How to choose a computer configuration. How to choose a computer to work in "1C

This article should have been written a long time ago to close the questions of beginners about what to buy "to fly (enter the name of the program)". The downside is that beginners are, first of all, those people who are poorly versed not only in the hardware itself, but also in the way the software works, for example, in the same operating system. This is all a service, bad knowledge in finding the right information. Therefore, in this article I will try to explain in order how to approach the issue of selecting or upgrading components for working with video, be it editing, video design, 3D graphics, etc.

Firstly It is worth remembering and keeping in mind the following resources:

• http://www.overclockers.ru/
• http://www.thg.ru/
• http://www.ixbt.com/

These websites provide synthetic benchmarks for various peripherals, processors, video cards, motherboards, and other components.

Golden rule: if you are in doubt about the choice of a particular device, for example, what to take: an Asus GTX 780 video card or a Gigabyte GTX 780? Feel free to watch the tests! Moreover, it is desirable to compare the results and conclusions of tests for several resources. Based on this, make a choice in favor of a particular device.

Secondly you need to decide on a budget. How much money are you willing to spend on an upgrade or purchase, it is advisable to choose a range from and to. It should be understood that top-end, productive hardware costs more than average, budget models.

The golden rule: if the budget allows, buy top-end hardware or a graphics station right away. And you will be happy.

Third, let's look at the components themselves:

Motherboard

The first thing to decide when choosing a motherboard is its platform and socket. There are exactly two platforms Intel or AMD.If the budget allows, feel free to take Intel. As practice and synthetic tests show, assembling an Intel-based computer will be much more productive than the same AMD (of course, I'm talking about assembling a system with equivalent components). In addition, Intel occupies a large part of the market, while AMD captivates with the cheapness of its components (in particular, processors). Next, select a socket. A socket is a slot for a processor. When choosing a socket, you need to think about such a thing as a subsequent upgrade. If you plan to continue to buy additional components, then it is advisable to choose the last of the available sockets. For example, when choosing an Intel platform, there are two options: take a board on a 1150/1155 socket or take it on a 2011. The latest 2011 socket has a number of advantages - you can install 2 times more RAM (usually such boards support 8 slots instead of 4- x.But the price of the board and other components based on the socket 2011 is much higher.If your budget does not allow you to spend more than 1.5 thousand dollars on an upgrade and you do not want to spend a penny on an additional upgrade in the future, then it is more reasonable to build a system for 1150 /1155 socket At the same time, the AMD platform will save you even more money, plus it will be an easier socket choice, since the choice on this platform is not large AM3 / AM3 + and many motherboards are backwards compatible, that is, am3 processors will work on motherboards with am3 + sockets, since there are no fundamental differences in the design (the size is the same).Also in 2014, a series of fm1 / fm2 sockets will appear, which will replace hereinafter am3. In the future, when choosing a motherboard, it is necessary to take into account its dimensions. Of course, if you are not building a budget system unit, you should take a full-fledged ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) board, and not any mini-micro ATX. They are smaller in size, they are cheap, but they are also much inferior in performance and the availability of additional sockets, and when installing overall components, it will be rather difficult to find normal cooling so that it fits firstly, and secondly, it is conveniently located inside the case without interfering with the rest. gland. The rest of what you should pay attention to is the number of RAM sockets, the availability of modern ports, from sata and usb to pci-e, the cooling of the chipset and the entire motherboard as a whole. Don't forget to back up your choice with tests as well!

CPU.

It is the processor that takes on most of the work, namely video encoding, rendering (unless, of course, it is a GPU - rendering). In fact, the more powerful the processor, the more powerful the system. With the choice of processor, everything is much simpler, if there is money, then you need to take the top. Look at the tests. At the moment, the choice is for the Intel Core i7-3930K. Cooler is only the X series of the same processor and server solutions of Xeon processors, or for example two-processor systems. If there is no money or you want to save money, based on your budget and the choice of platform and socket, choose what will be better according to the tests. Be sure to check your choice! See processor benchmarks.

RAM.

It is also selected based on the processor. There is such a nuance - see the characteristics of the upper frequency threshold that the processor supports. For example, the Intel Core i7-3930K supports memory up to 1600 MHz. this means that faster memory at 2400 MHz will run at 1600 with this processor (without overclocking). The number of memory modules, their number, must be a multiple of the number of RAM channels. For example platforms AM3/AM3+, LGA 1155/1156 are dual-channel. Number of modules - 2 or 4. Platform LGA 1366 three-channel, number of modules - 3 or 6. Platform LGA 2011 - number of channels 4. Number of modules - 4 or 8. It is very important, since the operation of memory in single-channel modes increases the bandwidth of RAM, which has a very good effect on work in heavy graphics programs. Slots that work in multi-channel modes are highlighted in color on the motherboard. If you installed memory modules for a multiple number of channels, or for example, memory modules are different (different manufacturers, different memory sizes, different timings), then this third module in a dual-channel system will work in Flex mode. Flex mode was originally implemented by Intel. Flex mode was later implemented in AMD platforms as well. Therefore, it is desirable that the memory modules are of the same manufacturer. As for the volume, here you need to focus on your budget.

Video card.

Here, too, there are nuances. The video card is important, first of all, to those people who use the full power of the GPU rendering (the rendering is done by the GPU). In After Effects, if you use Raytraced 3D, 3D shapes in a new engine, open gl view, Element 3D plugin, 3D flag from Zavrex, and in addition to AE, you work in 3D packages, and also render with support for graphic rendering, then pay attention to the top solutions. If the budget is limited, then at least your video card should support CUDA technology. At the moment, even the most budget video cards are trying to support this technology. Therefore, if you still have the old good on the AGP bus, you can safely throw it away. The main attention should be paid to the amount and speed of video memory, as well as its bit depth, bus and core frequencies, the number of universal processors, the more the better, the dependence here is direct. And of course, do not forget to check how well or poorly the GPU itself is cooled. A small nuance, nvidia has a series of professional video cards, this is the QUADRO series, which are designed for video professionals. These are top solutions for professionals, although there are budget options among these cards. These budget options are not worth considering, usually an adjacent series for the same price outperforms a budget version of a professional card in terms of performance. Here it is worth looking at the tests.

Hard drive and SSD

Hard disk drives (HDDs) are usually divided into 3 types, by colors. Green (green) is a quiet, silent, cold and very slow drive. If you need to store a huge number of projects, then it is better to take it, the more memory it allows you to store, the better. Black (black) is, on the contrary, a very fast, noisy and hot disk. You should definitely make sure that your case has airflow for hard drives, as this type of hard drive warms up quite a lot, especially when reading / writing from it. The third option is blue (blue) - the middle between the black and green versions. If the budget allows not only to purchase disks, but also to put a cooling system under them, take the black version, large volume. You can also, like me, take an additional green version for the archive.

An SSD solid state drive is a must if you want to build a productive system. At a minimum, such a disk is needed for a system, at least 128GB. Store only installed software there. A noticeable increase in performance is provided.

Power supply and case.

