DIY or this HP PC from BB?

[jbyrtus]

I would not mind attempting my first build, but this "package" seems fairly nice for the price (after the blasted 6-8 month rebates lol). I have used an HP before and have just added to it (see signature), and I have not had any problems. I do not see myself matching this deal by ordering separate parts.

If I do it myself, I will need everything from monitor to keyboard.

My budget is at or less than $1000. My aims for this PC are music storage/burning (essentially backing up my entire CD collection at "lossless")
, internet usage (will be 2nd PC, so I should also consider router and such), and word/powerpoint/etc programs. I swore off of FPS shooters due to their addictive nature lol.

I ask because I would rather have a better rig and spend a day constructing it than being ripped off by a box store.

Thanks for any input.

HP specs are as follows:


15" LCD Flat-Panel Monitor Color Printer
A64 3400+
Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 software
512MB DDR RAM memory
200GB hard drive
Double-layer multiformat LightScribe DVDRW drive
9-in-1 media reader
ATI RADEON® Xpress 200 graphics (A1129N/VS15/3845)
*Reg. Price $999.97 - $150 Best Buy Bundle Mail-In Rebate - $50 CPU Mail-In Rebate - $50 Monitor
Mail-In Rebate - $50 Printer Bundle Mail-In Rebate - $20 Printer Bundle Mail-In Rebate = $679.97
Package includes computer, monitor and printer.

 

[Fresh Daemon]

HP? Run away! Run away!

I used to work on HP's back in PII-PIII days, and let me tell you, those things were the most over-engineered pieces of junk ever. God knows what mobo is in that thing - probably some HP custom order, so you can forget about overclocking. You may not match the deal, but you get what you pay for, and a rig you pick out yourself will be much better. Bear in mind that this system is also short on RAM, you're going to have to add at least another 512MB, and if you want dual-channel, you'll probably have to buy an HP part which are always outrageously overpriced. The PSU will be barely adequate. The graphics card is an onboard thing and certainly won't set any records, you say you're not into FPS games anymore - what about others? Even RTS games these days need a beefy gfx card. You may not even have the option to upgrade it.

Did I mention that I don't like HP's? 🙂

 

[jbyrtus]

lol.

like i said, i have had my current rig (amd2880+, 1gb kingston (replaced the 256x2), 9800 pro) for 3 years now and aside from one virus that f'ed me up, no problems with hardware.


i do worry about "future proofing" or adding upgrades as i need them.

 

[xgsound]

I'm not sure the a1129n is skt 754 or 939. If it is 754, the emachine T6410 is >$500 with no monitor and $50 rebate.

The HP a1130n is around $50 more with 1 Gb mem, skt 939, amd64 3500+, 250 Gb disk, 300W PS. This seems (IMHO) to be the best value pre-built system right above the emachines T6522 at Circuit city. (not to be confused with the T6520, skt 754 at BB)

Pre-builts won't compare with a DIY system, but for around $750 it's certainly thinkable.


Jim