Buying a new PC, help me out?

[xNiji]

I'm buying a new desktop this week, but I don't know much about computers so I need some advice.

I have my sights set on an HP Pavilion HPE-500z series.

These are the specs I'm considering.

HP Pavilion HPE-500z
- AMD Phenom X4 955 quad-core proccesor. [3.2GHz, 2MB L2 + 6MB L3 Shared
- 6GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
- 1.5 TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive

I'm also going to be upgrading the sound and graphic cards;
Graphics card to a Sapphire AMD HD 6850.
I haven't decided on a sound card yet.

I'm going to be using the pc mostly for internet browsing, mixing/recording music with Pro Tools and FL Studios, and play a bit of games.

So If you all could give me advice as to whether this is a good PC or not, and give me any other advice you have to offer, I'd appreciate it.

Thank you.

 

[Harvey]

If you're serious about using a good vid card and doing good audio recording, do NOT buy an HP Pavilion HPE-500z or any other "department store" branded machine (Dell, Gateway, etc). Almost every one of them comes with a far smaller power supply than you will need to support your hardware and software. For example, the PSU for the HPE-500z is spec'd at 300 watts while the power requirements for this HD 6850 vid card says you should have at least a 500 watt supply.

If you want to save a lot of money, time and heartache, slow down, and take the time to do this right the first time. Read these forums and others, and ask your friends who run similar gear for advice about how to select components to build the machine that will do the job.

Also, Protools is known to be fussy about which hardware works with various versions so be sure to check Avid's site for the requirements for the version of Protools you intend to use.

Sorry to put a damper on your wishes to do this quickly, but the most important thing you said was that you don't know much about computers so you need some advice. Follow those instincts, and get a lot of it before you waste money and time.

Hope that helps.

 

[denis280]

Just like Harvey.if you wont something too upgrade in the future. you should get the right stuff. EX... motherboard (ASUS gygabite asrock msi) get one built instead.

 

[pete1229]

/\/\ Bravo Harvey and Denis! Great advice.

Keep in mine when you do buy a better motherboard it will, more than likely negate the need for you to buy a sound card as the mobos that are out there come with some pretty damn good o/b audio. What kind of pc do you have now? You may be able to salvage the case and maybe your optical drive(s) to use in your new build. The one drawback to a build is you'll need to buy an operating system, but the huge advantage to this is you will not be getting all the bloatware PC manufacturers cram onto your hard drive. From what I can see you'll be shelling out at least $600. bucks for that HP, money which can be wisely spent on building a system, more dependable then anything you'll ever buy off a shelf.

 

[pete1229]

You also might consider a bare bones kit, here's an example of a great system in your price range from newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.644166

 

[xNiji]

Geez, I sure am glad I came here before wasting all that money.
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it!

I guess for the next few days I'll research and try to figure out what's the best build for me. The site www.build-gaming-computers.com seems pretty good, so I'll spend my day reading up on that.

To pete: Right now I have aDell Dimension 4000.
Not sure about the specs because I'm typing this from a school computer, but it's a family computer (and pretty old) and I wanted to make one for myself. Actually, I was considering building my own at first but since I don't know much I decided to just save up and buy an HP.
Also, thank you for the link. I'll bookmark it.
I'm willing to spend up to $1000, but I don't want to build a thousand dollar computer that's completely overkill for what I need, you know?
Just one up to $1000 that works well for what I want. (Casual gaming, mostly mixing/recording music and web browsing)

Would it be all right with you guys if I compiled my wishlist for my computer, posted it on here and asked for your opinions?

 

[pete1229]

Well okay, Hells...errrr I mean Dells (or do I?) are very proprietary and the hardware and case will usually not comply with anything you want to put in them, in fact anything other then a dell mobo would'nt even fit in the case. But you have a good budget there for a build, there is no shortage of you tube videos to guide you through step by step in building your own rig. Just go slow and if you have any questions there are plenty of us geeks right here to answer any of them.

 

[Harvey]

Geez, I sure am glad I came here before wasting all that money.
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it!

Now, you know why we like the place so much.

Not sure about the specs because I'm typing this from a school computer, but it's a family computer...

