Mid-Range to High-End Buyer's Guide, January 2006
by Jarred Walton on January 2, 2006 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
System Summaries
And there you have it: four systems, two budgets, and a whole lot of alternatives. There is plenty of room for substitution of parts that you feel are the most useful, so don't take these recommendations as the only systems that we would currently build. Budget and intended use are both critical factors, so if you want to make a CAD workstation, you would want to add an appropriate graphics card like one of the Quadro cards or a FireGL. If you want to make an HTPC, grabbing more hard drives for storage and focusing on low noise levels would be more important than a high-end graphics card. So, here are the final component lists; feel free to play "Mr. Potato Head" and come up with your own custom system designed to meet your requirements.
Mid-Range Systems
High-End Systems
The Law of Diminishing Returns is definitely in full force here: while the High-End systems cost more than twice as much as the Mid-Range configurations, there are very few cases where they will be anywhere close to twice as fast. A bit of overclocking and an upgraded graphics card would all but eliminate the performance difference in gaming, for example. However, there is unfortunately no way to overclock a 19" LCD into a 24" widescreen display, and the extra $700 spent in that area alone counts for a large portion of the price difference. I love having a huge display, and I'm willing to sacrifice performance in order to get it; many people would prefer performance, though, so do what you like. The speakers are also in completely different leagues: 2.1 sound vs. 5.1 with digital inputs and Dolby Digital decoding - overkill for some people and yet insufficient for others.
Short of having unlimited funds, even a "High-End" system needs to make some compromises, and it's difficult to make the case for a $1000 processor when you can often equal or surpass the performance of such a chip with a $300 CPU and some overclocking. Obviously, I like to overclock my systems where possible, but most businesses would want to avoid that. Most businesses don't need anything more than a budget computer, though, so unless you're doing 3D modeling, video work, or some other computationally-intensive task, having the fastest PC in the world won't turn you into an incredibly productive worker.
Conclusion
Going back to the introductory remarks, remember that building your "dream computer" is all about what you want. Focus on the areas that will improve performance in the applications and tasks you use most. If you're constantly downloading and uploading files from the Internet, but you do very little gaming or other high-end work, cut costs on the computer and spend a bit more money on your internet connection (if possible). If you play a lot of games, but you don't download any large files or store music and movies on your PC, you can cut back on storage space and drop to a single core CPU in order to upgrade to the fastest GPU possible - and probably overclock the CPU a bit just for good measure.
If all of this talk of components and options seems overwhelming, you might just want to forget about tuning for performance and spend money on a decent OEM system instead. These custom systems are more like the hotrods and sports cars of the computing world, and some people just want a safe, reliable family vehicle. You're not going to set any benchmark records with a Dell, HP, Gateway, etc., but you get an easy-to-assemble system for a reasonable price. Pick up one of the business PCs and you can also get a 3-year onsite warranty, which guarantees that your $1000+ won't turn into an unused paperweight for at least that long.
Comments and suggestions are welcome, and if you have other parts that you're considering, but are unsure if they're good or not, feel free to ask. Our forums are also full of people willing to chime in with their two cents. Just don't forget that the search function was invented for a reason.
And there you have it: four systems, two budgets, and a whole lot of alternatives. There is plenty of room for substitution of parts that you feel are the most useful, so don't take these recommendations as the only systems that we would currently build. Budget and intended use are both critical factors, so if you want to make a CAD workstation, you would want to add an appropriate graphics card like one of the Quadro cards or a FireGL. If you want to make an HTPC, grabbing more hard drives for storage and focusing on low noise levels would be more important than a high-end graphics card. So, here are the final component lists; feel free to play "Mr. Potato Head" and come up with your own custom system designed to meet your requirements.