Here it is better not to save and take a powerful one right away. From 850 watts, and preferably from 1 kilowatt, if you are going to upgrade the system in the future. Of course, you should pay attention to good proven companies, rather than take the Chinese Noname! this is very important, because if the power supply turns out to be of poor quality, then other components in the system will also be under the threat of a voltage drop. In terms of the case, it is advisable to pay attention to its size and the internal convenience of the location of such elements as a place for hard drives, a place for a power supply, is it possible to install liquid cooling, is it possible to hide wires under the walls of the case, the presence of coolers in the box and the possibility of installing additional coolers .

Choosing a computer is a difficult and responsible task. Still, at least several tens of thousands of rubles are at stake, and the purchased configuration will spend at least a couple of years on your desk.

Especially for those who are not ready to spend several days studying all the features, pros and cons of computer components, we have prepared this material by collecting configurations for every taste and budget. The suggested builds are current for spring 2018, but if you are going to buy a computer later, then just bookmark this article - we update it regularly after the release of fresh components or price changes.

Briefly about the important

The situation on the iron market is now very interesting, and for buyers it is also profitable. In 2017, AMD performed well with Ryzen processors, pushing Intel in all price segments for the first time in a long time. As a result, the competitor in a hurry had to “roll out” a symmetrical answer in the form of an 8th generation Core on the Coffee Lake architecture with an increased number of cores and threads. The answer from AMD was not long in coming: by the end of April, the company introduced the updated Ryzen. This is not a full-fledged new generation, so you should not expect a sharp jump in performance. Nevertheless, the base frequencies of the new processors have grown, and in overclocking we can expect 4.3-4.4 GHz, which is unattainable for older versions. In addition, the line was replenished with processors with integrated Radeon Vega graphics: Ryzen 3 2200G, Ryzen 5 2400G. The chips are noticeably better than the similar Intel UHD 630 solution, and do a good job with network games like World of Tanks or Overwatch. We are interested in the younger model: on its basis it is quite possible to assemble a starting gaming PC for very little money, which can then be easily expanded with a discrete graphics card.

We will separately touch on the Meltdown and Specter vulnerabilities scandal that broke out at the beginning of 2018, which allow attackers to read memory using the internal functions of processors. As we discussed in , protections against these vulnerabilities really reduce the speed of processors, but this almost does not apply to gaming applications - there the performance drop is a maximum of a few percent. Processors in which the problem will be fixed at the iron level will be released at best in more than a year, so we see no point in postponing the purchase of a gaming computer for such a long time.

There were no major changes in the video card market, but the mining boom significantly raised prices - moreover, they were in short supply for some time in the summer. It comes to paradoxes: the less productive Radeon RX in games are now more expensive than the more successful GeForce. It is because of this that not a single card from AMD was included in the assemblies presented in this material.

There is also sad news: RAM continues to rise in price. Demand is growing very quickly from smartphone manufacturers, which are now equipped with 4-6 gigabytes of RAM, so the lines that produce RAM simply cannot cope.

If we talk about the configurations presented in the text, then we concentrate only on system units - the choice of keyboard, mouse, monitor and other peripherals is up to you. Let's not take into account the cost of assembling a computer: in many stores this service is now free, and if not, then they rarely charge more than a thousand rubles for it. In addition, you can assemble it yourself - the Internet is full of step-by-step instructions.

Gaming computer for 20 with a little thousand rubles

We will build a super-budget computer on the AMD Ryzen 3 2200G processor, which has four cores with a base frequency of 3.5 GHz, as well as integrated Radeon Vega graphics. You won't be able to take a separate video card for such a budget - we postpone its purchase for the near future, but for now we play on the built-in graphics core. We add an inexpensive motherboard based on the B350 ASRock AB350M-HDV chipset. Before buying, be sure to ask to flash a fresh BIOS with support for new processors. We will use a boxed cooler, it adequately copes with cooling (even with a slight overclocking) and does not create noise.

Ryzen requires high frequency memory, so we take 8 gigabytes of DDR4 2400 MHz from Samsung, it can be easily overclocked to 3200 MHz. Please note that in single-channel mode (when there is only one memory bar), the performance is significantly lower, so over time you will have to buy another bar. If the upgrade is not included in your plans, it is better to immediately take two sticks of four gigabytes each, it will be a little more expensive. Please note that there are only two memory slots, and if in the future you still want to install 16 GB, then the old memory will have to be sold.

Next, we buy a budget hard drive per terabyte with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm and a power supply unit with a power of 500 watts. Well, the case is a matter of taste. For this assembly, in order to save money, it is quite possible to look for used options. But if you want something new, then you can pay attention to Aerocool VS-1 for 1600 rubles.

Final configuration:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G BOX (6300 rubles).
• Motherboard: ASRock AB350M-HDV (4000 rubles).
• RAM: Samsung DDR4 2400 MHz 8GB (5200 rubles).
• Drive: Any 1 TB at a price of up to 3000 rubles and c 7200 rpm (Toshiba HDWD110EZSTA, WD10EZEX, Seagate ST1000DM010). In our assembly, we will consider WD10EZEX (2600 rubles).

Total: 22 900 rubles

You should not count on much, but the performance of the integrated graphics core is enough for a comfortable game of World of Tanks, Overwatch and GTA 5 in 1080p at medium-low settings. In heavy games like Rise of the Tomb Raider, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Kingdom Come: Deliverance, you can expect performance in the region of 30fps at 720p and the same mid-low settings. Moreover, with this configuration, you can even drive relatively comfortably in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Over time, we buy a separate graphics card (we recommend GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB) - and we get a pretty decent entry-level gaming computer. Almost as productive as in the next chapter, but in some ways worse.

Gaming computer for 40 thousand rubles

So, in the price category for 40 thousand, we already have two assemblies. Intel finally introduced cheap motherboards for Coffee Lake, so you can safely build an inexpensive system, and eventually put something like an i5-8400. With the AMD version, everything is fine too. SocketAM4 will be around for a few more years, so the build can be upgraded to any of the current Ryzen, and with a 99% probability to the next generation of these processors when it comes out.

For Intel, we take a quad-core Core i3-8100 with a frequency of 3.6 GHz. The boxed cooler is quite simple and not worth the overpayment, so we buy the processor in the OEM package. Let's take the motherboard with a margin for the future: MSI B360M PRO-VDH has 7 power phases, an M2 connector and 4 slots for RAM.

The “reds” will have a Ryzen 5 2400G with four cores and eight threads at a frequency of 3.6 GHz and a boost up to 3.9 GHz. The boxed version can be taken if it is not much more expensive than OEM. This time the budget allows you to take a better motherboard - MSI B350M PRO-VDH will do.

Then we add a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti video card with 4 GB of memory - the best price with good quality is traditionally from Palit. Yes, it is tempting to save money and look towards the GTX 1050 with 2 GB of memory or the Radeon RX560 with 4 GB. This is not worth doing. If you still really want to save money, then it is better to postpone the purchase of a discrete video card. The power of the integrated Radeon Vega graphics (approximately equal to the GeForce GT 1030) is enough to sit out for a while and raise money for a normal video card. Intel has a much weaker graphics chip, you can only play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2 and other undemanding games.

The hard drive, case and power supply are the same as in the previous assembly, but this time we take the memory with two brackets at once, since both boards have four slots, which will allow increasing the volume in the future.

