High-End Buyers' Guide: May 2007
by Dave Robinet and Jarred Walton on May 29, 2007 1:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Guides
Alternatives and Conclusion
The possibilities in a system purchase at the high-end segment of the market are literally limitless, and readers should determine for themselves what focus their system should have. Here are some alternative components to consider for customizing your system.
Gamers will want to devote more money towards their graphics cards, while graphics designers may want more memory. Elaborate cases may not make a whole lot of sense if you aren't planning on showing off your computer, and maybe that Blu-Ray drive is just too tempting to pass up. HTPC enthusiasts might want to add a TV tuner (or two) as well, or maybe you want something really different like the Compro VideoMate V600 that will allow you to watch TV or connect any gaming console to your computer display? The video quality is very good and we have a review forthcoming; the one major drawback is that it's limited to a maximum 1680x1050/1600x1200 resolution. The choice is yours: target your spending wisely!
One area that deserves a bit of extra attention is the multimedia options. In the past, just about everyone agreed that any high-end system -- particularly for gamers -- required a discrete audio card. The situation has changed quite dramatically with Windows Vista, as Microsoft has moved to a professional model for sound. Audio drivers are no longer in Ring 0, which should prevent them from causing system instabilities. The good news is that the new Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) makes integrated audio almost as good as discrete; the bad news is that all the extra effects in most current/older games got lost. If a game supports OpenAL (Q4, Prey, BF2142, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., etc.) then you still get full hardware accelerated 3D effects, and while Creative's new ALchemy Project is working to extend EAX support for older games, many titles are still not on the officially supported list. Also worth mentioning is that ALchemy is currently only for X-Fi cards (not including the Xtreme Audio version); Audigy users may get support in the future, but at present they are left out in the cold. Game developers are currently designing Vista specific features such as offloading audio computations onto a separate core/thread, providing increased flexibility for audio effects, so long-term we may see a shift in the audio market to the point where virtually any solution will offer the same overall quality.
As mentioned in the introduction, the time to look at a new high-end system may not be perfect right now, with the P35 chipset introduction bringing DDR3 memory and a 1333MHz FSB into the mix. Intel's X38 chipset is also right around the corner, just in time for Intel's Penryn processors. Pending hardware introductions, however, will be looming every time one of these Guides are released. As has been said repeatedly in the past, the "correct" time to update your system is when you have made the decision that your computer no longer meets your needs. If that time is now, don't forget to visit the AnandTech Forums to ask any questions which you may have before making your purchase!
The possibilities in a system purchase at the high-end segment of the market are literally limitless, and readers should determine for themselves what focus their system should have. Here are some alternative components to consider for customizing your system.
| Alternative Processors | |||
| Platform | Component | Price | Rebates |
| AMD 1207 | Athlon 64 FX-72 | $329 | - |
| AMD AM2 | Athlon 64 X2 6000+ | $227 | - |
| Intel 775 | Core 2 Duo E6700 | $316 | - |
| Intel 775 | Core 2 Extreme X6800 | $969 | - |
| Intel 775 | Core 2 Extreme QX6800 | $1300 | - |
| . | |||
| Alternative Motherboards | |||
| Platform | Component | Price | Rebates |
| AMD AM2 | Foxconn nForce 590 SLI C51XEM2AA | $165 | - |
| Intel 775 | DFI LP UT NF680I LT SLI-T2 | $300 | - |
| Intel 775 | MSI Diamond P6 | $280 | - |
| Intel 775 | MSI P6N SLI Platinum | $160 | - |
| . | |||
| Alternative DDR2 Memory | |||
| Brand | Component | Price | Rebates |
| Mushkin | XP2-8000 Redline | $320 | - |
| Corsair | PC-8500 Dominator | $205 | - |
| Corsair | 2 x 4GB (2x2GB = 8GB total) XMS2 TWIN2X4096-6400C5DHX | $540 | $80 |
| G.Skill | F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ | $115 | - |
| . | |||
| Alternative Power Supplies | |||
| Brand | Component | Price | Rebates |
| Enermax | Enermax 850W | $260 | - |
| OCZ | OCZ700GXSSLI (700W) | $126 | - |
| SeaSonic | SeaSonic 700W | $210 | - |
| Zalman | Zalman ZM600-HP (600W) | $132 | - |
| . | |||
| Alternative Graphics Cards | |||
| Brand | Component | Price | Rebates |
| EVGA | EVGA GeForce 8800GTX Ultra | $832 | - |
| Foxconn | Foxconn GeForce 8800GTS 320MB DDR3 Overclocked | $305 | - |
| Sapphire | Radeon HD 2900 XT 512MB (100201) | $426 | - |
| XFX | XFX GeForce 8800GTX 768MB DDR3 XXX Version | $620 | - |
| . | |||
| Alternative Data Storage | |||
| Brand | Component | Price | Rebates |
| Hitachi | Deskstar 7K1000 1TB 7200RPM | $410 | - |
| Seagate | Barracuda ES ST3750640AS 750GB 7200RPM | $310 | - |
| Seagate | ST3500641AS-RK 500GB | $135 | - |
| Phillips | SPD7000 Blu-Ray Writer | $500 | - |
| . | |||
| Sound Cards and Multimedia Devices | |||
| Brand | Component | Price | Rebates |
| Auzentech | X-Meridian 7.1 (AZT-XM71) | $170 | - |
| Bluegears | b-Enspirer 7.1 | $110 | - |
| Chaintech | AV-710 | $22 | - |
| Compro | VideoMate V600 External Video Converter | $150-$160 | - |
| Creative | X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Professional 70SB046A00000 | $140 | $40 |
| Hauppauge | WinTV-PVR 500 MCE Tuner | $145 | - |
| NVIDIA | DualTV MCE Tuner | $160 | - |
| . | |||
Gamers will want to devote more money towards their graphics cards, while graphics designers may want more memory. Elaborate cases may not make a whole lot of sense if you aren't planning on showing off your computer, and maybe that Blu-Ray drive is just too tempting to pass up. HTPC enthusiasts might want to add a TV tuner (or two) as well, or maybe you want something really different like the Compro VideoMate V600 that will allow you to watch TV or connect any gaming console to your computer display? The video quality is very good and we have a review forthcoming; the one major drawback is that it's limited to a maximum 1680x1050/1600x1200 resolution. The choice is yours: target your spending wisely!
