High End Quiet PC ~ $1500-$1800

[loocid]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Early Summer 2010

BUDGET RANGE: $1500-1800 after rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: media viewing, gaming, word processing, a/v editing, media streaming across LAN and outside of LAN, data storage/backup, web design, cpu intensive professional applications, web server

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com, amazon.com, pricewatch.com

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: Mostly Intel (core i7) and ATI (HD) products. Prefer modular power supply. Prefer mid tower if can accommodate internal water cooling system.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe. All CrossfireX products.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: So I've been saving up for this home built PC for four years now. I'll start buying sometime next May or June. The most important part of this PC other than power is noise reduction so I'll be planning and building around an internal or integrated water-based cooling system. I have done my homework and do prefer expandable water-based cooling over those no-maintenance liquid cooling systems. I have never built one of these before, but do prefer building a water cooler system from scratch over a kit. I will also need the ability to apply cooling blocks for cpu, 2 x ATI HD 1 Gig GPU's, and possibly some hard drives. I will be running a raid 5 with at 3-4 1 gig 7200 rpm hard drives. Any suggestions for what parts to get for the water cooling system?

 

[ibnsina]

Summer 2010 is long time away, a lot of new hardwares would be released prior to then. The parts that are available now may be out of production or outdated by then, so is best re-post this thread in April-May.

 

[jsrudd]

I would start to think about building a month or two in advance, and if you patient and can wait for deals you can save significant amounts of money.

 

[loocid]

I'm looking to save money buy picking components now, which will most probably won't be the latest and greatest around the time I start buying.

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

Then there's no way you could possibly spend that much. Planning that far for computer parts is largely silly.

 

[loocid]

Then there's no way you could possibly spend that much. Planning that far for computer parts is largely silly.

I'm sorry. I wasn't under the impression I was asking for advice on my planning habits. I pre plan for a number of reasons. Like I said I have been saving up for a while, so that doesn't mean I can't buy until next May. If discount or sale pricing comes along on a single item I'll buy it. It also means I won't build until then. Additionally, it'll cost that much per this shopping list I have already drafted >> http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=3308746


I am seeking advice regarding the DIY water cooling system if anyone has any to offer. More specifically in regards to where and how to mount the radiator and any recommendations for cases that are water cooler friendly (for space and placement). Thank you.

 

[ibnsina]

 

[ssarti]

good luck with your build man - i dont have much advise to offer except that i myself was in a situation somewhat similiar to yours. i saved up over the last two summers by working part time in mcdonalds and in the end i had over two thousand dollars. i then ordered the system which i have in my sig - i only spent two days researching components and finalising my build. i kind of regret it now since it was difficult getting hold of that money and now i have found many sites with better deals and even on the site i ordered it from prices are now nearly ten percent lower. so i can understand why you want to decide now and buy later. lol fact is, for us budget concsious, enthusiast -class components are just a no-no cuz of more than just huge price - its that the value just doesnt last - our hard earned purchase goes down the drain in terms of value barely a few weeks after the purchase. so then i hope you come up with the perfect price to power combination man!

 

[loocid]

good luck with your build man - i dont have much advise to offer except that i myself was in a situation somewhat similiar to yours. i saved up over the last two summers by working part time in mcdonalds and in the end i had over two thousand dollars. i then ordered the system which i have in my sig - i only spent two days researching components and finalising my build. i kind of regret it now since it was difficult getting hold of that money and now i have found many sites with better deals and even on the site i ordered it from prices are now nearly ten percent lower. so i can understand why you want to decide now and buy later. lol fact is, for us budget concsious, enthusiast -class components are just a no-no cuz of more than just huge price - its that the value just doesnt last - our hard earned purchase goes down the drain in terms of value barely a few weeks after the purchase. so then i hope you come up with the perfect price to power combination man!

thank you. At least one person understands where I'm coming from. I'm just wondering if more people would have chimed in had I not mentioned when I'm going to build this rig. Anyways, I've found more help regarding the cooling issues over at the silentpcreview. I think i'm just going to go with traditional air cooling for now. I think I may also start buying parts as soon as January. We'll see how things go.

 

[jaguarskx]

I'm looking to save money buy picking components now, which will most probably won't be the latest and greatest around the time I start buying.

Generally speaking, as parts become "older" they tend to drop in price. So for the most part it is not really necessary to look at prices now if you intend to build around 8 months from now. CPUs and GPUs will go down in price as newer ones become available. The only items I would probably recommend you buy immediately if there is a good price is the case, PSU and the monitor. Since you are not looking for a monitor you are left with just looking for a case and PSU.

 

[Cades]

Another reason you shouldn't buy parts when you see deals, or separately long before you put the final build together.

What happens if you get a bad part when you put the build together several months down the road, returning/getting replacement parts will probably be a huge hassle.