Weekly Buyer's Guide: High End System - March 2004
by Evan Lieb on April 2, 2004 11:25 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
High End System Summary
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| CPU & Cooling | AMD Athlon 64 3400+ | $416 |
| Motherboard | ASUS K8V Deluxe | $136 |
| Memory | 2 X 512MB Mushkin Level One PC3500 (DDR433) | $239 |
| Video Card | 128MB PowerColor Radeon 9800 Pro | $206 |
| Monitor | Samsung 1100DF DynaFlat CRT | $460 |
| Computer Case | Kingwin K11 Aluminum ATX plus $55 400W Antec PSU | $125 |
| Sound Card | Creative Labs Audigy 2 6.1 (OEM) | $70 |
| Speakers | Logitech Z5300 5.1 surround | $145 |
| Networking | Onboard | $0 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital 1200JB (120GB) | $92 |
| CD-RW | NEC 2500A 8X DVD+/-RW | $90 |
| Bottom Line | - | $1979 |
$1979 is the final price of our high end system this week, not including any money that you'll spend on software (Windows XP Home or Professional, Office, etc.) or a keyboard and mouse.
Chances are that you won't be able to find a better system for under $2000 shipped unless you are lucky enough to find good rebates/coupons on certain components. For the money, this is pretty much the best high end system that you can build.
Now go build your system and let us know what you think in our comments section.
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WooDaddy - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
Evan,I know you said that the keyboard and mouse is a personal preference type purchase, but I think a keyboard mouse combo is definately worth considering especially since this is a high end system; the Logitech DiNuovo bluetooth keyboard and mouse system.
I saw this for the first time at the CES and was blown away. If anything, it's definately worth mentioning. It typically runs $250 too. Definately high-end material.
Hooligan2 - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
I would probably go with the 3200Swylen - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
And you made the price an issue going for the 9800 Pro over the XT yet you chose an Athlon 64 3400 for $400+ when a 3000 is half the price for a comparable performance.meccaboy858 - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
meccaboy858 - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
meccaboy858 - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
How about both an LCD and a CRT! Some of this stuff is questionable, but still cool to get a general idea.Brickster - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
Reply to #6"And how about an LCD monitor?"
As Mr. Lieb said last month...Price vs. Performance. My Phillips will kick the dog doo out of any LCD in that price range.
Cheers,
Brick
srue - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
120GB hard drive in a "high end" system? Seriously, make the Raptor the first choice. Better yet, two Raptors. And how about an LCD monitor? If you are trying to keep the price between $1000 and $5000, you could add a grand worth of upgrades to this system and still be below the halfway point.ceefka - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
Would a Terratec Aureon 5.1 Sky be an alternative soundcard? It also has 24/96 and even 192Khz on playback, professional specs. It goes for around € 70,00.Brickster - Friday, April 2, 2004 - link
I got the monitor here:Alternative: Philips 22" (20" viewable) 202P45 CRT
The thing is amazing! I am very happy with it even though I payed a little extra. I can't even believe I was on 17" before this.
Dream come true.