One area that deserves a bit of extra attention is the multimedia options. In the past, just about everyone agreed that any high-end system -- particularly for gamers -- required a discrete audio card. The situation has changed quite dramatically with Windows Vista, as Microsoft has moved to a professional model for sound. Audio drivers are no longer in Ring 0, which should prevent them from causing system instabilities. The good news is that the new Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) makes integrated audio almost as good as discrete; the bad news is that all the extra effects in most current/older games got lost. If a game supports OpenAL (Q4, Prey, BF2142, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., etc.) then you still get full hardware accelerated 3D effects, and while Creative's new ALchemy Project is working to extend EAX support for older games, many titles are still not on the officially supported list. Also worth mentioning is that ALchemy is currently only for X-Fi cards (not including the Xtreme Audio version); Audigy users may get support in the future, but at present they are left out in the cold. Game developers are currently designing Vista specific features such as offloading audio computations onto a separate core/thread, providing increased flexibility for audio effects, so long-term we may see a shift in the audio market to the point where virtually any solution will offer the same overall quality.
As mentioned in the introduction, the time to look at a new high-end system may not be perfect right now, with the P35 chipset introduction bringing DDR3 memory and a 1333MHz FSB into the mix. Intel's X38 chipset is also right around the corner, just in time for Intel's Penryn processors. Pending hardware introductions, however, will be looming every time one of these Guides are released. As has been said repeatedly in the past, the "correct" time to update your system is when you have made the decision that your computer no longer meets your needs. If that time is now, don't forget to visit the AnandTech Forums to ask any questions which you may have before making your purchase!
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rtrkudos - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
You were wrong on the Dell 30" LCD. The newer HC model they ship now has a grey-to-grey of 8ms which is what matters for gaming. They never updated their website to the newer specs.JarredWalton - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
I made some clarifications on the LCD selections. Having personally used both the old Dell 3007WFP and one of the new "high color" 30" LCDs, I'm pretty comfortable in saying that very few people would actually noticed the difference in practical use. I know I couldn't. Besides, the 3007WFP-HC actually costs $1500 as opposed to $1300.mostlyprudent - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
While I very much enjoy Anandtech's Buyer's guides, I have noticed lately a disconnect between what is recommended in the Buyer's guides and what is reviewed in the other articles. For example, I do not think I have ever seen a review of the Samsung hard drives, yet they show up quite often in recent buyer's guides. Also, the Crucial Balistix used in the ultra high end system. Have we seen a review of these?My point is that if I were to go back through Anandtech motherboard, hard drive and memory reviews - pick out the best performers/editor's choice winners - I would come up with a very different system than what you recommend in Buyer's Guides.
If your goign to recommend a different motherboard, hard drive or memory from what your recent reviews have identified as the "cream of the crop," then give me some benchmarks or other details (not general statements) that demonstrate why.
Gary Key - Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - link
We will have the Samsung drives in a review in June. They are not the fastest drives per say in the benchmarks (close enough as not to matter in most applications) but they do offer a great combination of speed, low noise levels, and price per Gigabtye. I was throughly impressed with the latest 500GB model and thought it would be a good choice for a storage drive when matched with the Raptor. In regards to the Crucial DDR2 memory, we are finding it to be an excellent choice once again based on the price to performance ratios in early testing (easily doing DDR2-1140 at 4-4-4-12 timings with 2.25V on the P35 boards). By the way, both of these products were purchased and were not supplied to us for reviews. We do go out and buy components that we identify as being interesting for our readership. ;) Just wish we had the blog sections working so we could discuss/provide details quicker.
JarredWalton - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
Most of the choices are made with input from the other editors. I know some of them (Wes and Gary) have at least done some preliminary testing with parts that are mentioned in this article. Gary specifically recommended the Samsung drives as being worthy of inclusion. The Ballistix RAM is (if I have this right) Micron D9, which makes it roughly the same as most of the other D9 RAM when it comes to running faster than the rated speed.Comdrpopnfresh - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
In any of the first four situations in the article, would adding a third-party soundcard add any performance gains, or have better quality? Say you added an x-fi to the striker extreme. How does the onboard compare to what you'd get with the x-fi?JarredWalton - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
Depends on if you're running XP or Vista and if you want to jump through hoops in Vista. At this point, I would rate a sound card as an optional accessory, pending fallout from the Vista update. I have to think that Vista is hurting Creative, since it sort of leveled the playing field.hubajube - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
In the article:I thought the cache was the same and only the clock speed was different. Confused.
duploxxx - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
yep indeed correct, so many readers and yet only few that notice this wrong statementThe 5600+ gets the nod over the more expensive 6000+ due to the favorable situation with AMD's on-die memory controller for this processor. The added cache of the 6000+ generally doesn't improve performance enough to warrant the extra money
the 5600 has 2mb cache and a 2800 clock
the 6000 has 2mb cache and a 3000 clock
main difference is current tdp 125W, will change in a few months to 89W, from that moment a 6000 will be a nice buy / competitor against e6600 unless you oc offcourse.
JarredWalton - Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - link
My bad - I got the 5400/5600 confused with the 6000 situation. I guess there's no "5800+" 512K 3.0 GHz part out there. :)