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How-To Geek Forums » Build Your Own PC

Where will build me a ridiculous PC from scratch?

(14 posts)
  • Started 1 month ago by lilsting10
  • Latest reply from whs
  • Topic Viewed 298 times


lilsting10
Posts: 32

After fooling around with different laptops and getting various crap/bloat ware, and always having to swap this USB for that USB (especially when laptop USB ports get broken and no longer work), I'm fed up with 'commercial' releases.

I'm looking for somewhere that would build me a PC from scratch, but to have it include ridiculous specifications.
I'd be looking for something like this:

- High amount of Cache and RAM, so that the PC doesn't hang when I'm editing images, loading a web browser, switching tabs in the browser etc, running a virus scan (or scans for virus/spyware at the same time) in the background whilst doing other things.

- 6-12 High Speed USB 2.0 ports so that I no longer have to keep swapping things in and out (USB printer, USB microphone, USB lacie external hardrive, USB iomega external hardrive, USB capture card device for plugging in PS2/Xbox360, USB DVD Burner, USB Pendrive, USB wireless internet signal receiver, USB PS2-to-PC controller adaptor 1, USB PS2-to-PC controller adaptor 2... and the list goes on really.)

- A GOOD wireless signal reciever inside (my laptop has one, but it's so piss-poor I have to still plug in a USB signal receiver)

- A recovery partition/2nd hardrive drive from which I can restore 'factory' settings if I ever need to.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
sparky7415
sparky7415
Posts: 374

How about joining Alice when she's 10 feet tall and the White Rabbit. Come back to earth.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 1682

lilsting10, hi. I'll bet that you want this ridiculous PC without a ridiculous price, right? Of course you do, that's a rhetorical question. Sadly, system integrators are always going to include their bloatware because they make extra profit from that. The best way to get a system with no bloatware is to build it yourself and only install what you want. However, if you want someone to build it for you, then you need to go to a high-end "boutique" builder. The price will be higher, but not too much if you choose the right base system.

Unfortunately, of late, some boutique builders are being bought up by regular commercial builders. Dell bought Alienware and HP bought up Voodoo. I don't know if you can still get a "clean" PC from either of these, but Falcon Northwest is still independent and still brags about not installing bloatware. I had a Falcon NW many years ago and it was, indeed, blissfully clean of bloatware. Not only that, they removed unnecessary OS features as well!

Posted 1 month ago #
 
sparky7415
sparky7415
Posts: 374

Good morning Scott W, I built my 1st machine this year and love it without the bloatware.Although laptops may be difficult to build,how about having a full version of Vista and wipe the new machine clean,before downloading important data.Would that work?

Posted 1 month ago #
 
ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 1682

Now, on to your specifications. First of all, I don't think they are that ridiculous. Let's cover them:

* Lots of cache and RAM for multitasking. Since you like doing lots of tasks simultaneously, that makes you a genuine candidate for a quad-core processor. AMD or Intel is your choice, but I would suggest something along the lines of an Intel Q9450 with 12 MB of L2 cache. That's a LOT of cache. If you stick with a 32-bit OS, you can install 4 GB or RAM, but only use around 3.2 - 3.5 GB. That's plenty, but if you must have more choose a 64-bit OS and the only limit is size and type of DIMM and number of sockets.

* Lots of USB ports. 8 ports is the typical number available on new systems these days. Some can provide 10, but I've never seen 12. You could put some of those devices on a hub, but no most.

* Good wireless inside. This is almost a contradiction, because a wireless network card is a radio transmitter and if it's inside a case, that case is blocking some of the radio signal. A better idea is a PCI card with antennas sticking out the back. Even better, replace those antennas with wired ones that can be moved higher and farther away from the system.

