High-End Computer Recommendations

Maybe you're looking for a truly strong computer with technical advancements. The high-end computer is designed to handle larger amounts of data, faster than less-expensive computers.

This includes the newest, most graphics-intensive, most sophisticated, full-motion games available today. As well as any multimedia application, professional audio and video editing, and similar graphic-intensive programs. The high-end computer is a powerful machine.

Don't forget, you'll want a really great monitor and sound system. This may or may not come with the computer as a complete package.

At this high-end, expect a high price. These machines are priced above $1,400, but more often cost around $2,000 and up to about $5,500 for the newest cutting-edge equipment.

Here are our recommendations for a high-end computer.

Recommendations:

Processor:
- AMD Athlon® 64, the 3000 series (There are 5 in the series, all are Good to Very Good, the higher the number, the better. The 3800 is Very Good). All have a 512 MB Cache and HyperTransport (HT).
- AMD Athlon® 64 4000 (Very Good),
- AMD Athlon® 64 FX-55 with HT (Excellent - Highly Recommended).
- Intel® Pentium® D 820 or 830 (Good), Note that Intel 915/925 chipsets do not support Pentium D; select motherboard with very great care.
- Intel® Pentium® 4 630 or 640 (Good, but simply not impressive).
Memory:
TIP - Look for Duel Channels. While 512 MB of RAM is passable, 1GB of RAM will make games run very smoothly.
- 512MB Duel Channel 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM (OK).
- 512MB Low Latency Single Channel DDR PC- 3200 (Not for gaming, has only one channel).
- 1GB CorsairT XMS Dual Channel PC-4400 DDR (Good).
- 1GB Dual Channel DDR2 PC-6400 at 800 MHz (Good).
- 1GB Low-Latency Dual Channel DDR PC-3200 at 400MHz (Very Good).
- 1GB Ultra Low Latency DDR PC/3200 SDRAM at 400MHz (Recommended).
- A 2GB Low-Latency and 2GB Ultra Low-Latency DDR PC-3200 are available; however, it seems that RAM over 1GB actually will slow down game playing!
Hard Drive:
TIP - Generally, size is not as important as the speed (RPM) of the hard drive. Also, get SATA, not IDE.
- 200GB at 7200 RPM SATA with 8MB Cache (Recommended).
- 74GB 10,000RPM SATA RAID 0 with 16MB Cache (Very Good but 74GB is very tight for serious photography or video editing).
- 148GB at 10,000RPM SATA (Very Good).
Video Card:
TIP - Look for at least a 256MB card.
- NVIDIA GeForceT 6800 GT 256MB (Recommended).
- NVIDIA GeForceT 6800 Ultra 512MB (Not recommended for gamers).
- NVIDIA GeForceT 7800 GTX 512MB (Recommended - Clearer Images).
- ATI Radeon X800XL (Slightly better than the 6800 in benchmark tests, but it's cheaper than the 6800 GT.) Note that the X800XL has the same 2D and 3D features as the Radeon X800Pro, XT and XT-PE.
Sound:
- Creative Labs Sound Blaster® Audigy®2 ZS High Definition (Recommended).
- Intel® High-Definition 7.1 Audio.
Motherboard:
TIP - If you're building a computer, make sure the motherboard and the processor (CPU) are compatible!
- MSI K8N NEO4-F with NForce4 Chipset / SATA Raid PCI-E / 1 GB Lan / 2 USB / 7.1Audio.
- Asus A8N-E with NForce4 Ultra Chipset / Raid / 8.1 Audio / 1GB Lan / 10 USB / 2 Firewire.
Monitor:
We recommend a 19 inch color monitor with a flat screen, which is less stressful on the eyes. If you are thinking of getting an LCD screen, make sure you are able to adjust the brightness (that ability must be in the video card). Some gamers prefer to avoid LCD monitors because of "ghosting."
Optical Drive 1
A CD/DVD-ROM is recommended.
Optical Drive 2
A CD/DVD-RW is recommended.
Speakers:
- Logitech X-230 2.1 Configuration Speakers System, or any good set.
Modem:
For serious surfing, online game play, or a home business, you should get ISDN, DSL, or a cable connection, depending on what is available in your area.
Operating System:
Windows® XP Home with Service Pack 2 and with XP Home Backup CD, or Windows® XP Professional Edition.
Software:
A typical package will usually include Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office Standard version or Professional version. We strongly recommend you use an Anti-Virus program and use a Firewall. See Part 5: Software for more information on software programs.
Power Supply:
Often ignored, it is very important to get a good quality power supply.
Power Protection:
Computer hardware is highly sensitive to power surges, voltage spikes, power sags, brownouts, and blackouts! You can easily melt-down your silicon circuitry before you know it. Use a APC Back-UPS or similar unit that is appropriate for your computer. Do not rely on a cheap and often unworking plug-in circuit breakers. Get a UPS unit.