Buyer's Guide: Dream System - August 2002

Today's buyer's guide is the last in our first set of buyer's guides. We revived this popular feature of AnandTech seven weeks ago and have continued to publish a new guide every week. We began with the value systems (SOHO, gaming, and professional 3D) and then moved to the high-end guides (SOHO, gaming, and professional 3D). For our seventh buyer's guide we tackle a different type of system recommendation. Today we look at what we would put inside a computer if we could chose anything we wanted. Think of this guide as a shopping spree of sorts; price doesn't matter.

The dream system buyer's guide is actually one of the more enjoyable guides to write. When configuring a dream system, we feel like kids in the candy store. The components chosen for this system give an accurate representation of what we would love to have in our own personal systems. Naturally, the price of the dream system is typically the limiting factor.

The dream system buyer's guide is also usually a very popular read. Just as car owners love to read about sports cars they could never afford, computer owners love to read about systems that represent the top of the line. The only thing we ask is that you try not to drool on the keyboard while reading. Don't say you weren't warned.

Let's review exactly how our buyer's guides are composed before we get to the actually dream system configuration.

Every component in a recommend system, from case to monitor, is covered. The only hidden costs are shipping costs, which can add anywhere from 5% to 10% to the total system cost depending on what you get and from where. The best way to keep shipping costs down is to order as much as possible from a single vendor or pick things up locally. Be sure to take a look at the AnandTech Hot Deals Forum to see if any AnandTech readers have posted a special deal on a piece of hardware in the recommended system. Also be sure to check out our Weekly CPU & Video Card Price Guide and our Weekly Memory & Motherboard Price Guide to see if prices have been updated since the buyer's guide was last posted.

This Week

Many people have different opinions when it comes to what they want in a top of the line item. Take car owners, for example. An American muscle car lover may hold a super tweaked out Chevy Corvette as their dream car. In the same vein, a European car lover will likely feel that a Ferrari or Lamborghini is the absolute best car out there.

The same discrepancies exist amongst computer users. Although it is usually easier to decide on top of the line computer components than it is to decide what car is top of the line, lots of the decision making process is one's own opinion. Keep this in mind as you read through this guide; you may find yourself agreeing with our choices in many instances but disagreeing with them in others.

Our dream system suggests a system configuration that would produce one of the fastest desktop computers that can be made. The dream system consists of high quality components that are fast, reliable, and, naturally, pricey.