All of these requirements mean a desktop. No way a laptop could meet these requirements. I priced one of these out at Falcon NW and it comes to around $2,200 (US). Told you it wouldn't be cheap, but it can be done without Alice and the rabbit. :-)

Posted 1 month ago #
 
sparky7415
sparky7415
Posts: 374

I was being a a smart aleck,shame on me,good input Scott W.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
whs
whs
Posts: 4907

Since you seem to worry about image editing, don't forget a decent graphics card. Those can run $500 or more all by themselves.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 1682

Here is the parts list for the system I quickly threw together at Falcon NW. This is a Talon desktop system:

TJ-04 - Black Anodized (Case)
Silverstone 750Watt Strider - Modular (PSU)
nVidia nForce 780I - SLI (Mobo)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 2.66GHz (CPU)
Zalman CNPS7000B-ALCU LED (CPU Cooler)
4GB (2X2GB) 800MHZ DDR2 (RAM)
ATI HD-4850 512MB DDR3 (Graphics)
Integrated On-Board Audio (Sound)
No Raid (Hard drives)
Western Digital 250GB 16MB Cache SATA 2
Western Digital 250GB 16MB Cache SATA 2
Lite-On 20X DVD+-RW W/Lightscribe (Optical drive)
No Floppy Drive
Windows Vista Home Premium - 32 Bit (OS)
Microsoft Basic 500 (Keyboard)
Logitech Optical (Mouse)
1 Year - Parts and Labor

Known issues with this configuration: None

System Price: $ 2,174.53

Posted 1 month ago #
 
whs
whs
Posts: 4907

Nice system, but for a third of the money you get nearly the same off the shelf. Btw. This ATI HD-4850 runs very hot - it will need all the Zalman it can get.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
ScottW
ScottW
Posts: 1682

On that system build, I threw in a 2nd hard drive since the OP likes to multitask. With a CPU that can keep up with that, most processes become I/O bound. Also, this system from Falcon would come with factory restore DVDs that will restore it to exactly the way it was when shipped with no bloatware on it.

I think that a Radeon HD 4850 is more than just a decent graphics card. How do you know it runs very hot? The 3850 was nice and cool.

As for the price, it is certainly much higher than a do-it-yourself project, but that was not the original question. Still, I think Sparky's suggestion is a good compromise. Buy a pre-made system with all the right parts, then do a clean install of the OS. Image the drive to make a "factory" restore set, and you're done. Of course, there is some do-it-yourself work in such a project.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
raphoenix
raphoenix
Posts: 943

I guess everyone has their own personal favorite hardware picks. As for me, after some +20 years of building, I wouldn't go with anything but a Asus MB to start a project.

I can remember the days when one (always) had a spare Asus Bios Chip on hand just in case a flash update didn't go well (LOL) (LOL).

This is a nice product. In fact all of the X38 and X48 Intel Chipset Asus boards perform well. It all depends on your pocket book (LOL) (LOL).

http://www.asus.com/products.a.....odelmenu=1

Regard,
Rick P.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
whs
whs
Posts: 4907

@ScottW, In the user comments I read, the Radeon HD 4850 was always rated very high with the only common complaint that is is running hot - to the point that the system shuts off. I was just forwarding that info. And yes, I agree with you, a sytem off the shelf and then vLite to slim down Vista is the more cost effective solution. - Although I don't really understand all those complaints about "Bloatware". It takes a little bit of space on the disk (so what) and the rest you can configure - so where is the problem.

@raphoenix, speaking of pocket book, how about an Asus Striker II Extreme. Seems to be the ultimate now - if you want Intel.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
bg
bg
Posts: 62

i have been running a Talon computer from Falcon NW for 5 years without any problems. These people are the greatest. They constantly win all the awards for the fastest and best running gaming pc's on the planet. You get lifetime support with people who work at Falcon NW and speak perfect English. They do not load any crap on their systems except for a few demo games that are easily removed in less than 1 minute. These guys also configure all of the settings on their computers for max performance and speed. their website is falcon-nw.com . I just cannot say enough good things about this organization. my next computer is going to be one of theirs with the new solid state hard drives (no noise) just as soon as the price comes down on these new drives in about a year.

Posted 1 month ago #
 
whs
whs
Posts: 4907

I also wait for SSD. But at over $500 for 32GB, it will probably take more than a year before I can afford an SSD with any reasonable capacity.

Posted 1 month ago #
 

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