Back like a bad
RMA request, TechSpot’s High-end PC builder’s guide takes
another stab at fabricating the finest custom PC possible.
The chips are fast, the hardware is sexy and the budget may
be out the window, but I promise to keep it practical enough
to keep you off
the list. And while I disclose the
top picks for the ultimate computing experience, I’ll also
include some of the best places to score them on the web.
* Note
that for listing peripheral prices we didn't go with the
lowest available but we are giving rough average from many
reputed online merchants so this can translate into a real
conversion once you go out shopping for the parts.
The availability of dual core processors
raises an interesting conundrum - Dual core or no dual core?
This is one tough call and your decision may be based on how
you actually use your computer. For a truly awesome work and
play experience for all users, the Athlon X2 with its dual
core technology delivers it like FedEx® Overnight on a
Saturday. Despite the 64 X2 being quite the smooth operator
for multitasking and media, not all software takes advantage
of multiprocessing or “dual-core technology”. Because of
this, gamers may be inclined to choose the 64 FX for some
old fashioned, brute-force number crunching. Either way you
go, you’ll be getting one of the fastest consumer CPUs
available. For you Intel fans, I’m disappointed to report
they weren’t able to compete at this level, maybe next time?
The nForce 4 is an impressive chipset
and ASUS makes quite an impressive system board. So, it’s
only natural this main board appears in our high-end system
guide. The Socket 939 platform is still going very strong,
making the platform a safe bet to invest in. Some attractive
features for this board include support for SLI (dual PCIE
graphics cards), tons of SATA 2 and PATA/IDE channels with a
variety of raid options, lots of USB 2.0 / Firewire ports,
Gigabit Ethernet and a blistering 2000MHz front-side bus. In
short, this board makes an excellent foundation to build our
monster system on.
Highlights:
2000MHz front-side bus (Hyper
transport)
Tons of SATA 2 / IDE channels with
RAID capability
It isn’t cheap, but you don’t want cheap
for this rig. The GeForce 7800 GTX is the fastest graphics
solution available and while I believe a single 7800 GTX
will please most, here is where it gets fantastic - you can
use two of these in SLI mode to boost your graphics
performance considerably (see the complete review for
benchmarks, etc.). Since it is a costly decision that will
benefit only the most hardcore of gamers, you can make the
final decision on whether or not arming your computer with
two of these is truly the best option. But for the intents
and purposes of this system, having one of these solo will
do very nicely.
