need a baller setup

[Deanglow]

well if I'm gonna have a six-figure income I might as well get off this piece-of-shit 14'' screen and onto better things.

I want a superfast desktop with high-end vid card (can come separate or with pc) and a 22'' monitor (might want 2). What are the best sites/brands n shit. Want to spend like $1300 at most. Holla

[Deanglow]

oh yeah and of course I'll ship tilt/stars moneys to helpfuls

[Jack Sawyer]

If you are comfortable with making your own, mix and match these [list of best parts obv.] [ also, building your own is real easy nowadays, guides aplenty everywhere]
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/1HUS0...cm_wl_rlist_go

one vid card can feed up to two monitors.


the best monitors available, you choose screen size obv. and amount
http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/XQ68D...cm_wl_rlist_go


If you are not comfortable making your own, get a Dell [XPS to get the best video cards etc.] or an HP Blackbird 803.

[bigspenda73]

get a 30" monitor since you are so awesome

also, <3

[Jack Sawyer]

Hmmm, now I saw budget. An impoirtant distinction would be if that is total budget or for the computer only (sans monitor).

For superfast, get these:
From the list above, get the Core i7, the 6GB ram, the Geforce 285 Vidcard, the 750W powersupply, 1 samsung 1TB drive, the Cooler Master HAF, the cooler master V8, the EVGA motherboard, and some Arctic Silver thermal paste. Your PC would be screming fast AND futureproof, so you can always add extra shit to make it even faster. I haven't calculated it precisely, but at a glance you'd be just under 1.3K.

The monitors are separate budget-wise. I think 2 BenQ's 24", or the 2 ASUS 24", and you'd be fine. All the monitors in that list are good, so choose one within your budget.

*Note: most 30" have a what is called "wider gamut". This means they dislay more colors than standard monitors do, but as an unintended consequence is that non color managed apps (like, 95% apps out there) may givee out the wrong colors. Colors look altered then. Windows 7 is supposed to be color managed out of the box, so that will not be an issue by then.

*Note 2: The OS. I have not included it in price, so if you don't already have one you could transfer the license, you may have to buy one.

*Note 3: My lists are personal preference, but based upon research done by others and tons of reviewing websites about which are the best hardware, best warranties, most reliable, best performance etc.

*Note 4: I purposefully left sound out. The motherboard has like onboard sound. As for speakers, you can get anything from logitech (like the Z-5500) is good and budget-friendly, or you could get headphones with extra long cords like the one in the list. The choice is obv yours.

[dranger7070]

This computer has SUPER FAST in the NAME, so obviously balla

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-.../dp/B001O77CRM

Downside is its refurbed but wutever.

[wufwugy]

just get an expensive one with great reviews then in a years time get a new one

[meeloche]

A 30" monitor would be a must imo. Other than that I don't know shit about computers.

[Ragnar4]

Kinda depends on what you want to do with it.

If you want to play all the newest most graphically intensive games, you really ought to look at Alien Ware. (This option could cost you a LOT, 5k before moniters is not unheard of)

If you're only worried about 30 Tabling poker, and HEM at the same time you could probably drop a grand on a nice middle of the road computer and another grand or 2 on 2 really big, really high end moniters and call it good.

Your needs will help me give you a better answer.

[Alexos]

You wanted to make supernova elite on a 14inch screen? yikes:P

Get a 30inch for sure

[boost]

whatever you do, do not buy alienware. Overpriced, overpriced, overpriced.

[ensign_lee]

I've got two of these 22" Samsungs. They're AMAZING; $500 for the set.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001268

[at BK 88]

Those monitors are sweet, Jack.
If I can one day make enough money off of SnGs I'll definitely hit up your favorites list. Bookmarked. Thanks!

[Ragnar4]

whatever you do, do not buy alienware. Overpriced, overpriced, overpriced.

Lol. I disagree. You get the best of all products, and those products are optimized, both by programming standards and they are sometimes the hardware itself altered in order to optomize the way the computer will play videogames.

I had a buddy buy a laptop from alienware 2 years before I bought my computer. The 2 grand he dropped on his laptop versus the 2 grand I dropped on my PC Should have meant my computer was lightyears ahead of his right? I built my computer from scratch with some pretty serious components, and I know my way around a box.

My computer beat his laptop at every measure benchmark imaginable, until we put the computer under the stress of playing the newest videogames on the market.

When we were playing HL2 on both computers with the effects turned all the way up, my brand new rig couldn't keep up with his 2 year old laptop.

That's the problem though, it's optimized for playing videogames, and not for anything else. Would I be willing to drop 3k on a rig to play videogames? Not any more. Back then.. oh god yes.

They play videogames like it's their job, and they do it well far longer than the lifetime of most other computers. They do everything else with the same expectations you'd get out of a dell you buy at bestbuy for a grand.

