DVDGuy’s Blog @ Digital Digest

Welcome to the fourth “If I were to buy a new computer today” feature. There was a bit of silliness over Intel CPU prices in between this and the last feature, in that CPU prices actually went up. Some of the parts are still overpriced compared to February, but most have come back down to normal levels now. I guess with AMD’s line up being a bit weak, and Intel’s pricing being very competitive, stock shortages and the like might have been responsible for the price fluctuations.

Back in September 2007, I first wrote about what I would be looking for in a computer if I were buying one today. To get a better idea of the kind of system I’m looking for, please refer to the original blog entry, but to sum up, it would be a system for playing the latest 3D games as well as a system ready for Blu-ray and HD DVD playback, but one that is reasonable in price and without the need for overclocking.

So let’s not waste any time. Here are the specs of the computer, including comparisons with the last specs from February (as compared to February: upgraded parts in blue, lower prices in green, higher prices in red):

 Look at all the blue (upgraded parts) and green (lower prices) above … a sight to behold! It seems the May system has had most of the internals upgraded to better parts, and with almost every item’s price dropping at the same time. It’s a savings of $AUD 260 ($USD 250), except we have a much better system than the February build. Let’s go over each specification.

CPU: Remain unchanged from the February specs, prices have dropped, but only by a very small amount.
Alternatives:You can get the Intel Q6600 quad-core processor for slightly less, or almost any of the AMD Phenom processors for lower price. I’m sticking with the E8400 due to the superior efficiency in the Intel chip.

Motherboard:Giga-byte have upgraded the P35C-DS3R from revision 2.0 to 2.1. The EP35C-DS3R is basically the same board as the revised P35C, with the enhancement being more environmentally friendly features. I’m sticking with the “C” motherboard due to support for DDR3 memory, which is much more important this month than previously (see below).
Alternatives:If you want DDR3 using the P35 chipset, then you don’t really have much choice in terms of Giga-byte motherboards. There are X38 and X48 chipset enabled motherboards, but these are for enthusiasts as opposed to the mainstream public, and are a lot pricier as a result.

RAM:DDR3 memory pricing have dropped considerably since February, so much so that I think it’s the right time to include them in the system specs. I’ve gone for Corsair C9G DDR3 memory rated at PC-10600 (1333 MHz) to match the FSB of the 8400/P35 chipset.
Alternatives:If you plan on overclocking your system, faster DDR3 memory can be had. At this stage, there isn’t much benefit to get DDR3 anyway until faster FSB speeds are available, so you might save a bit of money and get DDR2 instead (the motherboard we’ve chosen does support both types of memory). You can also opt for the C9DHX range of DDR3 memory from Corsair, with has enhanced cooling, but it’s mostly unnecessary if you don’t overclock your memory.

HDD:There’s been a slight upgrade from the AS type to the NS type HDD, but still a Seagate 500 GB SATA2 with 32 MB of cache. The price difference between AS and NS was minimal, so I went with the slightly more expensive model.
Alternatives:You can save around $50 by getting two 400 GB drives (with 16 MB cache). Or you can break the bank and get two 750 GB drives for double the price. My thinking is that if you need the additional space offered by the 750 GB drives, you’ll be better off buying external SATA or NAS drives, which is cheaper and much more useful.

Video Card:A slight upgrade from the 8800 GT to 8800 GTS 512 MB (don’t get the 320/640 MB version, as they use an older architecture). The GTS has better performance and comes close to the newly released 9800 GTX (basically any game that plays on the 9800 GTX will play on the 8800 GTS, but games that can’t play smoothly on one won’t be more playable on the other). And we’re also concerned about reports that the 9800 GTX has some noise related issues. Unfortunately, the 8800 GTS is being phased out apparently and it might be hard trying to secure one.
Alternatives:If you can’t find a 8800 GTS, then a 8800 GT for $75 less is great value. But perhaps the 9600 GT at $50 less than the 8800 GT is even better value, especially if playing the latest 3D games isn’t a priority or if you don’t care about gaming at all. If having the best performance is what you want, then the 9800 GX2 or ATi’s HD3870X2 might be what you are looking for, but it will cost you (not just in price, but noise and heat levels as well) – but compared to both of these dual GPU cards, the 9800 GTX is still better value with similar performances at most games apart from Crysis at the Very High setting, and at almost half the prices of the GX2.

Sound Card: Still going with a on-board solution. Until HDMI audio output gets sorted out, it’s probably not worth getting a new sound-card for your PC. HDMI audio output would allow the pass-thru or decoding or several of the new HD audio formats, which is not possible through SPDIF/optical due to insufficient bandwidth.

Optical Drive:Still staying with the Pioneer Blu-ray reader and DVD writer drive. People might be tempted to get a Blu-ray writer drive, but writing speeds are slow and media is expensive, so I say avoid for the moment. By the time media prices come down, writer drives prices will be much more affordable and writing speeds (as well as reliability) will be much improved. I would have gone with the LG dual format drive (see below), but I’m assuming most people don’t have HD DVD movies (and don’t plan on getting them), so while the LG is only a couple of bucks more expensive, it’s still unnecessary if you only need Blu-ray playback.
Alternatives:If you don’t need Blu-ray playback, then any old DVD writer drive would do. If you also need HD DVD playback, then LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD DVD reader combo drive is the way to go, as it’s about the same price as the Pioneer. LG are discounting it as they will no longer be making HD DVD drives, so this might be a last chance to grab a dual format drive.

Monitor:I went with the Samsung 226BW last time, but this model has been superseded by the 2243BW at least here in Australia. I won’t complain because the new model is cheaper, and at 22″, it’s neither too big nor too small (and the resolution of 1680×1050, while not quite at 1080p for Blu-ray, is close enough for a monitor of this size (you really need 55″ or above to fully appreciate 1080p, anything less and the difference between it and 720p @ 1280×720 is minimal).
Alternatives:If you want to spend a bit more, then try and find a 24″ with 1080p support, perhaps with HDMI and DisplayPortinput as well. I can’t really justify the extra money over only 2 more diagonal inches, and as mentioned above, the extra resolution won’t make things that much more clearer. A better alternative may be something like the Samsung 225MS – it’s almost $200 more expensive, but for that, you can more consumer friendly features like HDMI, component input and a set of speakers. A good use of these connections may be for connections to a game console (Xbox 360 or PS3).

Case: Again, I’m sticking with the Antec Sonata III case, because it’s good value as it comes with a high quality 500W power supply (designed for quietness), and the overall build quality of the case (and Antec cases, in general) is quite good. Building a quiet system is essential if you plan on using the machine as your Blu-ray/HD DVD player. Of course, a quiet PC depends much on the type of cooling you have for your CPU and GPU.
Alternatives:There are lots of alternatives to cases, and it depends largely on taste. The one that I’ve seen lots of good reviews for is the Antec P182 case, but the style is not really to my taste and it costs more than the Sonata III despite not including a power supply unit.

So there you have it. $AUD 1,840 ($USD 1,760) for a system that plays all the latest games at 1280×1024 at full framerates and at 1600×1200 with acceptable framerates, and also plays Blu-ray movies without breaking a sweat. It also shouldn’t be too noisy either. But most importantly, this new “May build” represents a saving of more than $250 compared to our last system despite it being a much better system. With DDR3 prices dropping, lots of choices right now in terms of Nvidia or ATi graphics cards, now may be a good time to buy a system (and I’m really tempted, except I have no money).

See you in a few months time …