/ Building a Dream Computer

Building a Dream Computer

I received a core i7 965 for my birthday but need advice on the rest of the hardware needed to build it. I want this: 1. Top grade hardware for each hardware category. 2. Top spec cooling system to handle all the heat. 3. All components have to be compatible with each other and must be able run at peak efficiency. 4. Money is not a issue. Kat Delong

These questions are so subjective and a lot depends on what you want to use the computer for. You are definitely starting on the right track with the Intel core i7 965. Here is a build that is designed for the serious gamer.

For the motherboard, a good choice is the Asus P6T Deluxe. It is based on the x58 chipset from Intel and has a host of features including 6DDR3 slots with support for up to 12GB of memory and 7.1 onboard audio and 14 USB2.0 ports.

A computer like this is going to need a good cooling system - one to recommend is the Asetek LCLC (Low Cost Liquid Cooler) Self Contained Liquid Cooling system. It is perfect for high-end gaming applications with a self-contained waterblock and radiator that mounts to any 120mm fan spot and requires zero maintenance.

You have a variety of graphics cards to choose from, but this build has a HIS ATI Radeon 487Ox2 1GB CrossFire X. It supports 1GB of 6DDR5 on each card with a core clock of 750MHz. It features 956 million transistors on a big, heavy system.

For memory, we recommend the Kingston HyperX 3×1GB 1800Mhz3 DDR3. The triple channel Hyper X has speeds up to 1800 Mhz with latency timing of 9-9-9-27 and three sticks of 1GB memory with a heatsink for each.

The hard drive on this build is the Western Digital VelociRaptor 10,000 RMP SATA. It will support SATA at 3.0 GB/sec and has a capacity of 1.6TB, which will hold the equivalent of 375,000 hours of MP3s.

Recommended optical drives are the Sony Optiarc AD-7201A DVD+RW which is good for DVD burning and the Lite On DH4-1S 4x Blu-ray drive.

You will need a good, cooling case, and for this we recommend the ThermalTake Spedo Advance Package Full ATX case. It is a full tower with big fans, snaplock trays to hold hard drives and an innovative cable management system that keeps the case free of clutter.

All of these components aren’t cheap, but if you are into power and gaming they are a good place to start. Good luck and have a great time building your dream system.