone that reads the testing, I am just a relay of information.
One other thing, and of course this a dirty rotten business tactic probably related to Intel itself, the AMD 64 has not been given a fair chance to really show what it's capable of due to Microsoft lagging on the release of 64bit applications, such as Windows, etc.. Sooo, if you are one that went for the 64bit AMD right from the gate, you have waited awhile to actually use that chip at it's full potential,the 64bit version of Windows is available but still not as dependable as the 32bit is, with the release of the Intel chip, 64bit OS's and applications will become more dependable as everything slowly makes the transition to the 64bit platform..
Sooo weigh your options carefully, would it be great to have an Intel Crushing Monster CPU that you cannot use at it's full potential due to Intel having the support of Microsoft and other "big boys" in the computing community, or would it be more logical to stick with what you can have little trouble at all using at it's full potential? The choice ultimately resides with you, I make no recommendations at all towards either chip, I simply state the obvious and offer my personal opinions.

There is a ton of useful information at that site, Extremtech.com, I hope you and anyone else interested find it useful.

Zero.
Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Bebi, Being a little pre-occupied I forgot to thank you for the lesson of how to do that cool yellow backround...:laughs::

Just highlight the text you want to make the cool yellow highlighting and then click on the Quote button


Lookie there, it works!..::laughs:: Thanks so much,

Take Care,
Zero.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Wow! You guys are a great help. Thanks for the link