Final configuration:

• Processors: Intel Core i3-8100 OEM (7,400 rubles) or AMD Ryzen 5 2400G (10,200 rubles).
• Cooling: DeepCool IceBlade 100 (600 rubles).
• Motherboards: MSI B360M PRO-VDH (6200 rubles) for Intel or MSI B350M PRO-VDH (4900 rubles) for AMD.
• Video card: Palit GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 1290 MHz with 4 GB of memory (12,000 rubles).
• RAM: Samsung DDR4 2400 MHz two sticks of 4 GB (5500 rubles).
• Drive: Any 1 TB at a price of up to 3000 rubles and c 7200 rpm (Toshiba HDWD110EZSTA, WD10EZEX, Seagate ST1000DM010).
• Power supply: DeepCool DA500 500 watts (2900 rubles).
• Case: Aerocool VS1 Black (1900 rubles).

Total: 39,100 rubles (Intel) and 40,600 rubles (AMD).

With such a budget, you can only count on compromise gaming in Full HD at medium or high graphics settings with a comfortable amount of fps. And the word "comfortable" in this case means a level higher than 30 frames per second. For example, in Assassin's Creed Origins, our video card produces the coveted figure of 60 only at low settings. On Medium and High we get about 45 or 35 frames per second, respectively. In PUBG on medium you can expect a spread of 40 to 55 fps, and in Project Cars 2 - from 40-42 to 80 fps on high. Far Cry 5 will produce a stable 40-50 frames at maximum.

Gaming computer for 65 thousand rubles

A thousand dollars is, by today's standards, the optimal budget for a modern gaming computer. There are not so many compromises here: there is enough money even for an inexpensive SSD to speed up system boot and install a couple of the most relevant games.

In the case of Intel, it is worth taking the new i5-8400 with six full-fledged cores at a frequency of 2.8 GHz. Let's take the OEM version, and take the cooler Deepcool GAMMAXX 300. With the motherboard, everything is a little more complicated - although the younger chipsets have appeared on sale, their prices are still too high. The current budget allows you to pay a couple of thousand extra and take something on the Z370, for example, the relatively inexpensive ASUS PRIME Z370-P (8600 rubles). Of the benefits, you will get memory overclocking and the ability to install a processor with an index of K, which generally increases the life cycle of the system. Of course, for serious overclocking of the i7-8700k with subsequent verification in stress tests, it will not be enough, but it will cope with gaming tasks where the load is lower, as well as with the rest of the processors. However, if all this is not necessary, expect lower prices for lower motherboards.

In the case of AMD, the Ryzen 5 2600 seems to be the most logical choice. There are also six cores, but twelve threads. The base frequency is only 3.4 GHz, and in the boost it is 3.9 GHz. We take the board from inexpensive ones - for example, ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS for 5600 rubles, it will be enough even for moderate overclocking. We take the OEM version, since the new Ryzen 5 2600 comes with a simple Wraith Stealth cooler, instead of the more advanced Wraith Spire that came with the 1600 model.

We turn to the video card, and there is not much choice here either. GTX 1070 will not be enough money, so buying a GTX 1060 with 6 GB of memory seems like the most rational choice. It is most logical to stop at the most economical dual-fan option - Palit GTX 1060 Dual, which can be bought for about 20,000 rubles.

A significant part of the budget will be eaten by RAM. By today's standards, 8 GB of RAM is not enough even for an operating system, so we focus on two DDR4 sticks, which will give us a total of 16 GB. Both assemblies allow you to install high-frequency memory, this is especially important for AMD, so we take Corsair DDR4 3000 MHz. In order to save money, you can take cheaper memory for overclocking. Intel has no problems in this regard at all, in most cases the frequency of 2666 MHz will be enough, and if you need to squeeze the maximum fps out of the processor, then take the memory faster.

In addition to an inexpensive 1 TB HDD, we add a budget SSD with 128 GB of memory. A heavy-duty power supply is still not required - a decent 600-watt unit will suffice. We take the case a little more expensive: up to 2500 rubles. Our choice is the Aerocool Aero-500, but there are plenty of alternatives.

Final configuration:

• Processors: Intel Core i5-8400 OEM (11,800 rubles) or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 OEM (14,100 rubles).
• Cooling: Deepcool GAMMAXX 300 (1100 rubles).
• Motherboards: ASUS PRIME Z370-P for Intel (8600 rubles) or ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS for AMD (5900 rubles).
• Video card: Palit GeForce GTX 1060 1560 MHz Dual with 6 GB of memory (20,400 rubles).
• RAM: Corsair DDR4 3000 MHz - a set of two 8 GB sticks for AMD (13,500 rubles).
• Drives: Any 1 TB at a price of up to 3000 rubles c 7200 rpm and SSD WD Green 120 GB (3000 rubles).
• Power supply: Chieftek GPE-600S 600 W (2800 rubles).
• Case: AeroCool Aero-500 (2100 rubles).

Total: 65,900 (Intel) and 65,500 (AMD).

But what awaits us in games? You should still focus on Full HD, but already mainly with maximum graphics settings. In Overwatch there will be 100-120 fps, in Battlefield 1 - about 80, in GTA 5 - 80, in Watch Dogs 2 - 50-60, in PUBG - about 60, in Far Cry 5 - 60.

Gaming computer for 90-95 thousand rubles

Do you want to comfortably play in Full HD at maximum settings, at medium and high - in all other resolutions up to 4K? Then you need to mentally prepare to spend under 100 thousand for an assembly with AMD or Intel. However, it's worth it.

In the case of Intel, the list opens with the excellent Intel Core i5-8600K processor. In Coffee Lake, the company has finally expanded the architecture so that the processor now has 6 cores at a base frequency of 3.6 GHz. In Turbo Boost mode, the frequency reaches 4.3 GHz, and this “stone” accelerates up to 5 GHz! However, we recommend limiting yourself to moderate 4.2-4.5 GHz - they will be enough for all gaming tasks, and the processor will not heat up so much and consume less electricity. For such tasks, one of the most budget motherboards with the Z370 chipset and a cooler like the Deepcool Gammaxx 400 will suffice.

It would be logical for AMD to stop at a similarly priced Ryzen 5 2600X, but we will not recommend it. All Ryzen processors have an unlocked multiplier, so it makes no sense to buy versions with higher frequencies. With the exception of top models in expensive assemblies, when you don’t need to save. The usual Ryzen 5 2600 overclocking will be no worse than its older brother, only cheaper. Let's dwell on the Ryzen 7 2700. It is worth noting that in games the Ryzen 7 2700 does not have a significant advantage over the six-core Ryzen, so the assembly can only be recommended to those who not only play, but also stream, render video or work in professional applications.

Let's move on to the video card. The GTX 1070 just asks for this configuration, and even better - its more powerful modification 1070Ti. For now, we will focus on the GTX 1070Ti from Palit - you can now find it for about 35 thousand rubles. Take the JetStream version, it costs a little more, but the cooling is better than on the basic modification.

Due to the high price of RAM, you still have to limit yourself to the optimal 16 GB for games in the form of two 8 GB sticks. For Ryzen, its high frequency is important (3200 MHz is good), but in the Intel assembly, you can save money and take more budget options from 2666 MHz.

The designated budget allows you to get a more capacious SSD than in the previous assembly: buy 240-256 GB instead of 120-128. We again take the power supply for 600 W, but more expensive - Cooler Master B600 v2. The case is again up to your taste, but you can take one of the best solutions at a price of up to 3500 rubles - Deepcool Kendomen.

