Computer Build Help

Absolutely, yes, you can.

Can you post the specs of the Apple on here so we can see what you're looking for?

Also, technically, you could build a "Hackintosh".... custom build your own PC and put MacOS on it (a Mac is just a regular PC with their OS).

Coming from an apple fan, yes you can get it cheaper elsewhere.  It's just a fact.  The only advantage (besides the virus thing, which you can take care of another way) you MIGHT get with an apple is the fusion drive.  I don't know if that's worth it though.

Really, IMO, it just depends on the OS you like to work on.  IMO there's nothing really that one can do that the other can not.

For starters, I can recommend this 27" monitor.  I have one and while it is a brand that you may not recognize, I've found it to be exceptionally solid and reliable for an incredible price.  Mine is 2+ years old and not one issue with it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254093

Do you know how many processors/cores, how much memory you were looking for?

That determines whether a standard enthusiast motherboard will suffice, or if you need to look at a server/workstation board.  If you just need say one CPU with four cores and 32GB ram and under, an enthusiast board is suitable.

You can get a decent motherboard in that class for under $150.

You can get an Intel Core i5 3570k (quad core, 3.4GHz) CPU for $190

32GB of DDR3 (4x8GB) memory will run you roughly $170

At this point you need to consider disk subsystem and whether or not your video editing apps can use the processing power of standard GPU's.  If so, would it benefit from multiple GPU's in SLi/Crossfire?  If so to either of those, you will want to get one or more powerful discrete video cards.

As for the disk subsystem, you could consider using an SSD for the OS and the editing scratch drive.  You'll want one or more large capacity drives, potentially in a RAID array, for bulk storage (can also do editing scratch drive here).  This can be augmented by the use of an add-on discrete RAID card, typically with hardware cache onboard.  A super-powerful workstation class RAID card is about $400 (I *love* the cards made by Areca and LSI).  2TB drives are roughly $110.  You can get larger, but I think that right now the sweet spot for price:capacity is around the 2GB mark. Above that you start to pay a premium.

For $3,000, you should be able to build one serious monster of a system.

As an example, about 4 years ago I built a 2U rackmount server with two quad core CPU's, 16GB ram, a SuperMicro server motherboard, "headless" IPMI remote access card, 8 port Areca RAID controller (supports RAID 6), eight 750GB drives (the sweet spot at the time) for under $3,200 including the cost of a TechNet subscription.

Wow, I've got a lot to learn..

Here's what I priced at the Apple store

27-inch: 3.2GHz
32GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 4x8GB
1TB Fusion Drive
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2GB GDDR5
Apple Magic Mouse
Apple Wireless Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

This comes to $2999  (I still need to buy Photoshop and Final Cut Pro or something similar)..  

Thanks for the specs.  I'll keep researching..

Learning opportunity for me here: I noticed you recommended the i5 as opposed to the i7.  Why is that?  Is that a "bang for your buck" thing?

Ok, that iMac uses an Intel Core i5 processor at 3.2GHz, so right off the bat you're running faster with the above 3570k (plus, the 3570 is eminently overclockable, should you choose to go that route). This also means that an enthusiast board will be perfectly fine.

The drives is just a single drive, and only 1TB, so get one of the above 2TB drives, and skip the add-on RAID card (there's no way that the specified iMac is using anything that high end with just one drive).

That video card will set you back about $450-500. You only need one, however.

Beyond that, you just need a case, power supply and a DVD or BluRay drive.  Pick up any keyboard and mouse and you're all set.  Of course you will also need a copy of Windows 7, but there is little reason you cannot build a system every bit as solid and fast as that iMac for 1/3 to 1/2 the price.

If I were to build something:

CPU: Intel Core i7 2600k 3.5GHz - $219

Motherboard: Gigabyte socket 1155 - $170

Memory: 32GB, GSkill (4x8GB) DDR3 - $185

Hard Drive, Boot SSD: Samsung 840 Pro, 128GB - $140

Hard Drive, Bulk Storage standard drive: Western Digital Red 2GB - $110

DVD/BD Drive: LG BluRay burner - $70

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce 680GTX 2GB - $470

Power Supply: Seasonic 620W - $80

OS: Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) - $140

I don't list case, mouse, or keyboard because those are personal items. What one person may like another may not... but you can get a case for as little as $50, but it may lack a bit aesthetically. Mice and keyboards are the same deal.

So, those items aside, total build cost for something significantly faster than that iMac: $1584.

