Magnum PC

[sperm]

I remember when the "magnum" icecream was first pitched by marketing executives, previously the aim was to stay competetive by engineering systems to coat the minimum layer of chocolate on icecreams. However, with the magnum icecream, the aim was to coat with the thickest possible layer, and pitch as a luxury item !
Ok, here's a challenge for everyone .....

You have all probably seen those articles where money isn't an object in buying a monster pc. Here's an example :

http://arstechnica.com/guide/system/godbox.html

Well, in the same idea, I invite people to submit a complete system at the top dollar !

Here's the rule (my thread, my rules) :

The entire system must be built from off the shelf parts
The entire system must be from one vendor (else its too hard to track)
It must be priced in Australian dollars
The prices must be confirmable from an online link (provided in post)
The computer consists entirely of what can fit in the box, plus keyboard, mouse and monitor - no other peripherals/externals
Industrial computers don't count, this included rack mounted servers and the like (e.g. http://www.stratus.com/ )
The only software within the bundle is the operating system
The system can be bought by bits, that is you can chose parts from a list
The price of preassembly may be included, however freight must be discluded if possible
If the system is from a 'webpage' based application, then if minimal items cannot disclude extras, they are permitted (e.g. technical support, etc)
Posters may make more than one submission, in this way it keeps the competition going, rather than someone searching for eons
The system must make sense, like no adding firewire cards, scsi cards with nothing connected, 10 pci video cards, etc

Rules may be added if people find ridiculous loopholes :p

[sperm]

ok, to get the ball rolling, heres the first submission

http://www.eyo.com.au

System assembled by EYO $33.00
CPU AMD Athlon64 3400+ w/HyperTransport, Socket754, Box $704.00
Abit Socket 754 M/B KV8-Max3, Athlon64/Sata/Raid/1394/Glan $302.50
Corsair DDR-SDRAM TWINX 1GB XMS3200 Xtra-Low Latency Pro $638.00
Asus Radeon 9800XT/TVD, 256MB DVI/TV/Dual VGA $880.00
HDD IDE, Maxtor MaXLine II 300GB, 2M, ATA/133, 5A300J0 $451.00
Floppy drive, 1.44 MB Panasonic, Silver $24.20
Aopen ATX Case H600B M-Tower Case, Black-No Power Supply $104.50
600 watts ATX power supply Enermax EG701P-VE-SFMA Noisetaker $264.00
Sound card Creative, SB Audigy-2 ZS Platinum, Internal $341.00
DVD-ROM drive Aopen DVD-1648 16x/48 ATA66, Retail/ Software $60.50
Apacer CDRW-DVD CP200 Combo, with 7in1 Reader, DVD player $363.00
AOpen Internal modem, 56K Fax/Modem, v.90/92, FM56-SVV $40.15
3 Com Network card PCI, 3C996B-T. Gigabit Server NIC $203.50
MS O/S Windows XP Professional Edition, OEM w/hardware $236.50
LCD monitor 19" Samsung monitor 193T, Silver $1,320.00
Logitech Keyboard Cordless MX Duo with MX700 Mouse, USB/PS2 $137.50

Subtotal: $6,103.35

Lets see how fast someone can top A$10K !

[thingy]

So we're just going for expensive eh? Ok, here's mine. Choice is purely due to cost.

• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
• 2GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x1GB
• 2x250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL
• PCI-X Gigabit Ethernet Card
• 56K V.92 Modem
• Bluetooth Module
• AirPort Extreme Card
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard + Mouse
• Mac OS X - International English
• Logitech Z-680 5.1 Speaker w/ cable
• Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel) - AU
• Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel) - AU (video card is dual head, hence I get two of these).
• iSight (AP)
• AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes (AU)

Amount ex GST A$ 20,244.54
GST A$ 2,024.45

Subtotal A$ 22,268.99




Beat that. Err ... [zips up] I mean that. [points at mac]

[sperm]

link / proof ?


Choice is purely due to cost

and are you saying you wouldn't like to own it at all ????


I remember a story aggeeess ago, that went on about someone like John Farnham gave some computer shop an $10K budget to go build him a GOOD box, no nasties for him. Wouldn't that have been fun to build/test ? :D

[thingy]

That was cut & paste directly from the online quote, but I guess I"ll have to go into details for you.