[boost]

I mean... you do realize that you can optimize your own hardware, right?

Also, did you max out the resolution on both computers in this test you did?

[Jack Sawyer]

Bah. Build your own and you can have the same computing power as any Alienware product (minus the funky Area-51 case, but you can get a custom CM Stacker or a nice sturdy Lian-Li) for a third the price. If you value money (think about all the hookers you can afford with a third of, say, 6K) then handbuilt is the clear choice.
You can even overclock things slightly if you truly want to go the end-all-be-all route, but to equip your rig for overclockaments (like Alienware does) you need some more expensive and custom equipment, which is not as easily workable with as a standard air-cooled rig.

The thing is, hardware readily available today like the Corei7 is so freaking powerful already, that the benefits of liquid-cooling overclocks are not as pronounced as they were a few years ago, definitely not worth all the hassle.


With all the guides and help readily available all over the net, its really not hard. But if you truly want a factory built something on the cheap, you cannot go wrong with a DELL or an HP.

When we were playing HL2 on both computers with the effects turned all the way up, my brand new rig couldn't keep up with his 2 year old laptop.

I could sell you snake oil and tell you its a cure all too for 2 grand. In all seriousness, the above quote probably means you paid too much for your rig. Do not fall in the Brand Name (tm) trap though.

Also, systems with an average videocard definitely outperform systems with a crap videocard. The price you paid in computing does not matter; its the parts you got that do.

[lolzzz_321]

one 30" monitor is cool

two 20" monitors will get u the girls

[Deanglow]

I def don't want to build my own. I am way too unskilled/lazy for that. Thanks for all the great advice guys. I'll probably opt for two 22'' monitors over one 30'' but I'm not sure yet. Looks like HP and Dell are the best desktop brands? I have an HP laptop and it had an OK life.

[lolzzz_321]

buy a friend dinner and make him put together your comp

[Jack Sawyer]

buy a friend dinner and make him put together your comp

Triptanes is smart.

K, if you do not want to build your own, you may be getting a Dell XPS 630 (base $1.5K) or an HP Firebird 802 (base $1.8K). Configure them to get quad core's though.
Its gonna be a little bit out of your budget, and not as powerful (in their base forms) as the hand built one.

The drawback is that you will not be getting Intel's new chips (Core i7), so it will kind of make your investment obsolete rather quickly (Mainboard will only support up to 8GB RAM as opposed to 24GB on the EVGA in the amazon wishlist above).

It will be fast, but not the fastest you can buy for the price. And also the out of the box videocards will not be as good.

My advice, if you truly want a good deal for your monies while still buying OEM (DELL, HP, Apple etc) is to wait a while, until at least March. Let the new chip become ubiquitous. You will have a better buy, and your PC will be relevant longer.


If you take the Videocard out of the equation, then you will find much better deals like the DELL Studio 540MT for like $900. Add $60 and you get a crappy but functional 24" primary, and you can then buy a secondary monitor out of the above list (but exclude the 30", cause you need a double link DVI vid card for that) and you will play pokahs as good as smooth as silk (at least, that is how the theory goes). Or one of these HP Pavilion Elite d5200t ATX series in the same price and spec range.

You can always add a big and great videocard later, but the latest and greatest ones are double wide (meaning, they need to slots out the back of your pc) and power hungry so your power supply and the space inside your case might cause problems if you want to upgrade the Studio 540MT and the d5200ATX, but not so much in the XPS and the Firebird.

[boost]

24GB [of ram] on the EVGA

!!!

[Ragnar4]

Also, systems with an average videocard definitely outperform systems with a crap videocard. The price you paid in computing does not matter; its the parts you got that do.

I guess I wasn't clear in my op. "With some pretty serious components" actually meant "Top of the line, or highly competative videocard, and what was then the most overclockable AMD on the market"

And yes, My system was fully optimized, and the resolution was as high as it would go.

We were using the Sharkey Extreme Benchmarking system at the time, and if you haven't used it, it requires both computers be fully optimized before it'll go. It's a stress testing program for godsake.

I was never sold on alienware before I saw one in action. I'll never buy one, but that's because I'm done being a video gamer. To be honest, I don't care about the case, but If I had the choice, I'd take the alienware over any other off the shelf computer on the market price for price if my only function for that computer was video games. I'd probably even shell the extra funds for the video games.

Used to be that Alienware modified the hardware of the computer too. (I don't know if they do this any more) To optimize it. IE Re-Soldering connections, adding stuff. I don't pretend to understand if it's effective or snakecharms, but like I said, his laptop versus my computer was a good 20fps faster at every benchmark that we could compare.

[Jack Sawyer]

I wrote a very elaborate response, but then I noticed this

AMD

I'm done arguing. You win. GG

[boost]

rag, his laptop beat your desktop for an obvious reason. It was running a lower resolution. Maxed resolution on a laptop is always going to be lower than maxed resolution on a desktop, unless youre running a desktop monitor from the stoneages.

