KWSN Orbiting Fortress

[KWSN Im Not Dead]

http://stats.kwsn.net/user.php?proj=rosetta&cpid=9ebe80b034f9216eb76873e0e4b708c0&period=1week

im being caught by the evil HP Admin

I am thinking of purchasing a new machine to also help with rosetta. If you had, oh say $600, what would you purchase?

This machine can be pretty barebones. I would not need a sound card, video card, monitor, keyboard, or mouse. I suspect that all I would need is a case, power supply, mother board (with onboard video, sound, and network), chip, and ram.

I have built my own machine a couple of times, so im ok with assembling it. I am just looking for a pretty good machine for roughly $600 that would give me more RAC.

Thx in advance
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KWSNImNotDead - "I don't want to go on the cart!". It is spelled LooNies.

[JerWA]

To do your own...
Core2 Duo E6420 - $186
Cheapest good Core2 MB - $104.99 (Mail-in Rebate for $89.99 - June 7 2007)
GeIL dual-channel 2GB (2x1GB) RAM - $99.99 (Mail-in rebate for $74.99 - June 7 2007)
Rosewill case + 450w PSU - $49.99
GeForce 7100GS junk graphics card lol - $43.99
WD 160GB Sata/2 HDD - $52.99
= $537.95
After the current rebates, that's: $497.95

-Replaced the Antec case with a Rosewill case that's very well rated, since the Antec isn't on sale any more.

If you bump up to a good graphics card you actually have a pretty darned good rig now, usable for everything. Here's an example:
eVGA GeForce 8600GT 256MB - $139.99 ($124.99 after mail-in rebate)
Replacing the card above, that puts you at $633.95 before rebates, but only $578.95 after rebates!

I'd spend the extra money on the motherboard, maybe something like this one:
Abit Fatal1ty FP-IN9 SLI LGA 775 nVidia nForce 650i SLI - $126.99

With all of the above, and the good graphics card, that'd be $655.95, but after rebates it brings it right back down to $615.95.

Granted, with shipping and such it'd probably push it up quite a bit, just depends on what you're wanting to spend. But with the alternate motherboard and graphics card it's a real system, as I mentioned. On par with what I'm using and paid $1,300 for just last year.
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[KWSN Im Not Dead]

Cool, thank you. Sadly that machine would be much better than my current one...

Instead of buying another computer for the purpose of building RAC, I may instead leave my current computer to that purpose and get a new more powerful machine (maybe quad core...not sure) and let it build RAC when I am not using it...

I'll see, but thank you very much for the advise. If I can not generate the roughly $1500 im thinking for the PC I am wanting, I very well may just purchase the PC parts you recommended and split my time between the machines depending on what I am doing and let both build RAC full time. Decisions decisions!!
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KWSNImNotDead - "I don't want to go on the cart!". It is spelled LooNies.

[JerWA]

Well, the system I listed can easily be bumped up into a "real" computer. All it's lacking is a video card! My own system is a 6400 with 2 GB of RAM and I love it, and it has no problems with the latest games.

The graphics card I'm using is a 7900 GS, but they've come out with a slightly better one for only a little more money so I'd have to recommend the 7950.

Here's the graphics cards I'd recommend, starting with what I'd consider the lowest you can go with and be able to play new games (though you'd need to drop quality down on the lower cards):

GeForce 7600GS 256MB - $99.99 ($15 mail in rebate now as well, so $84.99)
GeForce 7600GT 256MB - $109.99 ($20 mail in rebate now as well, so $89.99) - Only slightly better than the GS
GeForce 7600GS 512MB - $112.99 ($92.99 after rebate) - More memory helps with big textures, but over all performance wouldn't be much better
GeForce 7900GS 256MB - $154.99 - This is the card (type, not specific card) I'm using and am quite happy with.
GeForce 7950GT 256MB - $199.99 ($184.99 after rebate) - This is the card I'd recommend
The 8600GTS falls into this range too, but I don't know it's performance.
GeForce 7950GT 512MB - $229.99 ($214.99 after rebate)
GeForce 8800GTS 320MB - $279.99 ($259.99 after rebate)
GeForce 8800GTS 640MB - $379.99 ($359.99 after rebate)
GeForce 8800GTX 768MB - $559.99 ($529.99 after rebate)

Oddly, the GX2 cards seem to have vanished off the face of the planet. Not a good sign. But even with the most expensive card here you're well under $1,500. The motherboard I linked above supports quad core, but the only processor is stupid expensive still.

Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 - $835
Intel Core2 Extreme QX6700 - $970 (the one I plan on using in my build later this year, hopefully after it drops in price hehe)

The other Core 2s are a much more affordable upgrade. $213 for the E6400 I linked above...
Intel Core2 Duo E6600 - $308
Intel Core2 Duo E6700 - $509

You could easily take the above system, swap in an E6700 and a fairly uber graphics card for under $1,500. Going quad core Intel bumps you straight to $1,500 though hehe.
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[Sir Papa Smurph]

I don't know but $600 just might purchase Sir Brian's alternate Core Duo


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