Prices taken from an online quote at http://www.apple.com.au/store/

• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5 ($4,817.27)
• 2GB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x1GB (+ $1,749.00)
• 2x250GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm (+ $704.00)
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) (standard)
• NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL (+ $748.00)
• PCI-X Gigabit Ethernet Card (+ $149.00)
• 56K V.92 Modem (standard)
• Bluetooth Module (+ $88.00)
• AirPort Extreme Card (+ $129.00)
• Bluetooth Module + Apple Wireless Keyboard + Mouse (+ $165.00)
• Mac OS X - International English (standard)
• Logitech Z-680 5.1 Speaker w/ cable (+ $762.00)
• Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel) - AU (+ $5,999.00)
• Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel) - AU (video card is dual head, hence I get two of these) (+ $5,999.00.
• iSight (AP) (+ $259.00)
• AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes (AU) (+ $219.00)

Add that all together and you get what I pasted in my previous message. Hell, my monitors alone cost more than your entire system (each), and the base model box is almost as much.

Oh, and you're right - if I had that kind of money to spend, this would make me spoof my pants. OS10.3 is quite the nice - it's made me not hate macs with as much of a vengeance as I used to. Hell, I could actually say I like that OS.

If it wasn't for 10.3 I'd just get the video card & monitors, then plug them into a PC, but then I'd be getting bits from different stores which goes against your rules.

Attached is a PDF screenshot with base price plus price for all components, zipped because I can't attatch PDF files.

[sperm]

Originally posted by thingy
Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5 ($4,817.27)

I guess thats a cpu/mobo/psu/case combo......

But that much just for that, and it doesnt include memory/hdd/video ?

Gee, you really would have to be a mac fan to pay those prices ! :eek:


Incidently, with that system, I guess it would be going for a home cinema enthusist, 30" monitors ? whew !

But whats with no dvd-burner, and no raid ? :confused:

[thingy]

Originally posted by sperm
I guess thats a cpu/mobo/psu/case combo......

But that much just for that, and it doesnt include memory/hdd/video ?

Gee, you really would have to be a mac fan to pay those prices ! :eek:


Incidently, with that system, I guess it would be going for a home cinema enthusist, 30" monitors ? whew !

But whats with no dvd-burner, and no raid ? :confused:

The base system price includes:
• Dual 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
• 512MB DDR400 SDRAM (PC3200) - 2x256
• 160GB Serial ATA - 7200rpm
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
• ATI Radeon 9600 XT
• 56K V.92 Modem
• Apple Keyboard + Apple Mouse
• Mac OS X - International English
Amount ex GST A$ 4,817.27
GST A$ 481.73
Subtotal A$ 5,299.00

Superdrive which is standard is DVD-R & CDRW as you can see there.

The 30" monitors just came out, that's why I chose mac to start off with - I knew they were $6K each.

You can never have too much desktop space, which is why I went for two. One for movies, one for doing other stuff at the same time. I only boosted it to 2GB of RAM, I could have gone 8GB of RAM and had my system cost around $28K. All the parts are damned good quality - it's not really that overpriced when you look at the specs.

[SamBo]

Damn, I've tried soooo hard to top Thingy's effort, but I just can't :(
I got pretty close though!
Here it is, from http://www.auspcmarket.com.au/


Intel Pentium4 3.2GHz Extreme Edition Skt 478 CPU (800FSB 2mb cache), w/Intel Cooler & HT support ($1540)
Abit AA8-DuraMax LGA775 P4 i925X Alderwood board, 4x DDRII, PCI-Express, SATA RAID, GigaLAN, Audio ($302)
Zalman TNN500A-P4 Totally-No-Noise Computer Case for Pentium4, heatpipe cooled, 300w PSU & CPU cooler ($1232)
Adaptec 2110s 1channel Ultra160 SCSI RAID Controller Kit, 64-bit/66 MHz PCI, 32MB cache, 68-pin ($715)
Seagate 73Gb U320 SCSI HDD 68pin drive, 10,000 RPM ($500.50)
Seagate 73Gb U320 SCSI HDD 68pin drive, 10,000 RPM ($500.50)
Leadtek Quadro FX2000 128mb DDR AGP8x workstation Video card w/dual monitor support ($2255)
Corsair Twin2X 1024MB 240-pin DDR2 XMS2-4200 RAM (2x 512mb sticks) w/heat spreader, not for DDR motherboards ($759)
Corsair Twin2X 1024MB 240-pin DDR2 XMS2-4200 RAM (2x 512mb sticks) w/heat spreader, not for DDR motherboards ($759)
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Pro PCI sound card w/external bay ($467.50)
Albatron 30" Silver LCD Display, 1280x768, HDTV-ready, VGA/DVI/Composite/SVHS/Component in, speakers, remote ($3630)
Albatron 30" Silver LCD Display, 1280x768, HDTV-ready, VGA/DVI/Composite/SVHS/Component in, speakers, remote ($3630 vid card has dual output, so I got two of these)
White full-size illuminated PS/2 Keyboard, white keys w/laptop feel ($62.70)
Logitech MX900 Bluetooth Optical Wireless mouse, USB Bluetooth hub/base ($143)
LVD Internal SCSI Round Cable w/8 Connectors, 137cm (no terminator) ($88)
Sony DRU-700A IDE DVD-RW drive, dual layer, DVD+/-R & +/- RW supported, beige & black faceplates, retail ($269.50)
Lite-on SOHC-5232K Black 16x DVD + 52x32 CD-RW OEM Drive ($115.50)
Microsoft Small Business Server 2000 OEM w/5 Client Access Licenses ($1815)