The test was unscientific, and its results prove nothing.

also, Im pretty sure you are wrong about alienware doing any sort of modding to hardware short of maybe modding the drivers (which would be software actually) and Im pretty sure they dont do that either. They would be fools to resolder anything. I mean seriously.. you do realize this would void any manufacturer warranty, making them soley responsible when anything and everything goes wrong?

[Deanglow]

So I decided on an HP d5200t and here is I want to get with it:

Operating system Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-bit)
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q9400 [2.66GHz]
Memory SAVE $40! 6GB DDR2-800MHz dual channel SDRAM [2x2048,2x1024] e
Hard drive 500GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive
Graphics card 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4850 [2 DVI, HDMI and VGA adapters]
Primary DVD/CD drive LightScribe 16X max. DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive
Networking Wireless-N LAN card edit
Front Productivity Ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, 1394, audio
TV & entertainment experience No TV Tuner w/remote control
Sound Card Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Speakers Logitech X-540 speakers (5.1)
Keyboard and Mouse HP keyboard and HP optical mouse
Productivity software Microsoft(R) Office Home and Student Edition 2007
Security software Norton Internet Security(TM) 2009 - 15 month

It comes to $1490 which is fine I guess. I know I could do without the microsoft office and get it by other means but I'm lazy. Already bought a 22'' monitor from the site lee gave. I'll see how one works then decide if I want two. Thanks everyone again.

[boost]

awesome dean! Its crazy how cheap you can get a nice desktop these days. One thing I would advise you to do: upgrade the mouse!! Even if you dont intend to play games, but if you do, youve gotta get something better than their generic entry level optical mouse.

[Deanglow]

meh I already have an awesome one (intellimouse explorer 3.0, been using that since 2001 imo)

[boost]

LOL, thats awesome to you!?

jeez, that was my old mouse, and I did like it, but I got an MXlaser about 2 years ago and I love it. Cordless is the shit. Theres even better stuff out there now, but my mx still works great. The inteli3.0 is now just for when I take my laptop out of my house since the mx receiver is lolbig.

[Jack Sawyer]

nice.

24"+ woulda been better though imo

[CBAT]

I could go for a $100K job.

What are you doing?

[Deanglow]

ensign_lee and jacksawyer what your stars/tilt names

[Jack Sawyer]

Redacted_2K5

[kingnat]

I could go for a $100K job.

What are you doing?

High Yield Equity Investments

[Jack Sawyer]

tnx deanglow!

I could go for a $100K job.

What are you doing?

real estate obv

[ensign_lee]

ensign_lee and jacksawyer what your stars/tilt names

ensign_lee is my name at stars; ditto with tilt.

Although I guess I should ask...why?

[Deanglow]

ensign_lee and jacksawyer what your stars/tilt names

ensign_lee is my name at stars; ditto with tilt.

Although I guess I should ask...why?

I bought the monitor you recommended

[oskar]

For future reference: http://www.tomshardware.com/us/

The only other suggestion I have - for graphics and sound stay away from ATI and Creative. ATI doesn't come with the best drivers, and Creative abandon their old models pretty fast - which means you won't even get the drivers from their official homepage after support runs out...
The m-audio consumer audio cards are great for example.

[ensign_lee]

ensign_lee and jacksawyer what your stars/tilt names

ensign_lee is my name at stars; ditto with tilt.

Although I guess I should ask...why?

I bought the monitor you recommended

Ah, I get it. Well thanks. I appreciate it. You'll enjoy the monitor(s) tons. I love having two 22" widescreens, and for once, they actually match. You will too; it's going to be awesome.

[FriskyPirate]

a great place to test all baller set-ups is FutureMark
http://www.futuremark.com/
http://service.futuremark.com/home.action

You can quickly see which video card / cpu combos are winning the speed wars. It always shocks me how quickly the top score doubles year after year.

[IowaSkinsFan]

Isn't 24 gb of ram essentially pointless?

[GatorJH]

ensign_lee and jacksawyer what your stars/tilt names

ensign_lee is my name at stars; ditto with tilt.

Although I guess I should ask...why?

I bought the monitor you recommended

Ah, I get it. Well thanks. I appreciate it. You'll enjoy the monitor(s) tons. I love having two 22" widescreens, and for once, they actually match. You will too; it's going to be baller.

fyp to meet the specifics of OP's title to thread.

[bigred]

Isn't 24 gb of ram essentially pointless?

For personal desktop use, pretty much as of now.

[Jack Sawyer]

Isn't 24 gb of ram essentially pointless?

say that again in 2 years.

640k should be more than enough for anybody.

No one will need more than 637 kb of memory for a personal computer.

DOS addresses only 1 Megabyte of RAM because we cannot imagine any applications needing more.