Final configuration:

• Processors: Intel Core i5-8600K OEM (16,500 rubles) or AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (22,000 rubles).
• Cooling: Deepcool Gammaxx 400 (1500 rubles).
• Motherboards: MSI Z370 Gaming Plus for Intel (8800 rubles) or ASUS PRIME X370-PRO (9700 rubles).
• Video card: Palit GeForce GTX 1070Ti with 8 GB of memory (36,000 rubles).
• Power supply: Cooler Master B600 v.2 600 W (3400 rubles).
• Case: Deepcool Kendomen (3000 rubles).

Total: 90,300 rubles (Intel) and 96,700 rubles (AMD).

With such assemblies, almost all modern games will give out much more than 60 fps in Full HD resolution at maximum settings. In the case of a resolution of 2560x1440, you will get from 35-40 to 60-80 fps with rare dips up to 25-27 fps on ultra quality in the most demanding projects.

Gaming computer for 120-130 thousand rubles

Despite the fact that a little later in the text the ideal dream computer will be considered, it is 120-130 thousand, in our opinion, the maximum amount that is reasonable to spend on a gaming computer. For this money, you will get a top-end assembly that will easily cope with graphics, video editing, and games at almost maximum resolution. You can do it a little faster and much more expensive, but if you wait a couple of years, then by upgrading the same system, for a smaller amount you will get a much better option.

In the assembly based on the Intel processor, we will take the company's new flagship - the 6-core Core i7-8700K with a base clock speed of 3.7 GHz. It makes sense to overclock such a processor to 4.5 GHz and even more, so we take a good cooling system - for example, a water Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240. And, of course, we buy an expensive motherboard based on the Z370 chipset.

In the case of the AMD processor, we will focus on the Ryzen 7 2700X, a good Noctua cooler, and an X370-based board. In the latter, you can later add a second graphics accelerator, since it has support for CrossFire and SLI.

You will have to save on RAM. I would like to put 32 GB here, but for games this is still an excess volume, and the price of such a kit is very high. Therefore, we will take only 16 GB, and we will better invest the rest of the money in a video card.

There is not enough money for expensive options, so let's take the Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti JetStream, which can be found on sale at a price of 56-60 thousand rubles.

The story with data storage is exactly the same as in the previous build: a terabyte hard drive plus an SSD with 240-256 GB of memory. As an option, you can consider buying a 480-512 GB SSD.

Given the prospect of upgrading to SLI, it is logical to take a more powerful power supply. If you want to save money, you can buy Aerocool Higgs 850W. He has no certificates, but he is almost as good as more expensive analogues with them, and the declared characteristics do not differ from reality - the author personally checked it on a bunch of GTX1070 and i7-7700K.

The choice of the case is again yours, the approximate budget is 4000 rubles. Considering the same upcoming SLI and the large size of three-fan cards, it is logical to take a spacious "box". Among them, for example, Zalman Z11 Plus.

Final configuration:

• Processors: Intel Core i7-8700K (23,000 rubles) or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (23,000 rubles).
• Cooling: Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 for Intel (5000 rubles) or Noctua NH-L9X65 SE-AM4 for AMD (3500 rubles).
• Motherboards: Asus Prime Z370-A for Intel (11,000 rubles) or Asus Prime X370-Pro for AMD (9,700 rubles).
• Video card: Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti JetStream with 11 GB of memory (56,000 rubles).
• RAM: Patriot Viper DDR 4 3400 MHz - two sticks of 8 GB each (13,900 rubles).
• Drives: Any 1 TB at a price of up to 3000 rubles with 7200 rpm and SanDisk 240 GB SSD (4600 rubles).
• Power supply: Aerocool Higgs 850W (5600 rubles).
• Case: Zalman Z11 Plus (4300 rubles).

Total: 126,000 rubles (Intel) and 123,200 rubles (AMD).

It makes no sense to give detailed data on fps here. You can simply rely on the fact that the GTX 1080Ti is about 20-30% more powerful than the GTX 1080. Even without overclocking the performance of such a card in conjunction with an excellent processor, it will be enough for comfortable gaming in absolutely anything at ultra settings in resolutions up to 2560x1440. But with 4K, everything is already more complicated. In especially heavy games, you will have to lower the graphics settings and be content with performance in the region of 30-40 frames per second. Less demanding projects will have around 60 frames.

Dream computer for 4K

Friends! The information in this section is very outdated, so for those who are ready to shell out more than 200 thousand rubles for a dream gaming computer, we have prepared.

We figured out the assemblies for mere mortals who count money, and now we are flying into space - to beautiful 4K with stable 60 fps. At the same time, we will not advise you on expensive multi-core processors like the Intel Core i9-7900X or AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X. In games, they are of no use, and the two cherished GTX 1080 Ti in SLI mode will easily shake the "regular" i7-8700K. We do not skimp on the motherboard: the chipsets are the same, but the solutions are already more expensive and more reliable. To cool the chips, let's take the "dropsy" again - Deepcool Captain 240EX. And for 64 GB of RAM with a good frequency, you will have to lay out - a terrible thing! -62 000 rubles.

Video cards - two GTX 1080 Ti in SLI mode. In fact, even one such card is your ticket to 4K and VR. But we do not save money, so we take a complete set.

A separate interesting item of the program is the Samsung V6P1T0BW terabyte SSD drive with an M.2 PCI-E NVMe interface. Yes, 34,000 rubles, but this is the fastest mass-produced SSD in the world! If the budget is not limited, then why not treat yourself a little?

Let's take a 1000-watt Cooler Master V1000 as a power supply. It is quiet, with excellent efficiency, modular design and good stabilization. Well, on the body, finally, you can not skimp at all. Personally, I would take Cooler Master HAF X, but for 10-15 thousand rubles you may prefer something else.

Final configuration:

• Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K (23,000 rubles)
• CPU cooling: DeepCool Captain 240EX (5500 rubles).
• Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix Z370-E Gaming for Intel (15,000 rubles)
• Video cards: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti - two pieces (140,000 rubles).
• RAM: Corsair DDR4 3200 MHz - four bars of 16 GB (62,000 rubles).
• Drive: M.2 SSD Samsung V6P1T0BW 1 TB (34,000 rubles).
• Power supply: Cooler Master V1000 1000 W (13,500 rubles).
• Case: Cooler Master HAF X (13,000 rubles).

Total: 306,000 rubles.

The values ​​of the frame rate per second cannot but rejoice. Judge for yourself. In Far Cry: Primal it is more than 100 fps, and For Honor - 80 fps, in Tom Clancy's The Division - about 90 fps, in The Witcher 3 - about 80 fps, in Deus Ex Mankind Divided - around 60 fps, in GTA 5 - 85 fps. In a word, in some projects you will see less than 60 frames per second on the counter. And if you suddenly see it, it's not because of the hardware, but because of poor optimization for the SLI mode. Alas, this is still a very common problem.

An interesting observation: if a year ago, when choosing computer configurations, due to the limitations of hardware, 4K is not always possible to achieve even in a super-expensive computer. Now the situation has changed - top-end resolution is quite available on a top-end computer. However, we would not recommend paying 300 thousand for this: the text lists more adequate assemblies, which in a couple of years can be upgraded to a 4K system for reasonable money.

