New Computer

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

Well...for christmas this year I decided that I would focus my efforts on a new computer. My question is with a budget of 800-1000 would it be worth my while to build one or would it be better for me to just go to http://www.dell.com and pick one out there. I have a friend that has offered to help build the computer if I go that route. Just trying to get some suggestions as to what I should get.

Feel free to suggest components that you think I should look into: Graphics Cards, Motherboards, Processors, HDDs, power supplies, sound cards, etc.

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[brtnboarder3241 5,000+ posts]

build your own.. if u kno how.. if not id be happy to..

id go with an ati radeon hd 3870.. great for the price.

 

[Chevillac 5,000+ posts]

for that much you could build something really nice, IMO. Ive seen the EDUs on stuff for half that price and really nice, minus the video card and monitor. I dont remember who had that thread, but there were a few about building computers with recommendations.

 

[konechiwa 10+ year member]

do you want to play graphic intensive games, or is it for business and non-gaming use?

Intel Makes the best processors.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

and I forgot to mention. I do not need a monitor or any other extras (keyboard, mouse, speakers)

Not going to be playing that many games, but probably some. Also will be used as a media center. I download Hi-def movies so 8 gigs a pop starts to take up space.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Seagate has a 1TB SATA drive out now //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

http://www.newegg.com

/thread

lol naw but seriously, you would be hard pressed to beat the prices on newegg, if your not looking for a gaming rig you can get away with a pretty nice machine for quite cheap. oh and RAM is dirt cheap nowadays too as well as hard drives.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

Yeah Ive already looked around newegg a pretty good bit. Im just looking for some 2nd opinions.

 

[.::DuD3::. 10+ year member]

Dude build it, I'm about to build my bro a computer for the same thing. If you have $900, and you don't need a monitor or any other peripherals, you can build a sick computer.

 

[Scoobydoo 5,000+ posts]

too many options, but here is what i would do

36/74gb raptor for OS and installs(size depends on how much you need installed)

500gb seagate for storing music, movies, games, etc

although you could just partition a large drive the raptors are good everyday drive because you are constantly accessing the c: drive and they are slightly faster than normal sata drives

ddr2 is cheap might as well get a single 2gb stick so later you can easily upgrade to 4gb if needed, but 2gb is pretty much the bare minimum these days

i used to be an amd fanboy, but i switched over to a c2d cpu about a year ago and have no intention of going back to amd any time soon. even the lowest end of the c2d line is fast enough for most people

video depends on if your a gamer. i am not so i use onboard video and it works fine for me.

i sell a lot of computer stuff and i also have full computers for sale. if you are interested pm me and i can help you work something out

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

I saw build one for yourself just cause you will most likely pay less money, have a better case asthetically and physically, and you can very easily upgrade it without having to worry about compatability issues, also you can plan ahead by getting parts that will allow for easy expandability.

Plus just like in car audio, its soo much better when you build it/install it yourself

Only thing I could possible see you missing out on would be customer service (but hey ya got ca.com for that lol) and bundled software which you could easily get for free online

 

[HitManSE 10+ year member]

In the end, its going to run up to about the same thing. The difference is you'll know what you've put into the PC (no BS software). It all depends on if you know how to put it together. Its not too complicated though, im a newb with PC's and so far I havnt had much of a problem taking things apart, plugging new things in and making them work.

PC forums offer A LOT of info. Next time around, im building for sure. You'll end up wanting/having to upgrade something and you'll start to run into the OEM's limitations pretty quickly. Really depends on what you're going to use the PC for. I dont really game much (if ever) so I just use the integrated one that came with it.

I am however going to end up getting a 512mb vid card (and a new PSU to go along with it) for the occasional game or HD movies. Nothing crazy though.

 

[konechiwa 10+ year member]

a good video card isn't made by the amount of memory.

remember that.

 

[Trey803 5,000+ posts]

you can buy an hp for about the same as it costs to build one

 

[konechiwa 10+ year member]

you can buy an hp for about the same as it costs to build one

not true.

I'd suggest using newegg. I was just looking around, but I found this ram, which (of course you'd need a motherboard and processor that it works with) would lead to a lot of customization later in time.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231136

a 4x 1GB combo, G.Skill, 119.99.