Building a high end system

[JB]

I'm thinking about building a high end system and I'm looking for
advice. I built my last three computers. With each one, I tried to get
ahead of the curve just a bit, but never really went with the highest
end. Now, I'd like to spend a little more. I've been using a Gateway
700XL on a loaner.

http://www.gateway.com/home/prod/hm_700xl_ProdDetail.shtml

My own desktop (Athlon 1700XP), which I built last December, is
seriously slow compared to the Gateway. I've noticed that the
hyper-threading, RAID, tons of RAM, 800 MHz frontside bus, and other
high performance features have really made a difference. I do a lot of
testing of different things, including 3D games, music streaming to a
home stereo, etc. but my bread and butter apps are MS Word, IE, and
Outlook.

My main question is: how much can I expect to pay for parts? I know
the 700XL costs $3500 or so.

Which motherboard and case should I consider?

For the other parts, I definitely want:

3.2 Pentium 4 processor or Xeon
800 Mhz FSB
1 GB of RAM
Hyper-threading
Just short of the highest end video card, maybe an NVIDIA 9800
I think a really fast hard drive would help, but not sure???

Things I don't care about as much:

Tons of disk space
High end sound (I mostly use headphones)
Lots of media options -- I don't need a floppy, MemoryStick, etc.
I already have a good 21 inch monitor
DVD -- I don't even need a superfast CD drive
I can use my old computer for CD burning
I use a wireless net adapter, so I don't need an Ethernet card
already have a good keyboard and mouse
don't need any software, other than Win XP pro

How much should this system cost about?

Thanks for your help,

- John

 

[@drian]

My main question is: how much can I expect to pay for parts? I know

the 700XL costs $3500 or so.

I'd say for something closely resembling high-end, about $1500 to $2500.

Which motherboard and case should I consider?

The Intel 875PBZ. As for a case? I like the Antec Sonata, or some of the
other Antec cases. They are very well built, although I don't rate Antec's
"respond to customer queries" time.

For the other parts, I definitely want:

3.2 Pentium 4 processor or Xeon

Geez, you know how much these are? $650+. Well, that's retail.

800 Mhz FSB
1 GB of RAM
Hyper-threading
Just short of the highest end video card, maybe an NVIDIA 9800
I think a really fast hard drive would help, but not sure???

I'd consider an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, but that's my opinion. I *know* they
work well on the Intel 875PBZ.

Things I don't care about as much:

Tons of disk space
High end sound (I mostly use headphones)
Lots of media options -- I don't need a floppy, MemoryStick, etc.

A floppy is useful if you need to flash the BIOS on the motherboard, or
trying to recover it.

I already have a good 21 inch monitor
DVD -- I don't even need a superfast CD drive
I can use my old computer for CD burning
I use a wireless net adapter, so I don't need an Ethernet card

The Intel 875PBZ includes a gigabit LAN adapter on the motherboard.

already have a good keyboard and mouse
don't need any software, other than Win XP pro

How much should this system cost about?

So you're talking about the price of the parts above? I'd say for this:

3.2 Pentium 4 processor or Xeon ($700)
Intel 875PBZ ($200)
1 GB of RAM ($230)
Hyper-threading (you get this with the motherboard & CPU for free)
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro ($370)

About $1500. The prices I list are absolute maximums. That's without
shipping or possible sales tax.

Hope this gives you an idea.

@drian.

 

[Joseph]

Here is my idea of build dream machine. Cost about 2,000

Cooler Master ATC-201B-BXT (Black/Black)
Vantec 10-inch round IDE (copper) & 10-inch floppy cable
Cooler Master AeroGate II Thermal Controller
(3) Vantec Spectrum 80mm UV Tri LED Fan
Mitsumi D359M3 Internal 3.5 Inch Floppy Drive
(4) Cooler Master AFP-U01 Alloy Front Bezel (Black)
(4) 3-Pin Y-Adapter
Arctic Silver Ceramique 22g Thermal Compound
Abit IC7-MAX3 i875P P4 (800FSB)
P4 3.0Ghz 800FSB Socket 478
(2) Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 80GB SATA/150 Hard Drive w/8MB
Toshiba SD-M1712 16X/48 IDE DVD
Corsair TWINX1024-3200C2PT 1GB DDR400
Thermaltake Smart Case Fan II with "Coolmod"
(2) Thermaltake Smart Case Fan 2
10pc Snap-Lock Cable Fastener Set
Black Spiral Wrap (3/8" & 1/4") 5ft
Black 80mm Steel Mesh Filter/Grill
MX212 USB Display by Matrix Orbital
Plextor 52x32x52 PlexWriterT Premium
Antec TrueControl 550 Watt
(5) Anti Shock Fan Rivets
Aluminum Black Face Plate