That would also make one heckuva gaming rig

Yup, pretty much bang for the buck.  In my follow up post, however, I specified an i7 because I found one for not significantly more.  I recommend the 'K' models because the 'K' signifies an unlocked multiplier, which means that you can easily overclock the heck out of them.  A 'K' model CPU with a Corsair H50 or H100 water cooler is a silent beast.... you can easily overclock them above 4GHz, and many Gigabyte brand motherboards ship with a simple utility that makes reliable overclocking as simple as clicking one button.

I was assuming you would have compared against the i7 3770K instead of 2600K but irrelevant I suppose.  The specs you put together above kind of sound like an alienware contraption! 

Well, the way I looked at it is the only real difference between 3770 and 2600 (or 3570 and 2500 for the i5's) are die size and transistor type (and thus power consumption).  One is Sandy Bridge, one is Ivy Bridge, but they are effectively the same design. I suppose there's some efficiency gains, but not enough to pay a price premium, so I consider them to be close to the same animal... so, whichever I see the better price on is what I'd go with.  On the i5, that was the Ivy Bridge cpu, with the i7, it looks to be the Sandy Bridge one.

Edit to add: The CPU listd above is a "boxed" processor, so it comes with a stock CPU cooler.

If I were building this for myself, or for anyone where computer noise levels are an issue, I'd recommend an all-in-one closed system water cooler (no muss, no fuss... no leaks!):  Corsair H55 - $65

That will keep the system really cool, allowing for an easy overclock.  That above Core i7 should be able to easily get close to 4.2GHz+

Awesome. !  Thank you for this.   

Another way to save yourself a little $.  Talk to the Apple store manager and tell him you have a company and may be purchasing more of these in the future, or find a friend that has a company that does purchase macs.  You will likely get an additional 5% or more off the purchase price.

We sell a lot of Mac's to our customers so I generally get 10% off from the Apple store and have many friends that funnel their purchases through us to get the discount.  It's a casual type program so they generally just say my company name and get the discount.

**edit

Oh, and yes you will almost always get more PC for the buck going the windows route, but then you have to run windows.  <insert snicker>

Nope!

http://www.hackintosh.com/

just shop from the "approved" hardware list and follow the instructions.  You can build your own "mac" just as cheap as any Windows machine and skip paying the silly Apple premium for the logo.

This may be a bit over the top for you, but I do fairly complex math/statistical computations and was able to build the following machine for about $1700. You would also need a high end graphics card, which goes for ~$350. Final build was 4 processors, 32 cores, 64gb memory.

Supermicro H8QGL-IF+ motherboard
4 x Opteron 6128 CPU (8 core each)
2 Tb hard drive
64 Gb ECC memory
256 Gb SSD (swap space)

Running Ubuntu 12.04.

Exactly, but unless you are doing high-end graphics work where precise color replication/calibration is absolutely paramount, there's little justification to spending that much. The great thing is that you could get that IPS screen and STILL be way ahead of the cost of the iMac.

The $200 one, though, I use every day on my home PC and the quality is more than good enough for 99% of anyone that will buy a monitor. Great colors, great contrast, fast refresh even in gaming or watching movies, etc...

@Brian - that machine is sick, in a good way

Thanks, I haven't built a computer in ages, but it is still surprisingly easy. The thing that took the longest was getting it all into the case - none of the mounting nut screw holes fit that motherboard, so it had to be marked, drilled, etc. The CPU coolers are monsters, but at some point I'll replace the 8-core chips with 16-core chips, and they generate a ton of heat when you run them at 100% for hours on end. They look like little reactor cooling towers  

(IMG_1157.JPG)

There he goes, slingin the tech porn around again.  I hope there's no kids lookin at this thread, that was pretty graphic.

I bet you can beat Minecraft Expert on that thing!

'tis a beauty of a system, and gotta love Supermicro server boards.  I used one for the server I built.  Stable and reliable.... just what you want.

For cooling, I don't think that you'd be able to find any stock parts out there to water cool an Opteron, but I wonder if you couldn't set up some kind of peltier air conditioning system where perhaps you drill out the hot side of it and attach it to a small radiator with a 120mm fan or two, then mount it with the cold side inside the case, hot side outside the case.  If nothing else, it'd be a fun project to try.  

Of course, going with a larger case would help, too... and would probably have given you the correct mounting spots for a SWTX form factor board.

Time to go 'deep geek.' Noctua CPU coolers worked perfectly. Didn't want to get involved in water cooling. Stuck the whole thing in a 4U server case and it looks and works great. I had just signed a new client who has some very large data sets, so I needed to get this done quickly and cheaply. Until we figure something else out, we meet and swap 2tb drives.

When I get time to play, I should be able to overclock those chips.