If you're in college, and you have an .edu e-mail address, you're in luck. You can save a lot of money through Microsoft's offer to students to buy copy of Win 7 Professional for $29.99. :biggrin:

I'm willing to spend up to $1000, but I don't want to build a thousand dollar computer that's completely overkill for what I need, you know?
Just one up to $1000 that works well for what I want. (Casual gaming, mostly mixing/recording music and web browsing)

You're in more luck. I know you're in Southern California (moderators are magic ) so you can take advantage of Fry's Electronics prices. The best places to see their ads are in the San Jose Mercury News (check both the daily and weekly specials tabs) and the Dallas News. Those two links go to the continuing entry points for their ads. Bookmark them, and check them daily to get the latest info on their specials. It's the only way I've found to beat the hoardes to the best specials, especially those that are free after rebate.

Their ads say they match local and online prices so you should be able to get a lot of good deals. It may take a few weeks for everything you need to come through their rotation, but if you're patient, it will happen.

Another good place to shop is Newegg. You have to sign up for their e-mail to use their discount codes, and they almost always have something useful at a good price. They'll send you 2-3 e-mails every day, so I recommend setting up a free e-mail account specifically for dealing with them to keep their offers from jamming your regular account. I set up company specific accounts all of my online transactions.

Would it be all right with you guys if I compiled my wishlist for my computer, posted it on here and asked for your opinions?

It would be a better idea to post your questions in a new thread in our General Hardware forum. Be sure to read through the three sticky threads at the top of the forum before posting. You'll find many of your answers and guidance about how to present your questions.

 

[Zargon]

It would be a better idea to post your questions in a new thread in our General Hardware forum. Be sure to read through the three sticky threads at the top of the forum before posting. You'll find many of your answers and guidance about how to present your questions.

this.

also, you can use a PSU size calculator that uses real values instead of generic statements like 'requires 500w power supply' from a card with a TDP just under 130W.

general hardware will be able to really get the most out of your thousand dollars, especially compared to a dell/hp/ETC

 

[Harvey]

Keep in mine when you do buy a better motherboard it will, more than likely negate the need for you to buy a sound card as the mobos that are out there come with some pretty damn good o/b audio.

I'm an audio product design engineer. As good as onboard audio is for playback, if he's serious about recording and mixing audio, he may want a card with more discrete channels with better individual A/D and D/A converters and resources specifically intended for what he wants to do.

The good news is, the onboard audio he gets will be good enough that he can build his system before he buys a card and enjoy what he's hearing wile checking further for the one he finds he needs.

 

[xNiji]

also, you can use a PSU size calculator that uses real values instead of generic statements like 'requires 500w power supply' from a card with a TDP just under 130W.

general hardware will be able to really get the most out of your thousand dollars, especially compared to a dell/hp/ETC

thanks Once I finish picking out all my components I'll definitely do this.

Well okay, Hells...errrr I mean Dells (or do I?) are very proprietary and the hardware and case will usually not comply with anything you want to put in them, in fact anything other then a dell mobo would'nt even fit in the case. But you have a good budget there for a build, there is no shortage of you tube videos to guide you through step by step in building your own rig. Just go slow and if you have any questions there are plenty of us geeks right here to answer any of them.

Yeah, I may not know a whole lot about computers, but I figured this much. Thanks, I'll be sure to ask if any questions arise (which I'm sure will)

If you're in college, and you have an .edu e-mail address, you're in luck. You can save a lot of money through Microsoft's offer to students to buy copy of Win 7 Professional for $29.99. :biggrin:

I'm actually still in high school, but I can definitely get one of my friends to do this for me Thanks!

It would be a better idea to post your questions in a new thread in our General Hardware forum. Be sure to read through the three sticky threads at the top of the forum before posting. You'll find many of your answers and guidance about how to present your questions.

I'll be sure to do that. I actually am pretty close to putting together my (by no means final) rig, so I'll be posting a thread in there around this time tomorrow. If you could check it out for me I'd appreciate it!

 

[denis280]

Glad to help you.But one advice.once you get your stuff. read the book!!!!