If You Build It
10 August 2007Our home computer is 5 years old which, by computer standards, is a bit outdated. For that reason I borrowed a company owned Dell Optiplex GX620 for personal use and to experiment with Vista. At the point where my company downsized to 20% of the former staff there were plenty of computers to go around, and it was no problem to take a few for work at home purposes.
Now that I’m moving on to greener pastures it’s time to start returning company property. That means the x64 desktop with Vista Ultimate is no longer at my disposal. I couldn’t stomach the idea of going back to the old Dell Dimension 8250. A very decent machine its day - but its day has come and gone.
I played with the idea of getting another Dell, but the systems I built on their site kept hitting the $2000+ range. That’s too much for a desktop computer (in my mind) and, as Drew reminded me, we may have to buy a laptop too. My current laptop also belongs to the company…and I don’t think the next company is going to give me one anytime soon. With that in mind, I checked out an HP deal that Costco had online that included a 24 inch monitor for about $1200. All things considered it seemed like a good deal until I went into the store and played around with a model. It didn’t feel like a robust system. The case seemed small and cheap, and, well, that’s all I really needed before dismissing it. I like computers that look and feel solid. 0 for 2.
When we purchased the Dell back in 2002 I briefly played with the idea of building a computer, but dismissed it fairly quickly. It was all a bit too scary at the time. This time, however, with more computer experience under my belt I started to take the idea seriously. Luckily I have a few guys at work who not only build computers, but are also extreme gamers who had some really good recommendations on what to buy.
I went for it. I purchased everything needed to build a beefy computer. The only exceptions were hard drives, optical drives (CD/DVD), keyboard/mouse and the monitor since the ones we have are relatively new, and I own a Windows Vista Business license.
Everything will be delivered next week, and I can’t wait to dive in and build my first computer. Total cost: A shade under $900 with all the rebates. True, it doesn’t include the cost of the parts I already own, but it is still a great price for what I’m getting. And the parts can be easily upgraded as technology changes without having to buy a whole new computer.
For those of you who (don’t) care about this kind of thing, here it is:
Motherboard: ASUS P5N32-E SLI Plus LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 650i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail
Power Supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI ATX12V 600W Power Supply - Retail
Memory: OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P800R22GK - Retail
UPDATE: I just spec’d out as close to an apples to apples comparison on the Dell site for a Dell XPS 410. No monitor, keyboard or mouse. It included the hard drives, DVD burner and Operating System, but the video card is not as good. Final price: $1600. I could buy the Operating System, DVD drive and hard drives retail for about $275, but my video card is worth about $100 more. So that still leaves me with a savings of over $500.
on August 10th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Sis: That’s great! When I lived in Austin in the late ’90s, BYOC was a big craze, and there were a couple of retail stores that did nothing but sell parts. I would have to guess that it has only gotten easier to do.
Good luck!
on August 14th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
My rig is about that old, I guess. I’ve been itching to build a system good for the next five years or so too, but I’m still waiting for DX10 cards to come down in price a bit. DX9 is all very fine and well, but if I’m going to get maximum gaming longevity out of the thing I figure DX10 is a must.
The case you chose is pretty interesting, though I’m actually trying to stay away from blue LEDs. It’s so two years ago. Been thinking hard about an Antec P180, but since my tower is now under my desk (to make room for the 24″ monitor) Looks don’t matter quite as much, I suppose.
on August 14th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
That’s a nice looking case…looks solid. I actually wanted something a little more subtle like that.
I’m not a fan of the blue disco effect. The guys at work strongly suggested the NZXT line, and what drew me to the LEXA was the three internal temperature probes and front panel temperature display. We have built in computer desks at the house, so the unit will be housed in a cubby hole that has a cut out in the back and an open door while running. The blue lights won’t be as bright, and I’ll be able to monitor the heat.