Just spec'd this computer for a friend and helped him put it together...
All prices are US dollars.
Intel Core i7-2600(quad core)
$300
The Sandy Bridge architecture - the fastest single-threaded CPU currently available.
Intel DP67DE Micro-ATX Motherboard (1155 pin)
$115
Intel motherboards don't get much attention because they're boring. IT people love them because they're rock solid.
Kingston 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz - (2) 4GB modules
$85
Kingston is rock solid. Crucial is also rock solid.
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
$250
Newer, better version of the GTX 460 (runs faster and cooler). The new sweet spot. (note that as of this writing, it hasn't been thoroughly tested with Revit, but so far, so good).
Intel SSD 120GB (Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH120G2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC)
$230
Again with Intel... their stuff is just rock solid. It's hard to beat the performance at this price point. The brand new Intel 510 120GB SSD theoretically bumps performance way up, but I needed to keep the price down.
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6.0
$90
Simply the best "old-school" hard drive, IMHO. If you need even more storage, e.g. backup drive, or huge iTunes library ;-), consider the Caviar Green 2TB drive for ~$80.
LG Blu-ray - 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM SATA Internal UH10LS20
$70
Plays Blu-ray discs, burns DVDs. If all you really need is to occasionally install software off a DVD, save $50 and get an old-fashion DVD drive.
Antec Mini P180
$105
Just one of a million cases on the market - This is a "micro-ATX" case which is a slightly shorter version of the typical tower. Antec makes excellent cases. This is a "professional" looking case, heavy and very well built.
Seasonic X-650 PSU ATX
$130
This is one of the top-rated PSU's out there... whisper quiet, plenty of wattage, extremely energy efficiency, modular cables for improved airflow.
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit OEM
$140
If you're in a home-office environment or don't have to deal with servers and VPNs, consider sticking with the "Home" version and save yourself $40.
TOTAL $1,515
This computer is rad.
The only thing I would do to make it even radder with a couple hundred more bucks would be to install a whisper quiet heatsink and fan (to replace the stock Intel cooler) and maybe upgrade to the new faster SSD (I haven't really had a chance to read up on it yet). And with the SSD as the OS drive, I'd stick with the WD Caviar Green drives... they're quieter as well. I might see what I could do about lowering the fan noise a little bit on that GF 560 (it's not bad as far as graphic cards go, but I like quiet! ;-))
All prices are US dollars.
Intel Core i7-2600(quad core)
$300
The Sandy Bridge architecture - the fastest single-threaded CPU currently available.
Intel DP67DE Micro-ATX Motherboard (1155 pin)
$115
Intel motherboards don't get much attention because they're boring. IT people love them because they're rock solid.
Kingston 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz - (2) 4GB modules
$85
Kingston is rock solid. Crucial is also rock solid.
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
$250
Newer, better version of the GTX 460 (runs faster and cooler). The new sweet spot. (note that as of this writing, it hasn't been thoroughly tested with Revit, but so far, so good).
Intel SSD 120GB (Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH120G2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC)
$230
Again with Intel... their stuff is just rock solid. It's hard to beat the performance at this price point. The brand new Intel 510 120GB SSD theoretically bumps performance way up, but I needed to keep the price down.
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB SATA 6.0
$90
Simply the best "old-school" hard drive, IMHO. If you need even more storage, e.g. backup drive, or huge iTunes library ;-), consider the Caviar Green 2TB drive for ~$80.
LG Blu-ray - 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM SATA Internal UH10LS20
$70
Plays Blu-ray discs, burns DVDs. If all you really need is to occasionally install software off a DVD, save $50 and get an old-fashion DVD drive.
Antec Mini P180
$105
Just one of a million cases on the market - This is a "micro-ATX" case which is a slightly shorter version of the typical tower. Antec makes excellent cases. This is a "professional" looking case, heavy and very well built.
Seasonic X-650 PSU ATX
$130
This is one of the top-rated PSU's out there... whisper quiet, plenty of wattage, extremely energy efficiency, modular cables for improved airflow.
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit OEM
$140
If you're in a home-office environment or don't have to deal with servers and VPNs, consider sticking with the "Home" version and save yourself $40.
TOTAL $1,515
This computer is rad.
The only thing I would do to make it even radder with a couple hundred more bucks would be to install a whisper quiet heatsink and fan (to replace the stock Intel cooler) and maybe upgrade to the new faster SSD (I haven't really had a chance to read up on it yet). And with the SSD as the OS drive, I'd stick with the WD Caviar Green drives... they're quieter as well. I might see what I could do about lowering the fan noise a little bit on that GF 560 (it's not bad as far as graphic cards go, but I like quiet! ;-))
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