Freight ex = TBA
Total ex = $17077.00
GST = $1707.70
Total inc GST = $18784.70

[sperm]

is that a dual cpu mobo ?
and 300w psu seems rather wimpy

come on someone, we cant let the apples win !

P.S. Should we move this thread into a techo forum ? :p

[sperm]

http://www.byo.acer.com.au/ecprod/AcerConfigurator/Configurator.html

omfg !

Altos G900


The Altos G900 represents that latest in processing power for Acer's range of Altos servers. The Altos G900 supports quad capable Intel Xeon MP processors, with four 64-bit hot-swappable PCI-X and has integrated gigabit LAN. The Altos G900 provides computing strength, flexibility and manageability for your future business growth.





RRP : AU$ 39867.80 (Inc GST)




Altos G900 Enterprise Server


PLATFORM Altos G900 Standard Model Version 1
* Serverworks GC-HE chipset
* Integrated Intel 10/100/1000 ethernet controller
* Integrated 10/100 management ethernet port
* Integrated dual channel Ultra 160 SCSI controller
* ATI Rage XL 4 MB VRAM graphics controller
* 54X IDE CD-ROM, 3.5" 1.44MB FDD
* 2 x Serial, 1 x Parallel, 1 x keyboard and mouse port, 3 USB ports.
* 1 x PS/2 Keyboard, 1 x PS/2 mouse supplied
* 2 x 600W hotswap power supply
CPU 1 Intel Xeon MP 2.0 GHz (1 MB Cache)
CPU 2 None
CPU 3 None
CPU 4 None
MEMORY 1 24 GB DDR-SDRAM with ECC (12 x 2 GB pce) 266 MHz
* Altos G900 supports a maximum of 24GB of memory.
PCI SLOT 1 None
PCI SLOT 2 None
PCI SLOT 3 None
PCI SLOT 4 None
PCI SLOT 5 None
PCI SLOT 6 None
PCI SLOT 7 None
PCI SLOT 8 None
RAID LEVELS JBOD
HOTSWAP HDD 1 36 GB 10000 RPM Ultra 320 SCSI - 80pin
HOTSWAP HDD 2 None
HOTSWAP HDD 3 None
HOTSWAP HDD 4 None
HOTSWAP HDD 5 None
2ND HOT CAGE Non Hotswap Drive Bay Option
HOTSWAP HDD 6 None
HOTSWAP HDD 7 None
HOTSWAP HDD 8 None
HOTSWAP HDD 9 None
HOTSWAP HDD 10 None
STORAGE BAY 1 CD-ROM 54X
STORAGE BAY 2 None
STORAGE BAY 3 None
EXTERNAL BACKUP / TAPE AUTOMATION None
AUTOMATION ACCESSORIES None
TAPE MEDIA None
BUNDLED SOFTWARE No additional software
OPERATING SYSTEM Acer EasyBUILD
* All Altos servers include the Acer EasyBUILD application suite which provides:
* Driver and resource CD
* Acer Server Manager (ASM)
* EasyBUILD operating system installation support
3RD REDUNDANT POWER SUPPLY None
* The Altos G900 is shipped with 2 x hotswap 600W power supplies as standard.
ALTOS WARRANTY 3 year parts & labour
* Warranty applies to base unit and internal components (as above). External components and accessories carry separate warranty as per Terms and Conditions.
RACKMOUNT KIT None
MONITOR None
Acer LCD monitors carry an Onsite Exchange Warranty - 1st year instant onsite swap, 2nd & 3rd year RTB (return to base). Warranty includes 3yrs panel, parts and labour. Acer CRT monitors carry a standard 3 year limited onsite pickup warranty.


The memory alone is $28K !!!

[thingy]

Didn't you say no servers?

[SamBo]

Originally posted by thingy
Didn't you say no servers?

YEAH!!!

Cheatz0r!!!!!1

[Benwah]

"The entire system must be built from off the shelf parts"

[sperm]

my point was the memory price alone, let alone the box.....

what is the distinction between a server and a desktop strictly speaking anyway ?