It would seem that this is difficult! - went to the store and bought a computer or laptop.

However, later, it turns out that your friend's computer is no worse than yours, but costs one and a half 2 times cheaper!

It is easy to understand your disappointment, especially if you have been saving up for your "brainchild" for several years.

So that you do not get into such a situation, we will give some tips on how to choose a computer that fully meets your requirements, while not overpaying.

The price of the most modern computers, today, “passes over 60 thousand rubles.

If you are extremely rich - buy on your health, but if your finances are not very good - we will tell you one secret. It is not advisable to buy an expensive computer, since the average user does not use even half of all its capabilities.

There is no point in buying a computer "for growth" - in a few years, it will become several times cheaper. Buying the worst thing that is in the store is also not an option, since in six months it will constantly “freeze”, programs, every month, require more and more resources. Let's go straight to the selection.

1. What to prefer a laptop or a system unit? A laptop with the same configuration is 20-40% more expensive. If you spend most of your time in your apartment, then it is better to give preference to the system unit and monitor, and if you are a fidget - a laptop is the only right option.

2. Where to buy? In a store you overpay more than 20%, and in a computer company you pay for components and a small amount for assembly.

3. Which line to choose? There are 2 manufacturers of processors - AMD and Intel. AMD is up to 30% cheaper, but they heat up faster and have a shorter lifespan. Here it is better not to save money, but to purchase a PC with an Intel processor.

4. Chipset. You should not choose a motherboard with the latest chipset model, for example - for Intel, the I7 is still slightly overpriced, it is better to opt for the I5. Unless you create the most complex games and do not do video editing.

5. Video card. When choosing a video card, follow the principle of its maximum compatibility with the processor: AMD - ATI; Intel - invidia.

6. How many cores? Today, a 4-core processor is more than enough, unless you want to use your computer as a server.

7. Processor capacity. Choose 64-bit, it processes more data at one time.

8. For the intended purpose. For complex calculations, a high processor frequency is important; for modern games - a good video card.

9. RAM. Do not be stingy - it is usually never enough.

5 honest online earning services

The outgoing year turned out to be extremely rich in new solutions. Throughout the year, the list of new models of processors and chipsets and types of RAM was constantly updated, which, in turn, prompted motherboard manufacturers to regularly update their lineups. The situation was changing so rapidly that a new computer model, which at the time of its appearance could be safely classified as High-End, after two or three months already dropped to the Main Stream category, and computer models that were considered the most high-performance at the beginning of the year, by the end years have moved into the category of Low-End, or cheap budget solutions.

Remember those times when the i815 chipset was considered the people's favorite? Then it was possible to single out one or two motherboards that were really hits, for example, ASUS CUSL2 on the i815 chipset or ASUS P3B-F on the even older Intel 440BX chipset. But now many motherboard manufacturers offer solutions that are approximately the same in terms of performance and functionality, which, moreover, become obsolete at an astonishing rate.

However, let's not forget that the computer is not limited to processors and motherboards: the video card market was developing at no less speed, and manufacturers of hard drives also pleased us. So the user is given a choice of the widest range of a wide variety of computer models - depending on their purpose and price. But before describing specific configurations, let's briefly dwell on the main components of a PC. Let's start, of course, with the most important thing, that is, with the processor.

CPU

The choice of modern processors is very wide - these are the Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron, as well as the AMD AthlonXP line. Please note that we did not mention the Intel Pentium III processor, since this year can be called the year of the final approval and recognition of the Intel Pentium 4 processor with full confidence. Therefore, the existence of processors of lower models should be safely forgotten. In addition, the prices for Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron processors are now such that they can be used even in low-budget workstations.

As you know, the range of Intel Pentium 4 processors is very wide, so when buying a new computer, you should pay attention not only to the processor clock speed. This, of course, is very important (who would argue!), but the processors differ from each other in the frequency of the processor bus, and in the production technology, and in the processor core, and in the size of the L2 cache, and in the installation slot. Let's start with the last one: there are Socket 478 and Socket 423 sockets for the Intel Pentium 4 processor, and the latter is already considered obsolete, although it was still actively used at the beginning of this year. This leads to the conclusion that it is not advisable to buy a processor with such a connector. The situation is simpler with AMD AthlonXP processors - they are installed in Socket A or Socket 462 (which is the same thing).

Regarding the processor core and production technology, the situation is as follows: there are Intel Pentium 4 processors based on the Willamette core, manufactured using 0.18-micron technology, and based on the Northwood core, manufactured using 0.13-micron technology. The difference between these processors lies not only in the size of structural elements (which, in general, does not affect the performance of the processor itself), but also in the fact that processors based on the Northwood core have a twice as large L2 cache, that is 512 KB instead of 256 KB, as in processors based on the Willamette core. And another advantage of processors made according to the 0.13-micron technological process is good overclocking capabilities.

Now a few words about the processor bus, which for Intel Pentium 4 processors is either 400 or 533 MHz. The width of these buses is the same, and they differ in maximum bandwidth: for a 533 MHz bus - 4.2 GB / s, and for a 400 MHz bus - 3.2 GB / s.

And in conclusion - the last remark about the Intel Pentium 4 processors. In late autumn (November 14), Intel announced a new Intel Pentium 4 processor with a clock speed of 3.06 GHz that supports Hyper-Threading technology. Without going into details, we note that the use of this technology allows an average increase in processor performance by 30% without increasing the clock frequency.

We should also mention the new generation of Intel Celeron processors, which are similar in microarchitecture to Intel Pentium 4, but differ in the size of the second-level cache - 128 KB. In addition, all Intel Celeron processors are designed for a 400 MHz bus. These processors are made in both 0.18- and 0.13-micron technology.

Do not forget about AMD AthlonXP processors - their latest models, such as AthlonXP 2800+ (the last figure is not the processor frequency), successfully cope with the same tasks as Intel Pentium 4. If you choose between processors of equal performance, then the Athlon processor will cost a little less.

Motherboard

Choosing a motherboard for a future computer is no less important than choosing a processor. The motherboard determines the type of processor installed, the type and amount of RAM, and the number of peripherals that can be connected to the computer. In addition, the motherboard has a direct impact on the overall performance of the computer.

Approximately 90% of the features of the motherboard depend on the chipset (chipset) installed on it, that is, the basic chipset that determines the architecture for the interaction of all the main computer subsystems. The chipset determines the type of memory supported by the board, the type of processor bus, and the presence of integrated devices (graphics controller, USB ports, network adapter, etc.). In fact, all the functionality of the motherboard is determined by the chipset installed on it. The choice of chipsets today is very diverse - these are products from AMD, Intel, VIA, SiS, Intel, nVIDIA and ATi. The chipset consists of two microcircuits called the northbridge and southbridge.

The northbridge is easy to recognize on the motherboard: it is always covered by a heatsink (perhaps even with a fan) and is located in close proximity to the processor. The fact is that the north bridge is much “faster” than the south bridge, as a result of which it heats up more. The northbridge is responsible for interacting with the main memory (memory bus), with the central processor (system bus), with the graphics subsystem (AGP bus) and with the southbridge.

