Computer junkies, I need help.....

[blaze383]

I am looking to get a little more updated in technology. I have just a basic Compaq Persario with a big monitor and its just embarassing lol. I have my internet through Verizon now and it is decently quick, way faster than dial-up thats for sure but I would still like for it to be faster, I pay 30 bucks a month now and was wondering if there was any better providers out there that had a more competitive price, I also live in the middle of nowhere so its not that easy to find many places that do provide cable/dsl. I was wondering if just knowing a little bit of the basics on a computer, would I be able to build my own tower? I want one that is built to be fast of course and store alot on the hard drive and be able to burn dvd's. I would also like the tower to be see through so I can have one that lights up because I think that looks real cool //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/nerd.gif.c6fa51ddf7ff75f1c0371fbc648f70ae.gif. I was just wondering how much it costs nowdays to build your own because like I said, I dont keep up with computers much and im not real knowlegeable on them. Not looking to spend more than $400 bucks on a tower and then I was going to get a new Lcd 17'' monitor and a little plug up surround sound system for it. Any help or suggestions is appreciated, thanks!

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[bk12321 10+ year member]

if you only have ~$400, I would honestly try to find an entry level dell computer, and try to get one with a free 17" lcd since thats what u want

and is there no roadrunner near u?

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

i would say to go to a mom and pop computer shop:laugh: and look at what they offer for cases, and then start on the internals pricing etc.

definitely buy online though, as you will find better pricing

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

I just mapquested marion, and ur only about an hour away from me

I would be surprised if roadrunner wasnt offered in your area

 

[blaze383]

i would say to go to a mom and pop computer shop:laugh: and look at what they offer for cases, and then start on the internals pricing etc.I dont know where to start and hate to seem lazy as far as looking but could you give me a specific model you know has good reviews?

definitely buy online though, as you will find better pricing

I just mapquested marion, and ur only about an hour away from me
I would be surprised if roadrunner wasnt offered in your area

I live a little ways out of Marion so it may not be, but ill check it out, thanks for the info.....ive never even heard of Roadrunner

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

if you are going to do a ground up build, then there is no such thing as a model....just gotta look for a case you like, then buy a board and whatever else you would like to put on it

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

I live a little ways out of Marion so it may not be, but ill check it out, thanks for the info.....ive never even heard of Roadrunner

Timewarner cable is the provider of roadrunner, its one of the best price-to-performance providers out there, and they are everywhere.....

you should be able to snag a 6 or 12 month locked in fee of 29.99 or something cheaper than their 45.00 a month rate

and if you are DEAD SET on building ur own computer, newegg.com is your friend. I would help you pick out parts and what not, but Ive gotta go to class.

 

[blaze383]

if you are going to do a ground up build, then there is no such thing as a model....just gotta look for a case you like, then buy a board and whatever else you would like to put on it

So Dell is the best place to start building one? Do prices on parts vary as far as different manufactures or will they fit on most of the same computers? Whats the first few things to start replacing.

 

[blaze383]

Timewarner cable is the provider of roadrunner, its one of the best price-to-performance providers out there, and they are everywhere.....
you should be able to snag a 6 or 12 month locked in fee of 29.99 or something cheaper than their 45.00 a month rate

and if you are DEAD SET on building ur own computer, newegg.com is your friend. I would help you pick out parts and what not, but Ive gotta go to class.

Im in class at the moment lol, thanks for your help though, I might give you a pm in a few weeks after I get some money saved to start this if thats cool with you?

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

So Dell is the best place to start building one? Do prices on parts vary as far as different manufactures or will they fit on most of the same computers? Whats the first few things to start replacing.

No Dell will build it for you lol, I was giving you a viable option since $400 is kind of low to build a custom pc. It's still doable though, but I dunno if you will be able to afford that 17" LCD you wanted //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

What I was saying is, once you get down to the $300-400 range, Dell is one of the best places you can go because they can just get all their stuff so cheap and give you a really good price (i've seen prices as low as $279 on dell dimension desktop systems). If you are dead set on building your own instead, it can be done.

 

[bk12321 10+ year member]

Im in class at the moment lol, thanks for your help though, I might give you a pm in a few weeks after I get some money saved to start this if thats cool with you?

Sure, I wouldn't mind at all.

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

So Dell is the best place to start building one? Do prices on parts vary as far as different manufactures or will they fit on most of the same computers? Whats the first few things to start replacing.

no...as stated in my first or maybe second post, go to a small computer store and find a case(you wanted a plexi one) then you can put anything in it you want. newegg.com is definitely the place to buy, but you can put any motherboard and processor you want, however much ram, whatever hard-drive(s), video card...you just have to look around and see what performance at what cost you want. then install it all into whatever case you selected and install an os and drivers

 

[blaze383]

No Dell will build it for you lol, I was giving you a viable option since $400 is kind of low to build a custom pc. It's still doable though, but I dunno if you will be able to afford that 17" LCD you wanted //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gifI found a 15'' on ebay now im bidding on just for fun lol

What I was saying is, once you get down to the $300-400 range, Dell is one of the best places you can go because they can just get all their stuff so cheap and give you a really good price (i've seen prices as low as $279 on dell dimension desktop systems). If you are dead set on building your own instead, it can be done.

I found a 15'' on ebay now im bidding on just for fun lol, im not dead set on doing it myself but I would kinda like to learn a little more about them and be able to say I done it myself.

no...as stated in my first or maybe second post, go to a small computer store and find a case(you wanted a plexi one) then you can put anything in it you want. newegg.com is definitely the place to buy, but you can put any motherboard and processor you want, however much ram, whatever hard-drive(s), video card...you just have to look around and see what performance at what cost you want. then install it all into whatever case you selected and install an os and drivers

Yea i really want a plexi case with a neon in it. I gotta have rice for my computer lol jk. I need to study some because im not familiar with computer talk at all honestly.

 

[Scoobydoo 5,000+ posts]

plexi cases are fun, but the bling factor soon wears off. same thing with windowed cases

you can build a decent comp for $400 if you know where to find the parts, join some computer forums, buy used

you should be able to find a 17" lcd for around $100 and a 15" lcd for around $50 these days

 

[blaze383]

plexi cases are fun, but the bling factor soon wears off. same thing with windowed cases
you can build a decent comp for $400 if you know where to find the parts, join some computer forums, buy used

you should be able to find a 17" lcd for around $100 and a 15" lcd for around $50 these days

**** I just got a Dell 15'' Lcd on ebay for $98 and thought I got a deal //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif see im dumb with computers lol