Benwah: whats your point ?

[Benwah]

Don't really have one mate, just thought that the question:

"Didn't you say no servers?"

'might' be answered with:

"The entire system must be built from off the shelf parts"

[SamBo]

Screw the Magnum PC
Behold! The Magnum MODEM! (taken at me and Thingy's place of work) :D

[Benwah]

the one and only original Magnum ;)

edit : how 'good' is that moe...

[thingy]

Here's one that astro did up. We re-did it on my machine so we could pdf it for upload.

CPU Intel Pentium 4 800FSB 3.4GHz Socket 478 512K $715.00
Vantec Socket 478 Pentium 4 CPU cooler VP4-7245 Aeroflow2 $33.00
Gigabyte Socket 478 M/B GA-8KNXP, 800FSB, 6 Dual Miracle $319.00
Corsair DDR-SDRAM TWINX 1GB XMS3200 Xtra-Low Latency Pro $1,276.00
ATI-Sapphire Radeon X800 Pro, 256M DDR $797.50
Floppy drive, 1.44 MB Panasonic, Black $24.20
Sky Hawk Aluminium Mini Server Case MSR-4620 No PSU Die Cast $231.00
600 watts ATX power supply Enermax EG701P-VE-SFMA Noisetaker $264.00
DVD-ROM drive Lite-On LTD-167T 16x/48x, Retail/ Software $60.50
Pioneer DVD-ReWriter -/+RW Kit, DVR-A07XL, Retail, Black $192.50
Sound card Creative, SB Audigy-2 ZS Platinum Pro, External $418.00
3 Com Network card PCI, 3C996B-T. Gigabit Server NIC $203.50
LinkSys 10/100 Managed 24-Port Gigabit Switch EG24M, Metal $880.00
MS O/S Windows XP Professional Edition, OEM w/hardware $236.50
MS Office 2003 Professional, OEM w/hardware $495.00
Logitech Keyboard Cordless MX Duo with MX700 Mouse, USB/PS2 $137.50
Speakers Creative GigaWorks S750 7.1 Speaker System $896.50
Epson AL-C4000 Colour Laser Printer $4,296.60
Epson scanner 4870 Photo USB2.0/Firewire $775.50
Symantec Norton Anti Virus 2004, 12 month, Retail-DVD Case $77.00
Symantec Norton SystemWorks Professional 2003, OEM w/Syst $33.00
Global Win RAM sink; HDC08, with thermal tape $6.38
SCSI HDD, Seagate Cheetah 73GB, 15kRPM, ST373453LW $7,480.00
SCSI card Adaptac Raid U320 ARS2200S Kit, 64Bit/66MHz $1,155.00
SCSI cable, internal 68pins, 8 connecters $87.34
21" Benq P211 CRT monitor $3,135.00
Remove all Subtotal: $24,225.52

[Jimma]

I wonder where I could find a quote on a Microbee...

[Jimma]

Here is my submission, from www.i-store.com.au (388 Lonsdale Street Melbourne, this is where I bought my last PC.)

Total price is $44,809. :) and it isn't a server.

1x TYAN TRINITY S2707G2N S478 M/B
$829

4x 1.0G TRANSCEND DDR400 RAM
$1680

2x ADAPTEC 2400A IDE RAID CONTROLLER
$1182

1x INTEL P4 3.2EEGHz EXTREME EDITION HT S478 CPU (800MHz FSB)
$1461

8x 250G MAXTOR MAXLINE IDE ATA133 8MB BUFFER HDD
$4432

1x 1.44MB PANASONICS FDD (BLACK)
$20

1x 256MB MATROX PARHELIA TRIPLE-HEAD
$1151

3x 40" SAMSUNG 403T LCD MONITOR
$31905

1x SONY DRU700A DUAL-LAYER DVD+/-RW
$220

1x CREATIVE SB AUDIGY 2 ZS PLATINUM PRO
$420

1x D-LINK DWL-G520 11/54 WIRELESS PCI
$156

1x LIAN LI PC-61USB BLACK MIDI TOWER CASE
$317

1x MS WIRELESS OPTICAL DESKTOP (KB & MOUSE) with Bluetooth
$221

1x 550W ATX POWER SUPPLY w/FAN SPEED CONTROLLER (ANTEC)
$200

1x MS WINDOWS XP PRO
$615

TOTAL PRICE = $44,809

[thingy]

I swear we may as well call this thread "battle of the monitors", that's what is doing it every single damned time.

Congrats Jimma, you have bested me. I still want the mac I posted though. :)

[Jimma]

Thankyou, I do it all for the boobs. I'll be here all week.