Mid-Range Systems
| AMD Mid-Range System | ||
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| Processor | Athlon 64 3200+ 512K 2.0GHz Venice (939) - Retail | 161 |
| Motherboard | DFI nForce4 Ultra Infinity (939) | 98 |
| Memory | Crucial PC-3200 2x512MB Ballistix | 124 |
| Video Card | eVGA GeForce 6800 GS 256MB | 196 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital 3.0Gbps 250GB 7200RPM 8MB Caviar SE | 99 |
| Optical Drive | BenQ DVDR DQ60 (OEM) | 41 |
| Case and Power Supply | Antec Solution SLK3800B + 400W SmartPower 2.0 | 116 |
| Display | Acer AL1914smd 19 inch 8ms LCD | 293 |
| Speakers | Logitech Z-2300 2.1 | 112 |
| Keyboard and Mouse | Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Optical Mouse | 30 |
| Bottom Line | 1270 | |
| Intel Mid-Range System | ||
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| Processor | Pentium 4 630 2MB 3.0GHz (775) - Retail | 174 |
| Motherboard | ASUS 945P P5LD2 (775) | 125 |
| Memory | G.Skill PC-4200 2x512MB Extreme | 72 |
| Video Card | eVGA GeForce 6800 GS 256MB | 196 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital 3.0Gbps 250GB 7200RPM 8MB Caviar SE | 99 |
| Optical Drive | BenQ DVDR DQ60 (OEM) | 41 |
| Case and Power Supply | Antec Solution SLK3800B + 400W SmartPower 2.0 | 116 |
| Display | Acer AL1914smd 19 inch 8ms LCD | 293 |
| Speakers | Logitech Z-2300 2.1 | 112 |
| Keyboard and Mouse | Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 + Optical Mouse | 30 |
| Bottom Line | 1258 | |
High-End Systems
| AMD High-End System | ||
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| Processor | Athlon 64 X2 4200+ 2x512KB Manchester (939) - Retail | 400 |
| Motherboard | ASUS nForce4 SLI X16 A8N32-SLI Deluxe (939) | 230 |
| Memory | OCZ PC-4000 2x1024MB EL Gold | 233 |
| Video Card | eVGA 256-P2-N516 GeForce 7800GT 256MB | 304 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital 3.0Gbps 250GB 7200RPM 16MB Caviar SE16 | 115 |
| Optical Drive | NEC DVDR ND-3550A | 43 |
| Case | Lian Li PC-6077B Aluminum | 138 |
| Power Supply | ePOWER/Tagan TG-530-U15 530W | 120 |
| Display | Acer AL2416Wd 24 inch 6ms LCD | 980 |
| Sound Card | Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS | 73 |
| Speakers | Logitech Z-5500 5.1 w/Dolby Digital | 253 |
| Keyboard and Mouse | Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3100 (Laser tracking mouse) | 95 |
| Bottom Line | 2984 | |
| Intel High-End System | ||
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| Processor | Pentium D 830 2x1MB 3.0GHz (775) - Retail | 320 |
| Motherboard | ASUS nForce4 SLI X16 (775) P5N32-SLI Deluxe | 208 |
| Memory | GeIL PC-5300 2x1024MB Ultra | 217 |
| Video Card | eVGA 256-P2-N516 Geforce 7800GT 256MB | 304 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital 3.0Gbps 250GB 7200RPM 16MB Caviar SE16 | 115 |
| Optical Drive | NEC DVDR ND-3550A | 43 |
| Case | Lian Li PC-6077B Aluminum | 138 |
| Power Supply | ePOWER/Tagan TG-530-U15 530W | 120 |
| Display | Acer AL2416Wd 24 inch 6ms LCD | 980 |
| Sound Card | Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS | 73 |
| Speakers | Logitech Z-5500 5.1 w/Dolby Digital | 253 |
| Keyboard and Mouse | Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3100 (Laser tracking mouse) | 95 |
| Bottom Line | 2866 | |
The Law of Diminishing Returns is definitely in full force here: while the High-End systems cost more than twice as much as the Mid-Range configurations, there are very few cases where they will be anywhere close to twice as fast. A bit of overclocking and an upgraded graphics card would all but eliminate the performance difference in gaming, for example. However, there is unfortunately no way to overclock a 19" LCD into a 24" widescreen display, and the extra $700 spent in that area alone counts for a large portion of the price difference. I love having a huge display, and I'm willing to sacrifice performance in order to get it; many people would prefer performance, though, so do what you like. The speakers are also in completely different leagues: 2.1 sound vs. 5.1 with digital inputs and Dolby Digital decoding - overkill for some people and yet insufficient for others.
Short of having unlimited funds, even a "High-End" system needs to make some compromises, and it's difficult to make the case for a $1000 processor when you can often equal or surpass the performance of such a chip with a $300 CPU and some overclocking. Obviously, I like to overclock my systems where possible, but most businesses would want to avoid that. Most businesses don't need anything more than a budget computer, though, so unless you're doing 3D modeling, video work, or some other computationally-intensive task, having the fastest PC in the world won't turn you into an incredibly productive worker.
Conclusion
Going back to the introductory remarks, remember that building your "dream computer" is all about what you want. Focus on the areas that will improve performance in the applications and tasks you use most. If you're constantly downloading and uploading files from the Internet, but you do very little gaming or other high-end work, cut costs on the computer and spend a bit more money on your internet connection (if possible). If you play a lot of games, but you don't download any large files or store music and movies on your PC, you can cut back on storage space and drop to a single core CPU in order to upgrade to the fastest GPU possible - and probably overclock the CPU a bit just for good measure.
If all of this talk of components and options seems overwhelming, you might just want to forget about tuning for performance and spend money on a decent OEM system instead. These custom systems are more like the hotrods and sports cars of the computing world, and some people just want a safe, reliable family vehicle. You're not going to set any benchmark records with a Dell, HP, Gateway, etc., but you get an easy-to-assemble system for a reasonable price. Pick up one of the business PCs and you can also get a 3-year onsite warranty, which guarantees that your $1000+ won't turn into an unused paperweight for at least that long.