Unlike the high-speed northbridge, which is connected to fast components, the southbridge is connected to rather slow components, as well as to slow peripherals (hard disk, USB interface, etc.).

Of course, it would take a whole book to fully describe all modern chipsets, so we will only briefly dwell on the most popular and well-proven chipsets released this year. In this case, we will only talk about chipsets for Intel Pentium 4 and Intel Celeron processors, which, in our opinion (possibly subjective), may well claim the title of "Processor of the Year".

Intel 850E

The first chipset I would like to dwell on is the Intel 850E, designed for building high-performance workstations. This chipset replaced the Intel 850 chipset and, unlike its predecessor, supports the 533 MHz system bus. In addition, the new chipset uses the Intel 82801DB I/O Controller Hub (ICH4), which supports six USB 2.0 ports. The memory controller (northbridge) of the chipset allows you to work with dual-channel Direct RDRAM memory of PC600, PC800 and PC1066 specifications. The bandwidth of the 16-bit memory bus (two channels) when working with PC1066 modules is 4.2 GB/s, which is fully consistent with the bandwidth of the system bus when operating at the FSB frequency of 533 MHz. The maximum supported memory is 2 GB. A graphics port controller that complies with the AGP 2.0 specification allows you to support a 1.5-volt AGP 4x slot.

The new version of the ICH4 I/O controller hub supports six PCI slots (32bit/33MHz), dual-stage DMA controller, integrated 10/100Base-TX Ethernet controller, dual-channel IDE ATA100 controller. In addition, as already noted, three USB controllers (six USB 2.0 ports), an AC’97 digital controller (six channels, 20-bit AC-link interface) are supported. Provided support for power management protocol ACPI 2.0, support for LPC (Low Pin Count) interface and SMBus (System Management Bus) specification SMBus 2.0. The interaction between the north and south bridges of the chipset is carried out according to the "point-to-point" (peer-to-peer) scheme via a special Hub Link bus with a bandwidth of 266 MB / s.

Intel 845E

The Intel 845E system logic set, which replaced the Intel 845 chipset, includes two chips - an Intel 82845E memory controller hub (Memory Controller Hub (MCH)) and an Intel 82801DB I / O Controller Hub (ICH4) ).

The main difference between the new chipset and its predecessor is that the system bus is now supported not only at 400, but also at 533 MHz. All other characteristics remained the same. The memory controller allows you to work with DDR SDRAM memory specifications PC1600 or PC2100; at the same time, the bandwidth of the 64-bit memory bus when working with PC2100 modules is 2.1 GB/s. The maximum supported memory is 2 GB. A graphics port controller that complies with the AGP 2.0 specification allows you to support a 1.5-volt AGP 4x slot.

Intel 845G

The main difference of this chipset is the integrated graphics controller in the Intel 82845G northbridge.

The graphics and memory controller hub of this chip provides the ability to "communicate" with the processor at a frequency of 400 or 533 MHz. The memory bus controller supports DDR SDRAM modules of PC1600, PC2100 specifications, as well as SDR SDRAM modules of PC133 specification; at the same time, there is an undocumented ability to work with PC2700 memory, which is widely used by motherboard manufacturers. The maximum supported RAM is 2 GB. The graphics port controller complies with the AGP 2.0 specification and supports the 1.5V AGP 4x slot. The integrated graphics core, running at 200 MHz, provides a maximum resolution of 1600X1200 at 32-bit color and 60Hz vertical scan and 1280X1024 at 32-bit color and 85Hz vertical frequency. System memory is used as video memory, and along with other devices, GMCH provides direct access to memory, where an 8 MB frame buffer is allocated for the needs of the graphics subsystem. In addition to the analog VGA interface, the integrated video controller supports two DVO (Digital Video Output) ports, which are multiplexed with the AGP interface. The same ICH4 is used as the I/O hub.

Intel 845PE, Intel 845PG and Intel 845GV

These chipsets are Intel's latest developments in the field of system logic for desktop PCs. Their main difference from those already reviewed is that the memory controller here officially supports working with DDR SDRAM PC2700 (DDR333) memory.

All three chipsets support a 533MHz system bus and use the ICH4 chip as an I/O hub. The Intel 845PE chipset can be considered an improved version of the Intel 845E chipset: both chipsets are designed to use an external AGP 4x video card. The Intel 845PG chipset is an improved version of the Intel 845G chipset and, like its predecessor, in addition to supporting the AGP 4x slot, it has an integrated video controller. The Intel 845GV chipset differs from the Intel 845PG chipset only in that it does not support the AGP 4x bus, that is, there is no possibility of installing an external video card. Therefore, this chipset is positioned as a solution for office workstations, where the requirements for the graphics subsystem are not too high.

VIA Apollo P4X266A

The VIA Apollo P4X266A chipset consists of north (VT8753A) and south (VT8233A) bridges.

The north bridge interacts with the processor via 400 and 533 MHz buses. The northbridge memory controller supports up to 4 GB of DDR SDRAM of PC1600 or PC2100 specifications. The graphics port controller complies with the AGP 2.0 specification and supports the 1.5V AGP 4x slot.

The southbridge of the chipset has a dual-channel ATA133 IDE controller, two USB hubs supporting four USB 1.1 ports, an integrated six-channel AC'97 digital controller, and a 10/100Base-T Ethernet network controller that requires an external physical layer (PHY) implementation. The VT8233A supports up to five PCI slots. The VIA Apollo P4X266 chipset uses the V-Link Hub architecture, which uses the high-speed V-Link bus to link the north and south bridges, providing a peak throughput of 266 MB/s.

VIA Apollo P4X400

This system logic set is the latest development by VIA specialists in the field of chipsets designed to work with processors of the Intel Pentium 4 family. The VT8754 chip is used as the north bridge chip, and the VT8235 chip acts as the south bridge.

The northbridge system bus controller supports both 400 and 533 MHz system bus operation. The memory controller allows you to work with DDR SDRAM memory specifications PC1600, PC2100 and PC2700; while supporting the operation of the memory bus at a frequency of 400 MHz, which makes it possible to use modules of the yet unrecognized and uncertified PC3200 (DDR400) memory. The maximum supported memory is 32 GB. An AGP 3.0 compliant graphics port controller supports a 1.5V AGP 8x slot, increasing port throughput to 2.1 GB/s compared to just over 1 GB/s for AGP 4x.

The south bridge of the chipset has a dual-channel IDE ATA133 controller, up to five PCI slots, three USB hubs supporting six USB 2.0 ports, an integrated AC'97 six-channel digital controller, and a VIA 10/100Base-T Ethernet network controller that requires an external implementation of the physical layer (PHY).

The architecture of the V-Link Hub, in accordance with which this chipset is built, involves the use of a high-speed bus. The VIA Apollo P4X400 chipset uses an 8x V-Link bus to connect the north and south bridges, providing a peak throughput of 533 MB/s.

SiS 645DX

The SiS 645DX system logic chipset includes two chips - the SiS 645DX northbridge and the SiS 961B southbridge.

The SiS 645DX northbridge provides system bus operation at 400 or 533 MHz. The memory controller supports PC1600, PC2100 and PC2700 DDR SDRAM memory up to 3 GB, and the graphics port controller allows the use of graphics cards with AGP 4x interface. To ensure high-speed exchange, the chipset uses a transaction coordinator that implements a prefetch mechanism when reading from the main memory.

