High Performance Computer?

[norcalsmoker]

So far I have gotten by with my dell inspiron laptop but with my job and needing to run alot of software for engineering purposes I need to get a high performance desktop. I don't know much about computers. I need a desktop that can run photoshop, illustrator, autocad, solidworks, that can handle alot of cd/dvd burning for business presentations, also while I am at it I want it to be able to handle computer games and alot of video/music. My dell was given to me as a graduation present and its just too outdated and slow. I know there are people on this forum who are into computers, can you guys tell me what computers would be good??

[destructo]

well if you want to do cad youll need a card that wouldnt be able to to games. if you get a gaming card its going to suck at auto cad. as for good computers putting them together yourself is always the better path.

[Vladimir]

as for good computers putting them together yourself is always the better path.

+1

If you can do the things you want to be able to do (all this engineering crap) then you can definitely figure out how to build a computer! I built a new rig last year with the Intel Q6600 2.4 Quad Core, Asus P5N-D motherboard, G.Skill ram, and an EVGA 9800 GT 512mb, it has run awesome. I shorted myself with a 500W power supply- but other than that I love it . I can give more info if you want specifics, but half the stuff I bought probably isn't even made anymore, damn technology!

[destructo]

as for good computers putting them together yourself is always the better path.

+1

If you can do the things you want to be able to do (all this engineering crap) then you can definitely figure out how to build a computer! I built a new rig last year with the Intel Q6600 2.4 Quad Core, Asus P5N-D motherboard, G.Skill ram, and an EVGA 9800 GT 512mb, it has run awesome. I shorted myself with a 500W power supply- but other than that I love it . I can give more info if you want specifics, but half the stuff I bought probably isn't even made anymore, damn technology!

i just bought a phenom 2 x4 955 with an ati 4670 and 4 gigs of ram from parts for 770$. i think im going to rma the graphics card because i found out that ati drivers still suck.

[king_lunchb0x]

like they said build it yourself. just do a bit of research figure out if the ram is compatible with the motherboard cpu is the right socket size and the rest is just preference, and not always the most expensive is the greatest. There are some mid range cpu's that can handle alot

[norcalsmoker]

Thanks for the input guys. I have been researching all morning on how to build one yourself and it seems that its the best way to go. Where do you guys buy your parts from online?

[ryno]

Thanks for the input guys. I have been researching all morning on how to build one yourself and it seems that its the best way to go. Where do you guys buy your parts from online?

http://www.newegg.com
http://www.tigerdirect.com

I usually go with new egg, but tiger direct has some good deals

[nars2k]

I agree with others, Build the computer yourself, not only will it be cheaper but you will be satisfied. If finding the parts is too much just go to tigerdirect.com and buy a barebone kit and just piece it together.

[vballpro]

I don't want to flood you with too much info but I've built a few computers and I could spell out pretty much what your gonna need, and the basics as far as what needs to be compatible with what.

To build your computer you are going to first need a case to put it in. The case size doesn't really matter, but your motherboard must fit in your case properly.

Your motherboard needs to be compatible with your processor and the ram that your processor uses. To figure this out, go on newegg and figure out which processor you want, and look at the chipset. AMD processors will not fit in Intel sockets. If your processor fits in your motherboard, the ram SHOULD be compatible, but the variable you're looking for is how much ram your board can handle. More ram means ability to move more info not necessarily faster. The timing is what is important. low numbers are good. Ram with a latency of 5 (5-5-5-15) is slower than latency of 3 (3-3-3-9).

Your motherboard should also have the following for Hard drives, Cd/DVD Rom, and graphics card.
1 Sata for Harddrive ( I suggest Sata because it is the newer technology and plus IDE = bad)
1 Sata for DVD (IDE still = bad)
1 PCI-E 2.0 x16 for your graphics card (VGA is also another conection but I prefer PCI-E)

Extras may include but not limited to
-Audio port (you said movies and music)
-Ethernet (and maybe Wireless)
-at least 3 USB ports (Mouse, Keyboard, extra for flash/ thumb drive, nerd stick, whatever you want to call it)
-media port for SD cards and compact flash and such

Your graphics card should be able to do some monster crunching. As said earlier, ATI drivers can sometimes suck, i've heard good things about nvidia, but this is more about those gaming cards. I would just do some reasearch about what card, and make sure your motherboard can handle it.

One more thing to add on to the cost, is that now you need a monitor, which has a connection in the back thats either VGA, DVI or HDMI. This should probably match your graphics card, because if you monitor is HDMI, you're going to need a graphics card with HDMI.

Then you can get a power supply to finish off the bundle

Steps-
1. Find a processor, and figure out what kind of ram.
2. Find motherboard with given requirements, and all the extra goodies you want on there.
3. Graphics card/ monitor.
4. Hard drive and DVD/CD/ Blu-ray whatever you want after that.
5. Power supply.


The reason you build it yourself, is that if dell were to make this for you, they would not get you all of these great products. They will get you a nice processor with 8 gigs of the slowest ram possible because it's cheaper for them. This way you can get the best of the best. Look for sales! Newegg stands by their products! If its broken(DOA), they will take it back and give you a new one.

Good luck and if yu have any questions just PM me.

[omgitsjimmy]

unless you're going intel i7, I'd recommend AMD Phenom IIs for budget power. Phenom IIs are really nice CPUs and are always overlooked. if you're going to run Autocad and other math heavy programs, get at least an ATI Radeon 4870. yes thats a gaming video card BUT the R700 chip on those video cards are very very fast and great for number crunching (better than nvidia). the second question comes to mind is is it faster than a workstation video card? when you compare workstation video cards of similar price to the Radeon 4870, the workstation cards use a previous generation chip (R600) which is still slower even though it is optimized for accuracy calculations that engineering programs need.

[norcalsmoker]

Wow guys, Thanks for the detailed explanation that really helped alot! When I get some time Im gonna sit down and figure out all the parts im gonna get. I'll post up what Im gonna order and get your guys input! THANKS!

[destructo]

btw you arent going to find any cas 5 ddr3 ram youll be lucky if you find 8. also you should be looking for at least a phenom 2 x4 955 and a good cooler to OC it. as for graphics cards you have to either choice gaming or cad. dont buy and OCed card since you can do it yourself and the higher the gddr is the more throughput the card.

[vballpro]

Yea for the graphics card... there are three important numbers they are going to give you. One is clock speed. Which is how fast it's going to run...similar to your processor. It's going to give you ram...it can be up near 1 or 2 Gb. This is similar to how many cars are on the highway. 1GB and 2GB card are top top of the line as you will see on newegg or wherever you shop. You will pay extra for these. The third is the interface. This is the number that I look for. This is like how many lanes there are on the highway. If you're going to use CAD, you are probably going to need at least 128 bit, but I recommend 256 bit or higher. Like you'll see the better the specs the mroe it's going to cost you.