Ultimate Gamer PC Build [March 09]
Amos Ngai on Friday, March 6, 2009 at 12:00AM Welcome to the first edition of GamerWok’s computer builds! Each week, GW will detail a computer build suited for your budget. The first week of the month will feature the Ultimate Gamer build, Enthusiast Gamer for the second week, Mainstream Gamer on the third week and Budget Gamer on the last week.
System: Ultimate Gamer
Budget: None
(click to enlarge)This system is for the gamer that has more money than he or she knows what to do with it. Gaming, encoding, rendering… this computer will do it all.
At the heart of the computer is the best desktop processor one can buy. The Core i7 series generally overclock very well and with the unlocked multiplier on the 965, it offers more headroom for the overclock geek who is looking to achieve the maximum overclock. For those who aren't overclocking, this is the fastest desktop CPU at stock speed.
Generally known as the cream of the crop, the Corsair XMS3 RAM modules feature excellent overclocking potential and heatspreaders that dissipate the heat efficiently. But the main reason why I prefer Corsair products is their excellent customer service (having dealt with them myself).
The four OCZ Apex SSD drives will cost you more than $3000 but you get what you pay. Incredibly fast, these drives are one of the best SSDs you buy at the moment. In RAID 0+1 configuration, the performance is unbeatable by traditional platter drives.
Why did I not choose quad SLI? To simply put it, the drivers just aren't there yet. In some instances, you end up with worse performance than three-way SLI. Until Nvidia further optimizes the drivers, I cannot recommend going with a 4 GPU solution. For whatever reason if you dislike Nvidia, another alternative is two Radeon HD 4870 X2s in quad Crossfire configuration. Performance is about on-par with the the 3-way SLI GTX285 configuration.
The X-Fi hardware technology itself is solid but the drivers from Creative are not. So what is the alternative? Luckily, Auzentech has an official license to make sounds cards featuring the X-Fi chip. Drivers are solid, sound quality is excellent and it supports the latest EAX revision (5.0).
Silverstone made an interesting choice with the Raven. By rotating the motherboard 90 degrees to the right, cooling performance is done by vertical air movement - or chimney effect - rather than horizontal. Hot air rises so it makes sense from a physics point of view. Idle temperatures is about average but load tempeture is where the case shines. To couple the case with a PSU, a 1200 W unit from PC Power & Cooling is chosen to supply the juice to the components. Made of quality components, the voltages are solid and the DC is clean. The most important factor is its high 90A output on the 12V rail. This is especially important when you have 3 video cards in tri-SLI configuration.
Lastly, we have the 30" Ultrasharp LCD panel. Featuring an S-IPS panel, the color spectral capability and contrast is unmatched by any other 30" panel on the market. Connectivity options are plentiful: Dual-DVI, Component, Composite, HDMI and Displayport. This monitor will impress the professionals that require the color accuracy while still being able to play the latest games at a sharp 2560 x 1600 resolution with decent response time.
Please keep in mind that the parts I choose may differ from what you would pick. That’s what makes PC building so fun! Everyone is entitled to their decision and this subjectivity is why two computers built among computer enthusiasts is rarely the same. Moreever, these builds may aid those unfamiliar with the latest in computer technology but still want the best within their budget. During your research, you may find something else you prefer or a part that’s even better. If you do, let us know in the comments!
Reader Comments (8)
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