The SiS 961B south bridge provides a standard set of features: a dual-channel IDE ATA133 controller, support for six PCI slots (PCI 2.2), a six-channel AC'97 digital controller, two USB controllers (supporting six USB 1.1 ports), a 10/100Base network controller -TX.

The bridges communicate over a high-speed bidirectional 16-bit MuTIOL bus (4X66 MHz) providing a throughput of 533 MB/s.

SiS 648

This SiS 648 system logic set consists of a north bridge chip (SiS 648) and a south bridge chip (SiS 963).

This chipset has undergone significant changes compared to its predecessor - the SiS 645DX chipset. So, now the graphics port controller integrated on the northbridge chip is made in accordance with the requirements of the AGP 3.0 specification and supports the operation of AGP 8x graphics cards. The memory controller of the new northbridge allows the memory bus to operate at a frequency of 200 MHz, which makes it possible to use DDR SDRAM memory modules that do not yet exist in the PC3200 (DDR400) specification. Besides, the southbridge of the chipset has also been improved: its new modification - the SiS 963 chip - now supports six USB 2.0 ports and also has an integrated IEEE-1394 controller (three FireWare ports), although it requires a physical layer.

In addition to all the above improvements, the SiS 648 chipset uses a new modification of the high-speed bidirectional 16-bit MuTIOL bus (8X66 MHz), which now provides a throughput of more than 1 GB/s.

Of course, the chipsets we have reviewed are far from exhausting their complete list, but these models seem to us the most common and promising.

And now we can proceed to the description of the PC graphics subsystem.

3D graphics card

There can be two options in this case: either a graphics subsystem integrated in the chipset, or a video card installed in the AGP slot.

Solutions built on an integrated video card are more of a budget class. There is no need to talk about full-featured support for 3D graphics in this case, that is, support for many 3D technologies is carried out not at the hardware level, but at the software level. At the same time, this solution is quite low cost and meets the needs of many office applications. Full-featured solutions are more expensive, but meet the needs of today's multimedia applications and games.

The video card market was dominated by nVIDIA for almost the entire year, and only at the end of the year did ATi video cards (Radeon 8500, Radeon 9000 and Radeon 9700) appear, which could be considered as real competitors for GeForce4. So let's start with nVIDIA products.

This year we have seen the introduction of models such as the GeForce4 Ti series and the MX series. The Ti series GeForce4 models are based on the fully functional NV25 chip, while the MX series models are based on the NV17 chip. Two GeForce4 models, Ti 4400 and Ti 4600, are based on the NV25 chip, differing only in the clock frequency of the video processor and memory. The frequency of the graphics core and memory for cards based on the GeForce4 Ti 4400 is 275 and 550 MHz, and for models based on the GeForce 4 Ti 4600 - 300 and 650 MHz, respectively. Production samples of the GeForce4 are equipped with 128 MB of memory.

The NV17 chip laid the foundation for three models. Two older GeForce4 MX models, namely the GeForce4 MX460 and GeForce4 MX440, are designed to work with DDR memory and also differ only in operating frequencies. The younger model, the GeForce4 MX420, is a low-end solution based on SDRAM memory.

It should be emphasized that the number "4" in the name of the GeForce4 MX mainly hides an increase in the clock frequency, although an inexperienced user may get the impression that this is an "economy" version on the core of the GeForce4 chip. In fact, with the exception of some features, the GeForce4 MX is rather an overclocked version of the GeForce2 MX.

Disk subsystem

One of the most important components of any PC is the disk subsystem, and in its simplest form, a single hard drive with an IDE interface. To build more high-performance solutions, it is not uncommon to use several hard drives that are combined into a RAID array using a RAID controller.

In the consumer PC, the need to install more than two hard drives is quite rare, so it is quite enough to use dual-channel RAID controllers, which are increasingly being integrated into motherboards. Integrated RAID controllers support the creation of disk arrays of zero and first levels. Level 0 allows you to increase the speed of the disk subsystem, and the first level, also called mirroring, allows you to write data to two disks at once, which ensures data storage reliability, although such a reliable disk will cost twice as much.

If we talk about the drives themselves, then over the past year the market for IDE hard drives has undergone serious changes, which are primarily related to the fact that such companies as Fujitsu and Quantum left the market for IDE hard drives. Therefore, there are not so many players left - these are IBM, Maxtor (which absorbed the Quantum line of hard drives), Seagate, Samsung and, of course, Western Digital. Another development is the adoption of the ATA133 interface, as well as SerialATA, which has high hopes.

Naturally, such characteristics of hard drives as recording density and maximum sequential read speed have also increased. So, when switching to plates with a recording capacity of 40 GB, the maximum hard disk capacity was 120 GB. Perhaps the only thing that has remained unchanged in drives with an IDE interface is the maximum rotation speed of 7200 rpm.

Ideal PC

In this case, we are talking about the most high-performance and, accordingly, the most expensive solution. The approximate price of such a PC is about $2,000. Such a PC should be built on the latest Intel Pentium 4 processor with a clock speed of 3.06 GHz with support for Hyper-Threading Technology. The motherboard for this computer must support a 533 MHz processor bus and the most productive RDRAM PC1066 memory to date. The only chipset that satisfies these requirements is the Intel 850E. Examples of such boards are Gigabyte GA-8IHXP and ASUS P4T533.

The amount of RDRAM PC1066 for an ideal PC should, in our opinion, be 1 GB.

Naturally, the video subsystem for an ideal PC should be built on the basis of the highest-performance video card, and there is no choice here - this is the GeForce4 Ti4600, and the manufacturer of the card itself does not play a special role.

With regard to the organization of a high-performance disk subsystem for an ideal PC, the following recommendations can be made. First of all, the disk array must be built on the basis of a RAID controller consisting of at least two disks. In this case, it is quite enough to use the RAID controller integrated on the motherboard (by the way, it is present on the Gigabyte GA-8IHXP board). For an ideal PC, one more additional hard drive will not hurt, which will be convenient to use as an additional drive for duplicating important information. This drive is best installed in Rack Mobil, making it easy to transfer information from one computer to another. As for the disks themselves, we can recommend IBM Deskstar 120GXP disks with a capacity of 100 or 120 GB or Western Digital Caviar WD1200JB disks with a capacity of 120 GB.

Of course, these components are clearly not enough for an ideal PC. It is desirable to replace the CD drive with a DVD drive, but the CD-R/RW burner (it is assumed that the ideal PC should have a CD burner) is better used as a separate device. As for the manufacturer of CD / DVD and CDRW drives, we would advise using Plextor devices.

It is clear that the ideal PC will require a high-quality sound card. An integrated sound controller is clearly indispensable here, so to get really high-quality sound, you will have to use an expensive Sound Blaster Audigy card.

Well, the last remark about the configuration of our ideal PC is the case of the system unit, which should not only accommodate three hard drives and two CD drives, but also have a sufficiently powerful power source and carry out proper heat dissipation. For the case, it is not so much the external stylish design that is important, but the ability to install at least two fans, one of which (suction air) is installed on the front wall of the case, and the second (exhaust air) - on the back wall. The power supply should be 350W (subject to further scalability).

