Ultimate PC - September 2008

PC Advice » Ultimate PC - September 2008

Ultimate PC

The Ultimate PC: only the best and the fastest components, with a price tag to match. Better than this you can't buy. Though mind you, like all other PC Advice systems we do keep it sane: the terabytes of solid state storage or the airconditioned cooling bunker we leave to your imagination.

Configuration

	Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770	Processors
	Currently the Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9770 is the fastest available CPU. This quadcore powerhouse runs at 3.2 GHz with a 1600 MHz frontside bus. It is based on the 45 nm Yorkfield core. Even at default settings the QX9770 will achieve extreme speeds, but with its unlocked multiplier, overclockers will easily have it reach even higher levels of performance.
	Click here for the detailpage of this product.

	OCZ Platinum XTC 4GB DDR3-2000 CL9 kit	Memory modules
	2 GB of RAM is standard in 2008, a high end system will often feature 4 GB, but for the ultimate system that of course won't do. We recommend no less than 8 GB, using two OCZ Platinum XTC 4 GB DDR2-2000 sets. That gives you four identical modules of 2 GB each. These should work without problems at 2000 MHz, so staying in sync with the CPU frontside bus is no effort for these puppies whatsoever. That aside, you are looking at some tremendous potential for overclocking.
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	Cooler Master Hyper Z600	CPU coolers
	Our CPU cooler test shows the Cooler Master Z600 to be the new top dog when it comes to cooling. Its cooling capacity leaves the competition in the dust and as such it is the ultimate choice for the real hardware enthousiast. A nice bonus is the reasonable price of the Z600.
	Click here for the detailpage of this product.

	ASUS Rampage Extreme	Mainboards
	ASUS' Striker II Extreme is one of the most complete mainboards based on nVidia's GeForce 790i chipset. This chipset offers the option to combine a 45 nm Intel processor with DDR3 memory and two or even three nVidia graphics cards in an SLI configuration. The Striker II Extreme is aimed specifically at gamers and overclockers, offering all tweaking options you might want.
	Click here for the detailpage of this product.

	Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2	Graphics cards
	Even if nVidia's GTX 280 still is the fastest single GPU videocard available, the fastest card since this month is made by rival AMD in the shape of the dual GPU monster ATI HD 4870x2. Featuring 2 gigabytes of video memory, we combine two of these in a Crossfire setup for the Ultimate system, guaranteeing the highest possible performance in the majority of current 3D game titles.
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	Auzentech Prelude 7.1	Sound cards
	The ASUS Rampage Extreme does feature its own onboard sound, but even though this supposedly supports Creative X-Fi technology it most assuredly does not have its own DSP. Auzentech's Prelude 7.1 soundcard does feature its own sound processor, as well as superior op-amps and DA-converters. This card encodes DTS and Dolby Digital on the fly, and also produces clear and undistorted analogue sound though its gold plated outputs, in games, films and music alike. The ideal choice for the Ultimate PC. If you only listen to music, have a look at the ASUS Xonar DX though as an alternative.
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	2 x OCZ Solid State Drive 64 GB SATA2 (RAID 0)	Hard disks/SSD's
	If you want storage space, you can't beat the traditional harddisk for affordable gigabytes. When it comes to transfer speeds, the race with newcomer solid state is still on. But for access time, the paramount important factor for running an operating system and applications, Solid State Disks are the new king of the hill. So our Ultimate system features a 64 GB OCZ Solid State Drive, manufactured by Samsung and current holder of the best performance crown. Your operating system, swap file performance and application load times will run better than ever before. We take two of these in a RAID 0 configuration for fast throughput as well as access times.
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	Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB SATA2	Hard disks/SSD's
	Samsung's Spinpoint F1 1 TB disks use 320GB platters and thus feature heretofore unrivalled data density. This gives these 7200 rpm disks even better transfer speeds than the venerable yet impressive Western Digital Raptor. In our Ultimate system we add four of these delectable disks, and leave it up to you whether you go for the extra performance of RAID 0, the combination with safety of RAID 0+1 or best of both worlds option RAID 5.
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	Lian Li PC-A10 Silver	Cases
	We quite like the concept of Antec's P190 for our ultimate system: sound proofing, excellent airflow, double power supply. However, Lian-Li's PC-A10 also offers room for two power supplies, but leaves the choice of which to take to the buyer. This offers more flexibility which is why we choose this case of the Ultimate PC.
	Click here for the detailpage of this product.

	LG GGWH20L	Optical drives
	Of course the only fitting optical drive for an Ultimate system is a Blu-ray burner. The LG GGW-H20 does not just write Blu-ray disks, but also reads HD-DVD and it burns DVD disks in better quality than many a 'normal' DVD burner.
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		Power supplies
	The first PSU we recommend is the Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 1000W, which will supply only the mainboard, CPU and graphics cards. This PSU is both powerful with stable voltages as well as energy efficient, but also extremely quiet.
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	Be Quiet Straight Power 400W	Power supplies
	Our second power supply will be the by now well known Be Quiet Straight Power 400W, supplying juice to the hard disks and optical drive.
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	LG W3000H-BN	Monitors
	A monster screen should go with a monster PC and that means a 30 inch ultra high resolution monitor. The LG W3000H-BN has an S-IPS panel with 2560x1600 pixels, a better than 900:1 contrast ratio, excellent reaction speed and input lag that is well within tolerances to enjoy a fast 3D game or high speed action scenes in your favourite movie. All this makes it a prime choice for the Ultimate system.
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	Creative Gigaworks S750	Speaker sets
	Three years old and still the set of choice for 7.1 surround sound: Creative's Gigaworks S750 is the perfect companion to the Auzentech 7.1 Prelude. The set is THX certififed and has seven satellite speakers with 70 Watt RMS each for high and midrange frequencies. Bass and below are accounted for by a 210 Watt RMS subwoofer, sufficient power to have the glass panes shake in your windows. It is simply perfect for an Ultimate PC.
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	Logitech Cordless Desktop MX5500	Keyboards
	The Cordless Desktop MX5500 is Logitech's top model desktop set, combining a luxury keyboard with the famed MX Revolution mouse. It's not cheap, but it definitely is one of the best keyboard sets you can buy. Yes, you can go for the Optimus Maximus keyboard, if you can find a shop that stocks it - but though it looks fancy, it is not a nice typing keyboard at all.
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	Logitech MX Revolution	Mice
	The Logitech MX Revolution, which comes as part of the MX5500 set, is the best compromise for the ultimate mouse: it has excellent precision, comfortable shape, wireless ease of use, adjustable scrolling wheel and many other characteristics that make the Logitech MX Revolution the ultimate mouse. Only those that use this system only for games we point at a mouse like the Razer Deathadder, which is optimised for games but falls short as a general purpose mouse.
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