Comments and suggestions are welcome, and if you have other parts that you're considering, but are unsure if they're good or not, feel free to ask. Our forums are also full of people willing to chime in with their two cents. Just don't forget that the search function was invented for a reason.
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tjpark1111 - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - link
never mind my post above I just read a recommendation for a 19" widescreen above and I am pleased now. However, I have a laptop with a widescreen too and there are still black bars on dvds and the top and bottom, but the bars are only like a quarter of an inch or so. I read some reviews for widescreen LCDs and it seems all of widescreen LCDs, at least computer LCDs are 16:10. What is the reason for that, because a very large part of widescreen, is watching widescreen movies in their native format and what's the point if there's still black bars on the screen? Is there a video-playing app that'll remove those bars or something? thank you. also, any comment on that viewsonic widescreen 19"? user reviews?Anton74 - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - link
I'm not sure about the 16:10 ratio, but the reason you'll often keep seeing black bars watching movies is that there are several aspect ratios that are wider even than 16:9 which are commonly used (for movies). You should find it on the back of the DVD cover; there's 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 for example, and especially the latter is wider than 16:9 (which is ~1.78:1).The thing that bugs me about all this is that they see fit to modify movies to 4:3 for some DVDs, VHS, and network/cable broadcast, but I've never seen a movie modified to fit 16:9, which to me seems the logical thing to do (at least as an option). When (finally) I buy HD equipment, I'm going to make sure that either the TV or the DVD player can zoom to make these wider-screen formats fit 16:9 (without destroying the aspect ratio, thankyouverymuch).
tjpark1111 - Thursday, January 5, 2006 - link
nope not at all, it says it's 16:10 on the Viewsonic Website. As I understand it, with the help from the fellows of AVSForum and Videohelp, it seems most dvds are encoded in 16:9 native. Now some DVDs, are encoded into aspect ratios such as those that you mentioned. The Matrix Series is a common DVD to test response times and dark scene performance, and that DVD is certainly not encoded in 1:85:1 or 2:35:1, and there still are black bars. 16:10 will therefore leave black bars on ANY DVD or HD Material unless there is some app from viewsonic that will stretch all video content. Stretching for this case will not look bad at all since it is such a small stretch. I find this whole thing to be VERY stupid because again, widescreen in the first place was largely from theatres being widescreen, so consumer display devices tried to copy that widescreen format, with movies following along.dlerious - Monday, January 2, 2006 - link
That Benq DQ60 has to be the worst burner out there right now. I'd put anything but that ine on the list.JarredWalton - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - link
Hm. I bought a few of them last month. I haven't had any serious problems, but then I don't really think too much about my optical drives anymore. I've got Imation 8X DVD+R discs that work fine when I need them.Anton74 - Monday, January 2, 2006 - link
Jarred - am I correct in assuming from your description of the Acer 19" panel that you guys have not actually laid eyes on it?I'm trying to find out some more info on this, but the Acer web site doesn't seem to be all that helpful. While I can find several AL1914 models, I don't see an AL1914smd (the closest thing I see is the AL1914s-8). I can't gather from their descriptions or specifications whether these are 6 or 8 bit panels.
Great article otherwise, and I agree with your thoughts on SLI and getting a good monitor (although, for many non-office uses I'd personally rather stick with a good CRT, provided the desk space is available).
JarredWalton - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - link
I'll take a decent LCD over a similar CRT for most tasks, but there's personal preference. 21/22" CRTs are just so HUGE (in depth), plus they weigh a ton. Anyway, I purchased three of the 1914smd from Newegg about 5 months ago, and they all worked well. I couldn't spot any dithering, but then my eyes aren't the greatest. (Irregular astigmatism = noncorrectable = sucky double vision.) I got them http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82...">at Newegg for $350, and the same displays are now under $300.My one gripe with LCDs is the refresh rate. 60 Hz or 75 Hz means that you do see tearing in 3D games - unless you enable vsynch. A nice CRT with a 100 Hz refresh rate doesn't usually show that problem.
Anton74 - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - link
Thanks much, this is useful info. I also saw the 1914smd on newegg, and was considering one of these among others (...for non-gaming office use :).JarredWalton - Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - link
I put four systems with those in a dental office. If you want to do wall mounts, there are probably better choices, but they were primarily for the desk and a couple mounted on clamps so the patients could watch videos or whatever. :)abravo01 - Monday, March 20, 2006 - link
Hi there.Great guide, as usual: still my key source for system upgrade/renovation.
I am based in Portugal and this model is not yet on the market. What would be your thoughts about these two Acer displays: AL1951AS and AL1951Cs? Acer is selling them as "gaming line"... whatever that means... price wise it's pretty much the same.
One other question: for working and gaming would you say that WS is worth the premium?
Thanks.
André.