High-End High-End Multimedia PC

This high-performance multimedia solution can be successfully used as a gaming computer, a multimedia entertainment center, as well as a computer designed for resource-intensive applications. The approximate cost of such a PC is about 1-1.5 thousand dollars. Such a computer can be built on an Intel Pentium 4 processor with a clock speed of 2.4, 2.53 or 2.8 GHz with support for a 533 MHz processor bus or on an AMD processor AthlonXP 2100+ or ​​higher. The motherboard for such a computer must support a 533 MHz processor bus (if an Intel processor is used) and DDR266 (PC2100) or DDR333 (PC2700) SDRAM memory. The choice of chipsets here is quite large - for Intel processors, these will be Intel 845E, Intel 845PE, VIA Apollo P4X400 and SiS 648. The amount of memory for this high-performance computer should be from 512 MB to 1 GB.

The PC video subsystem allows for variations - GeForce4 Ti 4600 or Ti 4400, and ATi RADEON 9700 or even ATI RADEON 9000.

The disk subsystem of a high-performance PC should be based on a zero-level RAID array. Naturally, it is better to use an integrated dual-channel RAID controller, and two hard drives will be quite enough in this case.

Given that such a PC must be multimedia, it must be equipped with a device for reading not only CDs, but also DVDs. It is also desirable to use a CDRW drive.

A multimedia computer will also need a good sound card that provides 5.1 sound output. Therefore, the computer must be equipped with a sound card such as Sound Blaster Audigy or SB Live Player 5.1

With regard to the case, the requirements are the same as in the previous case. Be sure to install two additional fans for normal heat dissipation. The power supply for such a PC must be at least 300 watts.

Midrange PC

At the beginning of this year, such a PC was considered the most-most, that is, the most high-performance PC of the High-End class, but time passes and now this configuration is already in the middle level. However, this does not mean at all that such a computer is no longer able to cope with modern applications or games - such a sufficiently high-performance PC can be successfully used to solve various office tasks or as a gaming PC. Its cost ranges from $500 to $1,000.

A mid-range computer can be built on the basis of an Intel Pentium 4 processor with clock speeds from 1.6 to 2.6 GHz. The processor core in this case can be either Northwood or Willamette, but the processor bus frequency here is already somewhat lower than in the previous case, that is, 400 MHz.

Supported memory type must be SDRAM DDR266 (PC2100) and the amount must be between 256MB and 512MB. Accordingly, chipsets that meet the above requirements are Intel 845, VIA Apollo P4X266A or SiS 645DX.

A mid-range PC video card allows for various variations: either ATi RADEON 9000 or 8500 or GeForce3 Ti200 or GeForce 4 MX460/440/420.

The disk subsystem of such a PC can be built on just one hard disk without using a RAID controller. The capacity of the disk is selected depending on the purpose of the PC and ranges from 40 to 80 GB.

Naturally, any modern PC, regardless of its purpose, must have a CD drive. The presence of a DVD drive in this case is not necessary, since such a PC is not a multimedia center. The CDRW drive can be installed instead of the CD drive, depending on the purpose of the computer.

The sound card for this PC may well be integrated, since this solution is able to provide acceptable sound quality for games or for listening to audio discs.

Regarding the PC case, we can say the same thing as about the previous configurations. The only difference is that more than one fan is not required here, and the number of 5.25-inch bays can be limited to two or three. The power supply of such a PC should be 300 W (taking into account the possibility of further growth).

Budget PC class Low-End

A low-end budget PC is intended mainly for office work, and therefore, in this case, there are minimal requirements for the video and audio subsystem. The price of such a PC does not exceed $500.

The budget version of the PC can be built on the basis of the Intel Celeron processor with a clock frequency of 1.2 to 2.0 GHz with a processor bus frequency of 400 MHz. The memory type can be SDRAM DDR266 (PC2100) or even DDR200 (PC1600), and the memory size is from 128 to 256 MB. These requirements are met by chipsets with an integrated graphics controller, i.e. i845G, as well as the new i845GV chipset.

The video subsystem, in this case integrated, and the audio subsystem are also based on integrated codecs.

The disk subsystem is based on one hard disk with a capacity of 20 to 40 GB, and the disk model does not play a special role - it can be IBM, WD, Maxtor, or Seagate.

Naturally, the PC must be equipped with a CD-ROM drive. The presence of DVD- or CDRW-drives in this case is not provided.

The case of such a PC is rather modest: you can not install additional fans in it, and the number of bays with a 5.25-inch form factor does not exceed three. The power of the power supply can be limited to 250 watts.

ComputerPress 12"2002

Your first 10,000 shots are the worst. © Henri Cartier-Besson, Photographer

• A task - assembling a computer for photoshop, for fast processing of photos in high quality (.RAW / .NEF format)
• Budget - unlimited within reason
• Deadline - a week
• Components - according to availability in Moscow, without order from Europe / China
• Assembly features - silence in operation, calculation for PC operation up to 12 hours a day

Components in hand, proceed

CPU. As a processor this time Intel Core i7 with a frequency of 3.40 GHz

Motherboard from Gigabyte on the Z170 chipset

Even elites today have a minimum equipment

Although there is a funny sign on the doorknob: “Do not disturb! I play HOTS!”, we will not play, we have a different goal - we are assembling a computer for the photographer

By default, the board has everything you need: USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, HDMI, DVI, D-Sub, PS / 2, gigabit LAN port and seven-channel audio

There is also an m.2 slot for SSD drives

They promise super sound, we don't need it, but the feature of the board is nice

Two slots for front USB 3.0, not greedy

There is a Sata-Express slot that has not become popular

Two external USB 2.0 outputs and a neat Front-panel

I put the processor in the socket, it belongs there (=

As a cooler today, air cooling from the giant Zalman. 140 mm cooler

Handsome. Ideal for Core i7

Zalman mounts have not changed for a very long time

For Intel, these mounts are used

I hook the attachments to the "ass", we will soon install the tower itself

Back wall

Looks like that

Bolts and wrench

The most difficult bolt is in the photo. It takes a very long time and gently screw it into the fit. Zen helps me (=

Tower installed

It looks solid visually, and below you can see the temperature of the processor

DDR-IV RAM from Kingston - two modules of 8 GB. A computer can use a much larger amount of RAM, but 16 gigs is enough for Photoshop. This is the optimal volume in terms of price-quality ratio. Of course, if you want, you can put 32 or even 64 gigabytes, it definitely won't be worse

I had to "conjure" a little with the map. By default, even without load, the cooler was spinning at 40% rpm, which made it buzz and make noise. I've updated the graphics card's BIOS a bit to set the fan speed to 0% at low temperatures. The cooler turns on only under real load. It became quiet, and the temperature rose by only 2 ° C in idle

Power supply from my favorite Corsair. I put such blocks in all VIP assemblies. Very quiet and so far none have broken. By the way, I recommend that you read in the assemblies

Maybe someone needs information

The body is also from Zalman Strict and ventilated

Three USB-shnik on the "muzzle"

Inside, everything is concise and of high quality. Silent Zalman's cooler on the blower

Pay attention to the filter mesh in the place where the power supply cooler blows air. This is a very useful thing. The block is always clean, and the filter itself is easy to remove and wash