Nevermind.. I can't edit it anymore, lol. I ended up getting: Case: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811166004 CPU: Intel E6600 GFX: BFG 7900 GS Hard drive: 4X 250 GB w/ RAID controller ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816131003 ) I will set it up as RAID 5. I would never use RAID 0 by itself, even on a gaming machine. 2 GB of RAM 2X 22" widescreen monitors Total cost: Approx $2400 $600 was on monitors, and $600 was for the hard drive array. I got a lot of my recommendations from overclock.net, the people there can build/overclock pretty much anything. Someone even overclocked a TI-86 calculator :eek:
i built a few.. big waste of time. ck out pcworld (or any other site that runs tests). setups with (near) identical config's wildly outperform one another. why is that? now i go with *proven* performers only. (you might build smthg you think is great but unbeknownst to you.. it performs for sh*t)
I'm sure if I really have problems with it, I can find someone who'll be willing to help me out with it
I've built 30+ (for myself and for others), and the key is to get top notch components, especially the motherboard. otherwise the computer will suck. even if you buy good components, there's still a chance you'll have compatibility issues with hardware or drivers, and some stability problems (blue screen). That's why if I needed a mid-range computer (for trading), I'd just go with a brandname like Dell. They do all the testing for you, to ensure everything works together.
buy quality components, (Intel/Asus mainboard, Crucial/Corsair/Mushkin ram, Seagate hard drives, and get a good powersupply!)
The issue w/ home built computers is people cheap out on stuff they think isn't important. Like they get a cheap PSU because "500 watts of power is 500 watts of power." Then the crap PSU takes out the rest of their computer some time down the line when it dies. People also cheap out on the mobo because they don't realize the importance of it.
Good luck on your project. It should be fun to build your own pc! Please keep us updated... I was also thinking of building my own pc (with either intel 4300 or 6600 cpu). It seems a fun project to build your own but I just did a quick calculation and realized I won't be saving any money (actually it seems I'd end up spending more if I buy all the parts now and put it together). What about the OS? I'll have to go and buy a Windows XP Pro from Staples or something (retail)? I have a Dell which I bought with XP installed. Can I extend the license to an addional PC by paying something less than the retail price of XP? I'm now debating whether it is better to buy a pc and done with it. (I haven't yet decided.) It won't be as much fun but I can stay focused on my trading. For my trading I don't need a lot of processing capacity except I want to be able to connect multiple monitors .. at least four LCD monitors. I have to find a card that will enable that.. I think, right? TraderNik - do you know what card (s) enabling you to run 8 monitors? that sounds awesome... Thanks all. (Sorry I don't want to highjack your thread but thought this might be a better place to ask these questions than starting an identical thread.)
Don't buy from Staples, go to newegg.com and buy ur stuff from there, always buy OEM software, retail is over rated. you can have 8 monitors running with 2 video cards, ATi FireMV 2400 or Nvidia NVS440.