What would you put in a new computer?

So I’ve been planning out my next upgrade, and it’s about time really. Right now I have a few parts that are probably going to be recycled. Most noticeably the WD Raptor 150GB. (10k RPM SATA)

I need a good all around machine that can be upgraded later if I need it to be. I plan on Running XP on it and probably Fedora in VMware workstation. I might want to put W2k8 on a VM as well if I decided to start working on MCITP labs. I have a 1TB RAID 1 Mirror on my current machine, but that might be getting moved to NAS.

So any recommendations for:

MoBo:

It does need onboard RAID at least 1 and 0. I generally prefer to buy a CPU/MoBo bundle for around $200, but I’ve got extra money to work with. I would prefer not to spend more than $200 on the Mobo by itself. But I could be swayed if it had good long term viability in the tech of board. Particularly if the processor/ram can be upgraded for at least 3 years to come.

I usually go with ASUS.

AMD vs Intel.

Not trying to start a flame war here, but all the mag’s say AMD is lacking so far behind it’s not funny. The idea of paying $1000 dollars for it Intel i7 Extreme though makes me cringe a little inside. Micro Center has another i7 for $279 which is more than I want to spend. I would prefer to keep it below $200.

I usually buy AMD.

RAM

I usually try to buy the best ram possible. Low latency is important, but not as much as price.

Micro Center has two different Corsair performance memory kits I’m interested in:

4GB XMS2-8500 DDR2 $99 (but I have a feeling that DDR2 will be coming to end of life soon with DDR3)

6GB DDR3 TR3X6G-1333C9 $169.

OS

The processor I get is going to be 64 bit I know, but I’m going to have to do some thinking on whether or not to keep XP or use Vista. I do have a copy of XP 64, but drivers are limited. I’m just not convinced there’s any value in Vista. I’m thinking I might have to because if I decided to VM a W2k8 server for MCITP then I don’t think w2k8 runs on 32 bit. And I don’t know if VMware can work around that or not.

Thoughts?

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Comments

dynamik

You might want to check this out. It doesn't perform as well as the i7, but it's cheaper: Enter The Dragon: AMD Phenom II X4 940 - HotHardware

kalebksp

My coworker just built a new machine with the low end i7, it's pretty sweet. He over clocked it to 3.9 with air cooling and it's been running stable for over a week. If you want the most upgrade potential I would buy an i7, as the older chipsets will be slowly phased out.

I'm not real up on the older processors, so I can't give you much advice if you want to go with something a bit cheaper.

bwcarty

First thing I'd do is go over to Newegg.com and compare their prices with Micro Center's. Going to the various hardware categories and choosing the "Top Sellers" search option generally turns up items that are the best bang for the buck, and the user reviews are generally pretty good.

If you're running a bunch of VMs and want to keep the CPU cost < $200, consider the Intel Q6600, which is what I use. $189 and free shipping. Of course, now that I look at MC's site, I see they have the Q9300 for $179.99 - this is an excellent deal, even after adding in your local sales tax.

Memory has a ridiculous number of options. If you're concerned about CAS latency and timing, the CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) option (CAS:4, Timing 4-4-4-12) looks good for $39 after mail in rebate.

Motherboards are even more up to you. I've had good luck with DFI and Gigabyte mobos in the past, but now I focus more on the features, cost, and user reviews.

dynamik

I might be mistaken, but I believe i7 uses DDR3, which will require more expensive motherboards and RAM. If you look at i7, be sure to factor that in and don't just compare CPU prices.

networker050184

With all the off topic threads lately linking to crazy stories and videos I thought this thread was going to be some idiot shoving something in their computer. Kind of like the lady who put not one, but multiple credit cards in her Wii

kalebksp

dynamik wrote: »

I might be mistaken, but I believe i7 uses DDR3, which will require more expensive motherboards and RAM. If you look at i7, be sure to factor that in and don't just compare CPU prices.

Your right, I forgot about that. DDR3 also requires 3 sticks of memory to get the best performance. I would say that if you're looking to spend less than $1000 dollars the i7 is probably not the way to go.

kriscamaro68

I have built 2 machines in the last month with core i7 for around $1000 and they have been the fastest machines I have seen to date not with gamming but with everything else. They would still do just fine for any game but crysis at high settings.

coreI7 920 $294
MSI mobo $215
3gb corsair ram $95
dvd burner $24
9800 gt+ $174
thermaltake case $99
OCZ power supply $105

$1006 at new egg. If you dont need some of those things take it off save the money and still have a computer that is extremely fast. Like others have said you can over clock the 920 easily and its stable. eventually when you run a 64bit os buy another 3gb or ram and call it good. This setup will run anything you throw at it with no problem.

pwjohnston

kalebksp wrote: »

Your right, I forgot about that. DDR3 also requires 3 sticks of memory to get the best performance. I would say that if you're looking to spend less than $1000 dollars the i7 is probably not the way to go.

Best performance as in, not required? That reminds me of how crappy RAMBUS was that it HAD to run in pairs.

tiersten

pwjohnston wrote: »

Best performance as in, not required? That reminds me of how crappy RAMBUS was that it HAD to run in pairs.

It isn't required. It is just faster because it has 3 independent channels.