Question: What is the most powerful PC a person could buy?

[bluestateguy]

Not that I would buy it (I probably could not afford it), but I'd like to know what the most powerful, high-quality PC is out there before I do buy a new computer. That way, I have an idea as to where my machine stands up on the PC pecking order. Any suggestions or links would be appreciated.

[Syrinx]

1. Probably something like an Athlon 3200

with a gigabyte of memory, but I'm not sure though.

[DrBB]

2. Power Mac G5

According to their blurb:
The Power Mac G5 is the world’s fastest personal computer and the first with a 64-bit processor — which means it breaks the 4 gigabyte barrier and can use up to 8 gigabytes of main memory. The new G5 processor — available at speeds up to dual 2GHz with a new ultrahigh-bandwidth system architecture featuring AGP 8X and PCI-X — makes the Power Mac G5 a breakthrough in desktop processing power.

On the other hand, I wouldn't buy a first-generation one--I'd wait till they get the initial kinks out.

[Deja Q]

6. Yeah, but they're much more costly than PCs and are underpowered elsewhere

The top of the line G5 ($3000) has only 512MB of RAM and a Radeon 9600 video card. For $3000, the thing should have 1 GB RAM and a Radeon 9800, nothing less. Period. I can build a clone system for $650 that has 1GB of RAM, a decent graphics card (the GeForce 4600 GPU, which was the best card of its kind last year), and a CPU that performs similarly to a P4 at 2.7GHz. It's no G5 but its performance is wholly acceptable and even Unreal Tournament 2003 screams at 1600x1200, 32-bit color depth & resolution. I do graphics work as well, but comparing $650 for something reasonable to $3000 whose processor is faster but lacks TOTL video and a puny 512MB of RAM, plus finding new apps to replace my Windows and Linux apps with, and training and learning... The cost of Apple is way, way, way, way too high in a rational world. Sorry.

Cost-benefit analysis; the G5 may be the best CPU, but who is going to want to pay for it when a PC costing $1250 will outperform it in video and RAM specs?!?!?!

And "a breakthrough in desktop processing power" sounds just like the advert I'd read the other day. I still think Apple is toast, for offering a G5 CPU system at $2000 for a low-end joke or $3000 for a "high-end" still-a-joke.

[TrogL]

7. You're comparing apples and oranges

if you'll excuse the pun.

Intel-based processors spend most of their time dealing with memory. They still have the 640K barrier so they waste oodles of CPU cycles doing paging.

[BlueJazz]

10. I tend to agree, HypnoToad...

...Apple makes a decent computer but for 3000 big ones they sure get chintzy with the peripherals.
For 700-1000 dollars a person can build a computer that's almost as good in a few ways and much better in many ways!

[sfwriter]

16. Sure, as long as your time is valueless...

A fair comparison would be to a machine from Dell or other major manufacturer, and even then, you have no idea what corners they have cut. Anyone remember Dell's little Firewire cheat?

I mean, after you factor in your time to build and test the darn thing, not to mention the inevitable hunt for drivers and updates, translating engrish manuals, and discovering that the jumper settings on this or that motherboard are backwards, how much are you saving?

I don't know about you, but at my lowest consulting rate doing technology work, it does not take long to make that Mac into a bargain.

I work on both platforms, and aside from a PC testing machine that spends more time with a Knoppix disk in it than running XP, I have all Macs at home. Why? Because after a long day of working on computer problems, the last thing I want to do is deal with at home are more computer problems.

-Sandy

[Deja Q]

3. I make mine home-built, but

The fastest CPU out there is an Intel Pentium 4 at 3.2GHz with hyperthreading. (be aware, hyperthreading helps some apps but hurts others. It also acts like a 'dual CPU' system, meaning if you had a dual 3.2GHz system, you'd need a special version of Win2k or XP that would recognize what it would think as being 4 processors. :eyes:

There's the AMD Athlon 3200+ XP CPU. Costs less, runs just as well or better in most cases. The Athlon is tried and tested and kicks arse on the Nvidia Nforce2 chipset.

Best video card is the Nvidia GeForce 5900 FX Ultra. (ATi has a Radeon 9800 as well which is exceptional, but Nvidia has a history of making better drivers and they support Linux as well. ATi doesn't and their drivers have historically been 2nd rate rubbish.)

The Abit NF7 mobo is good and has the Nforce2 chipset. Be sure to get 2 identical RAM modules for optimal performance, but it screams. I bought a AMD Athlon XP2100+ CPU and overclocked it to 2700+. It's very fast. My video card is a BFG Asylum Geforce 4600Ti. Last year's model, but is $200 if you can find it. Using Linux with Nvidia's drivers, the 4600 runs as well at 1600x1200x32-bit color as it would run under Windows at 800x600x32-bit (runs slightly choppy at 1024x768 but is also quite acceptable.) So I decided not to buy the Geforce 5900 FX Ultra card. Not when Linux makes better drivers and is a better platform that works on hardware better than Windows does.

Western Digital and Maxtor make good hard drives, though I am leaning away from Western Digital because they screwed me out of a $100 rebate.

[lpbk2713]

12. Same here on the bogus W/D rebate deal.

I'll never buy another Western Digital hard drive. They screwed me out of a $40 rebate. They sent back a letter saying the offer had expired and it was still good when I received their damn letter.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

13. I build my own as well...

I'm running an Athlon 2600+ XP on a Nforce 2 (K7N2 Delta MoBo) with a gig of 333 mghz DDR RAM, two 100Gig WD HD's. Running silently at 38 degrees C, so it appears they finally licked the temp probs.

The only bottleneck at this point is my video card. Still running a Gforce 4. Dual boot with Linux (Mandrake) and XP Pro.

I'll put one of my computers up against any Mac out there and bet I'll benchmark as well or better overall than a Mac for half money.

Who says kitchen tables are for eating at?

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

4. If you really want one...

Wait a little and get a system built around the AMD 64bit processor. With an OS and software compiled for it, it should fly.

Note: I don't know about other Linuxes, but Mandrake is testing theirs, optimized for an AMD64 Opteron.

[TXlib]

5. Just wait 'til they get diamond-based processors going!

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.html

http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2003Aug/gee20030827021485.htm

[Blue_Chill]

8. That plus nano tech should make for some incredible stuff

and it would ruin de beers. Win win.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

15. Great piece in Wired... Thanks for posting it!

[BiggJawn]

9. A Cray....

But you'd need a LOT of money, a spare bedroom, and someplace to put the liquid nitrogen tank...

but you'd have a 'pooter so powerful it'd knock your wife up...Call it "Proteus"....

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

14. LOL.... Now THAT would be bragging rights!

[pansypoo53219]

11. does it matter

if you have to use Windows?